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Department for Business, Innovation & Skills contribution to operational efficiency and smarter government savings

24 Mar 2010

Today the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) announced that it will deliver £300m of savings, as its departmental contribution towards £11bn savings that are being made across Government.

The Budget has today reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to making £11bn of savings a year by 2012/13 from efficiency and streamlining the centre of Government.

The £11bn of savings will contribute to halving net borrowing and protecting key public services. The savings will come following the work of the Operational Efficiency Programme and Putting the Frontline First: Smarter Government.

BIS will meet this target through a range of activities, including:

  • Saving £120m from working with Arms Length Bodies and other Government Departments to seek opportunities to deliver better value for money and produce savings, including through rationalisation and reform as appropriate. This includes savings expected through streamlining and better aligning central government functions at the regional level - including co-locating Regional Development Agencies, Homes and Communities Agency and Government Offices to reduce duplication of functions.
  • Saving £180m from a combination of realising greater efficiencies in our back office budgets including consultancy and marketing and improving procurement processes.

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said:

“BIS will play a key role in the Government’s plans for growth as announced today – we will deliver a strong package of support for enterprise and innovation, which are essential to the economic recovery, and expand opportunities in higher education to help to provide skills for the new industries and new jobs of the future.

“But this Budget isn’t just about investing for growth - it is also about doing things better for less. This is a challenge every Government department faces and BIS is no different.

“This means prioritising and targeting Government activity that will deliver and sustain long term economic growth. This is essential to reducing public borrowing and protecting frontline services, creating jobs and raising standards of living.”