Sir Philip Green to examine procurement in Government spending review

Green, whose portfolio of businesses includes Topshop and Dorothy Perkins, has been appointed to examine Government spending, and will report back ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review, which is due on 20 October.

Green says he will use his experience of procuring goods and services in his new role. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that a centralised buying system for Government could help cut costs.

Green said, ‘What we need to do is get focused on the big spend in each department – where is the money actually being spent?

‘I think in the past, occasionally having had discussions on this, there is no centralised procurement. So the thought process of us having an individual buyer in each one of our stores without centralising the purchasing will give you some idea, hopefully, of the opportunity.’

He added, ‘But it’s about process as well, so we have to understand the process – how it’s done, who does what and how we can quicken all of it up.’

Government spend on design is currently channelled through individual departments and the Central Office of Information. The Department for Education is seeking a single supplier of managers for creative services, including design, while the COI has imposed a freeze of all ‘non-essential’ advertising and marketing spend.