Commercial

NAO research finds there are now 218 companies in government, but over half are not listed in official sources

KPMG and Hay Group win first two lots as Cabinet Office makes changes to the way departments buy training courses

After a scathing report on problems with the digital overhaul of the system for paying EU subsidies, spending watchdogs Meg Hillier and Amyas Morse criticise behaviour that was "distressing to staff and visibly confrontational"

Civil service chief executive John Manzoni says government "making good" on promise to open up public sector procurement to smaller firms

Committee on Standards in Public Life aims to help commissioners spot the signs of unethical conduct

Online procurement portal will help small businesses tap into £44bn public sector market, government says.

New 'specialist' payscale to help recruitment, staff cuts at the Cabinet Office, Single Departmental Plans, the future of civil service reform, details on a brand new leadership academy – as the civil service chief executive and minister for the Cabinet Office face MPs, CSW tries to keep up...

Chief executive of the Defence Equipment and Support agency says fresh Trident cost estimates are proof of an end to a culture in which the MoD has been "unrealistic about the numbers"

Fiscal watchdog predicts 0.1m drop in public sector workforce by 2020, but says pay restraint will reduce need for cuts

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