Organisations sometimes concentrate so heavily on procurement and contract award that they neglect the management arrangements needed to ensure the contract delivers value. A review commissioned by King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides a warning.Reported in 2025, the review identified serious concerns in the relationship between the Trust and its facilities management...

Construction projects frequently involve multiple contractors working under separate contracts. But who pays when one contractor delays another?Crossrail demonstrates the potentially enormous financial consequences of failing to manage contractual interfaces, changes and dependencies. The National Audit Office reported that changes to design and construction schedules cost approximat...

How confident are public authorities that their suppliers are delivering the value promised in their contracts?In May 2026, reporting on Cornwall Council's internal audit identified significant weaknesses in contract management arrangements. The audit awarded Limited Assurance to contract management, identifying inconsistent compliance with the council's operating model and reliance ...

Major IT transformation contracts often promise improved efficiency, stronger financial controls, and significant long-term savings.But what happens when the project fails to deliver?Birmingham City Council's troubled Oracle implementation provides a striking example.The programme was originally budgeted at approximately £19 million, but by 2025 its reported costs had increas...

How does a major infrastructure project end up costing almost twice its previous estimate?HS2 provides a powerful lesson in the financial consequences of inadequate commercial controls, scope management and contract administration.In 2026, the National Audit Office reported that the estimated cost of completing HS2 had risen to between £87.7 billion and £102.7 billion, approximat...

News source: The Guardian, 17 February 2026The Government's Single Trade Window programme was intended to simplify international trade by providing a digital system through which businesses could submit information needed for border processes.In February 2026, it was reported that the programme had been closed after approximately £110 million had been spent, without delivering an...

News source: House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, 15 July 2026The Government's Shared Services strategy aims to improve efficiency by bringing together back-office functions such as finance, HR, procurement and payroll.The Cabinet Office has identified potential benefits of £4.3 billion.However, the Public Accounts Committee reported serious weaknesses in oversight, un...

In July 2026, MPs on the Public Accounts Committee raised serious concerns that Northern Powerhouse Rail could repeat some of the mistakes made on HS2.The project has a £45 billion funding cap, yet questions remain about the precise scope, routes, capacity requirements and infrastructure needed to deliver the intended benefits.The Public Accounts Committee questioned how a reliab...

The Financial Times reported that difficulties agreeing on the cost of two important access-road projects led to a change of contractor. The reporting identified potential design changes costing approximately £30 million as one of the issues contributing to the commercial difficulties.The roads are essential to support construction traffic and minimise disruption to surrounding commu...

The continuing problems surrounding HS2 provide an important lesson for procurement professionals, engineers and commercial managers.In May 2026, the Government announced measures to reduce the complexity and over-specification of HS2, including adopting proven European high-speed operating standards and a maximum operating speed of 320 km/h.The underlying issue is fundamental: h...