The allocation for monitoring is often reduced to a minimum in the Outline and Final Business Case as part of a process of ensuring the cost of a PFI/PPP project is lower than the public sector alternative. In addition, monitoring is often considered an 'easy' spending cut, thus transferring responsibility to already stretched head teachers and senior NHS Trust managers. The increasing practice of relying on 'self-monitoring' by private contractors further reduces the frequency and rigor of monitoring. These developments reduce the scope of monitoring to basic contractual issues such as the availability of facilities and the quality of services and to the exclusion of value for money and economic impact of the project.