The Challenge of Spend Management in Central Government

As we head into 2021, UK Government agencies face an unprecedented level of challenge in delivering public policy and services against a backdrop of a changing work environment, turbulent economic times and a new era of administration no longer regulated by the European Union. The coronavirus pandemic meant an urgent and immediate disruption in working practices was forced upon the traditionally risk-averse civil service, with staff having to work remotely, mostly without the planning, technology or training that such a move would normally entail. Whilst government, to the credit of its staff, did not grind to a halt, the solutions deployed to satisfy the need were inevitably hurriedly implemented, bypassing the usual governance and programme management processes. As we gradually emerge from the crisis, there will need to be a review of the effectiveness of the procedures, and a clear plan for how working patterns might evolve to best suit not only the needs of departments, but also the newly empowered workers within them. Download to find out more.