Scottish Government decision making can be 'rushed and unclear', ex-officials warn
03 May Project Delivery

Scottish Government decision making can be 'rushed and unclear', ex-officials warn

Financial rules are sometimes seen as "bureaucratic or optional", former civil servants tell committee
by Beckie Smith
Honesty needed over problematic major projects, PAC says
15 Sep Project Delivery
Honesty needed over problematic major projects, PAC says
NAO report spotlights ‘pitfalls’ for cross-department working
07 Jul Project Delivery
NAO report spotlights ‘pitfalls’ for cross-department working
Motorola removed from government strategic suppliers list following ESN exit
18 May Project Delivery
Motorola removed from government strategic suppliers list following ESN exit
DfT names winners of £5m rail innovation fund
16 Nov 2022 Project Delivery
DfT names winners of £5m rail innovation fund
Projects include self-charging trains, suicide-prevention technology and new ways to carry freight
Troubled Ajax programme 'far from on track' as MoD rejects contractor's claims
07 Nov 2022 Project Delivery
Troubled Ajax programme 'far from on track' as MoD rejects contractor's claims
MoD and former minister say new schedule to deliver Ajax armoured vehicles has not yet been agreed as noise problems remain
‘Over-ambitious’ HMPPS electronic tagging plan ‘threw away’ £100m
24 Oct 2022 Project Delivery
‘Over-ambitious’ HMPPS electronic tagging plan ‘threw away’ £100m
MPs “unconvinced” of MoJ's ability to oversee overhaul of electronic tagging after “long history of poor performance"
‘Competing priorities’ hinder efforts to boost civil servants’ commercial skills
19 Oct 2022 Project Delivery
‘Competing priorities’ hinder efforts to boost civil servants’ commercial skills
Recruitment and spending controls also making it harder to train up contract managers and commercial specialists, Chisholm reveals
Read the September 2022 issue of Civil Service World
27 Sep 2022 Project Delivery
Read the September 2022 issue of Civil Service World
How is government managing its most innovative and high-risk projects? Plus, is wokery really a problem in the civil service?
HMCTS pauses IT system rollout in attempt to resolve union dispute
22 Sep 2022 Project Delivery
HMCTS pauses IT system rollout in attempt to resolve union dispute
Common Platform pause is “a reasonable first step", says PCS union, which had planned strikes
Truss ‘must not scrap Outcome Delivery Plans’
15 Sep 2022 Project Delivery
Truss ‘must not scrap Outcome Delivery Plans’
Monitoring system will be crucial for keeping track of departments’ progress over next two years, says Institute for Government
Civil servants set to exit another 20 Whitehall buildings
01 Sep 2022 Project Delivery
Civil servants set to exit another 20 Whitehall buildings
Government Property Strategy sets out plans to reduce core estate from current 36 buildings to 16
CCS consultancy spend goes up, but agency-staff costs plummet
10 Aug 2022 Project Delivery
CCS consultancy spend goes up, but agency-staff costs plummet
Annual report says Crown Commercial Service delivered almost £3bn in benefits to the public sector in 2021-2022
Bosses face £870k in fines over Carillion cover-up
29 Jul 2022 Project Delivery
Bosses face £870k in fines over Carillion cover-up
FCA says “misleading” statements about contracting giant’s finances aggravated the impact of its 2018 collapse
Treasury spending chief sounds alarm on inflationary pressures facing departments
22 Jul 2022 Project Delivery
Treasury spending chief sounds alarm on inflationary pressures facing departments
Cat Little says some parts of government are “struggling” to evidence the impact of spiralling prices
MoD comes out fighting after MPs’ equipment plan report
23 Jun 2022 Project Delivery
MoD comes out fighting after MPs’ equipment plan report
Minister rejects claims department is “complacent” over affordability of £238bn programme
BEIS offers £160k for second perm sec to oversee 'high-stakes' programmes
23 May 2022 Project Delivery
BEIS offers £160k for second perm sec to oversee 'high-stakes' programmes
Role has been created to "increase the scope and capacity of senior leadership", perm sec says
Saving grace: NS&I chief Ian Ackerley on Covid turbulence, select committee grillings and green investment
18 May 2022 Project Delivery
Saving grace: NS&I chief Ian Ackerley on Covid turbulence, select committee grillings and green investment
The chief executive of Britain’s venerable state-owned savings bank talks about its pandemic savings push, reputation management and transforming his organisation
Red light, green light: examining the government's progress on improving its performance
22 Apr 2022 Project Delivery
Red light, green light: examining the government's progress on improving its performance
CSW assesses progress against key actions set out in the Declaration on Government Reform, and explores how volunteering can boost skills and support key priorities
Red light, green light: examining the government's progress on empowering its people
22 Apr 2022 Project Delivery
Red light, green light: examining the government's progress on empowering its people
In the final part of our series exploring the Declaration on Government Reform, CSW assesses progress against actions designed – according to the document – to ensure there are the “best people leading and working in government to deliver better outcomes for citizens”.
