Public services
Public services touch the lives of everyone in society – and businesses have a major role to play as users, funders and suppliers in improving these services to meet the needs of UK citizens
Creating effective public services markets - from education and healthcare, to policing and welfare - is a key element to how succesfully government at all levels can transform public services to meet the long-term demands facing them.
It requires bold thinking about the way we design and run public services, to ensure they provide both good outcomes and better value for money. As our most recent report shows, government at all levels must respond to three challenges on public services:
- Getting ahead of the game in ensuring public services meet the needs of an ageing population, while we start to live within our means
- Ensuring they fit around people's lives and match their changing expectations
- Giving people confidence that ongoing change is the right thing to do and support
Business has a vital role to play in improving public services and helping government get the most out of its markets to meet these challenges. Having a diverse range of providers increases quality, stimulates new ways of working and encourages greater efficiency – essential to encouraging growth and dealing with the deficit.
The best providers from the public, private and voluntary sectors should compete on a level playing field – government needs to enhance its capacity to create and manage markets to make this happen and promote public confidence in their use. Real transparency should be at the heart of all public sector contract
Through our Public Services Network, we seek to bring together business, public sector, the voluntary and charities sector and other interested groups to establish a dialogue on the right ways to proceed.
Public Services Network
Meet up with other members involved in reforming public service delivery
In focus
Read our ideas on improving the performance of public services
Video interview - Margaret Hodge
Watch PAC chair Margaret Hodge MP on the private sector's important role
Meet the team
The group of experts who represent our members on public services
Call for Evidence
Share your ideas about how the UK's public services can be transformed
2014 Procurement survey
Getting a better purchase shows business wants government to improve its commercial skills
Latest News
Government should not spend more than it earns on public services
The Government should establish a new fiscal rule once the deficit has been eliminated ensuring that public spending never outstrips revenue receipts, according to a new CBI report
CBI responds to NAO report on Government contract management
The CBI responded to a National Audit Office report examining the contract management arrangements in the Ministry of Justice and Home Office
CBI responds to NAO report on the Work Programme
The CBI responded to a report by the National Audit Office on the performance of the Work Programme
