A recent article published online announced that the government had managed to save nearly £4 billion through more efficient procurement.
The article referred to Francis Maude's announcement that: "£1.6 billion had been saved by reducing the use of consulting and contractors, £800 million through better supplier relations, £1 billion through centralising procurement across the whole public sector - of which £600 million came from central government - and £380 million on advertising and marketing."
It's reassuring to see that focusing on improving and centralising the government's procurement is clearly working.