3.2 It is clear that public bodies need good quality data to gain assurance that intended outcomes are being delivered. Individual PFI contracts set out rigorous performance management mechanisms. There is, however, a less systematic approach to gathering performance information at the programme level. The Committee of Public Accounts noted in its report on PFI in housing and hospitals that a lack of good quality, centrally held, performance and cost data undermines departments' ability to monitor performance, to drive efficiency savings and effectiveness improvements, and to target support to local providers. For example, the Department of Health was unable to explain to the Committee why catering costs per patient per day, including delivering and serving the food, varied significantly (from £3 to £12). It did not know whether services provided more cheaply in some locations were better value for money, or alternatively poor quality, or reflected inconsistencies in the way costs were recorded.35
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35 Committee of Public Accounts, PFI in Housing and Hospitals.