The shift to agile working may be fraught with complications – so how can public sector organisations get it right?
07 Apr 2022 Project Delivery
The shift to agile working may be fraught with complications – so how can public sector organisations get it right?
Embracing uncertainty; active listening; strong leadership – Antonio Weiss explores the foundations of good agile approaches
A real shot in the arm: the highs, lows and lessons of delivering the Vaccines Programme
29 Mar 2022 Project Delivery
A real shot in the arm: the highs, lows and lessons of delivering the Vaccines Programme
In a bleak and challenging time, the breath-taking speed and success of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout provided much-needed hope across the country. Beckie Smith meets Antonia Williams and Leila Tavakoli, who worked on the programme, to discuss what they learned from this award-winning endeavour
'The most challenging summit anybody’s ever held': Cop26 COO Wasim Mir on last year's climate conference
15 Feb 2022 Project Delivery
'The most challenging summit anybody’s ever held': Cop26 COO Wasim Mir on last year's climate conference
Organising a climate summit amid a pandemic was a massive logistical and diplomatic undertaking. Wasim Mir takes us behind the scenes of Cop26
WATCH: Steve Glass on the work of the Vaccine Taskforce and maintaining 'tenacity under pressure'
28 Jan 2022 Project Delivery
WATCH: Steve Glass on the work of the Vaccine Taskforce and maintaining 'tenacity under pressure'
The winner of the Cabinet Secretary's Outstanding Leader Award shares how the task force delivered Covid-19 vaccines under extraordinary circumstances and on a massive scale, and lessons for the future
Study on ‘Boris bridge’ to link Scotland and Northern Ireland cost £900k
21 Jan 2022 Project Delivery
Study on ‘Boris bridge’ to link Scotland and Northern Ireland cost £900k
Report carried out at Boris Johnson's request showed the bill for a fixed link would be "impossible to justify"
Poor evaluation means government ‘not learning from failure’, NAO head warns
10 Jan 2022 Project Delivery
Poor evaluation means government ‘not learning from failure’, NAO head warns
“Limited consequences” for failing to evaluate projects means too few public bodies are doing so, Gareth Davies says
Airport fit for Air Force One Partner Content
05 Jan 2022 Project Delivery
Airport fit for Air Force One
It went off without a hitch, but the logistics of gathering world leaders in Cornwall for the G7 Summit in June 2021 didn't just happen on its own but with the expertise of Costain. Here's how we made Newquay Airport fit for the arrival of President Joe Biden
DE&S chief Simon Bollom praises ‘brilliant’ team – and hits back at negative publicity about major project costs
29 Dec 2021 Project Delivery
DE&S chief Simon Bollom praises ‘brilliant’ team – and hits back at negative publicity about major project costs
2020 may have been a year like no other, but 2021 was a chip off the old block and relentless from day one. The defence equipment chief exec tells us about 12 more months of dealing with Covid as well as new challenges