A number of attempts have been made over the past two decades to develop what might broadly be called the commercial capabilities of government, with notable success in the disciplines of finance, project management and information technology. However, a great deal remains to be done.
It is difficult to disagree with a recent report by the Institute for Government on government's commercial capability which concludes:
Since the refresh of government's commercial reforms post-2015, progress has already been made by departments and the Cabinet Office, in particular in relation to the recruitment of new staff and the setting up of a new assessment centre. It is still too early to say how far this progress will translate into improved performance.62
Use of the generic term, 'commercial capability', masks the existence of a number of different disciplines involved in public service contracting - commissioning, system design and stewardship, procurement and contract management - and the intense focus on the commercial aspects of these functions has contributed to the neglect of the relational dimensions.