Case studies

We recommended in our 2014 report on the Department for Work & Pensions' Work Programme that the Department should develop a clear approach to making any future termination decisions. After agreeing termination costs, the Department should evaluate the impact of terminating a contract; set out clear principles for making future termination decisions using break clauses in the current contracts; and include relative as well as better absolute measures of performance in setting the conditions under which it could terminate contracts at no cost.

Our 2016 report on the Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre found that services did not fully meet users' needs. There was a lack of clarity over each supplier's responsibilities which took time to become clear. We recommended that where multiple organisations become responsible for providing a service, the departments involved should agree on how to resolve issues, such as gaps between contracts and interdependencies, before transition.

The Department for Transport is committed to continuously improving its rail franchising programme (2015 report) and has embedded a structured approach to learning lessons and responding to feedback from operators and stakeholders. This includes:

•  holding 'lessons learned' workshops after each franchise competition.

•  holding 'bidder days' to give bidders the opportunity to feed back their experiences of the procurement process and make suggestions for improving it.

•  reviewing the complexity and quantity of information it requires from bidders in its financial models.

As a result, the Department has made changes to simplify and improve the bidding process and encourage new entrants.