Commercial

Department for Work and Pensions joins HMRC in bid to significantly cut its estate by the end of the decade

Defence committee takes evidence on the Strategic Defence and Security Review – with decision to axe 30% of MoD's civilian staff coming under fire from academics

The Department for Transport has addressed the causes of the failed West Coast rail franchise, the NAO spending watchdog finds – but risks remain to future competitions as work on HS2 delays the new West Coast franchise by six months

Sale price £280m more than the “book value”, George Osborne announces

Stinging report by the Public Accounts Committee says government funding to the collapsed charity was “never seriously questioned, let alone stopped”

Insitute for Government report says there is "insufficient recognition" that "less money will often mean doing less" – and urges clear statements of intent from new single departmental plans

HM Revenue & Customs briefs staff on major downsizing of its estate – CSW has the key details and reaction from unions

Think tank advises greater pay freedom and a focus on recruitment, not training, to support civil service reform

Geoffrey Spence to step aside as Infrastructure UK merged with major projects watchdog

Crown Commercial Service's director of complex transactions to temporarily serve as chief commercial officer

Theresa May sketches out Home Office vision for the next five years – and confirms that Home Office perm sec Mark Sedwill is reviewing size of the department's central HQ

Matt Hancock says new team will bring together officials and ministers to focus on digital reform

Cross-government SDSR to be unveiled two days before the Spending Review

Combined central and local government outsourcing spend highest since early 2012, according to new research

Public Accounts Committee criticises HMRC over customer service, compliance and tackling aggressive tax planning – while HMRC says MPs have "overlooked" its achievements

Tech industry group says some initiatives designed to open up markets are poorly understood, but Crown Commercial Service chief Sally Collier insists Whitehall is "changing the way it does business" with smaller firms

Former Cabinet Office perm sec joins top Department for Education official Chris Wormald at hearing on the charity's collapse – and reveals he considered earlier ministerial direction over grant to the organisation

Report by Business in the Community says Social Value Act has had some impact in improving lot of low-paid staff – but backs tougher approach with agencies

Shaun Kingsbury tells the Environmental Audit Committee that time is right to hand coalition-era bank to the private sector – but E3G warns against “rushed privatisation”

DVSA in the market for new in-house digital staff after similar move by the DVLA to bring IT back home

Labour asks the NAO to look into Just Solutions International

Official who raised value for money concerns over further funding for the charity to face questions from the Public Accounts Committee

Consultancy to advise HMRC on end of the decade-long IT deal

New diagnostic tool from the Institute for Government aims to help officials assess viability of public service markets