ProcurementExpress.com
Is Your Council Audit Ready?
Spending errors and procurement fraud cost UK councils up to £2.75 billion
Procurement officers in UK councils must implement controls that prevent council overspending & fraud
Spending errors and procurement fraud cost UK councils up to £2.75 billion
Procurement officers in UK councils must implement controls that prevent council overspending & fraud
This year, it’s estimated that spending errors and procurement fraud will cost UK councils up to £2.75 billion. According a 2020 MCHLG report, it is up to individual Procurement and Fraud officers in UK councils to implement controls that prevent council overspending, fraud and corruption.
Councils in the UK currently spend over £55 billion each year so they are easy targets for fraudsters
Up to 5% of UK council income is wasted due to irresponsible spending errors and fraud
23% of councils detected a case of fraud in 2018, but it is understood that this only the tip of the iceberg
Procurement and finance teams in councils now have a responsibility to crush fraud
The MHCGL cross-government anti-corruption strategy provides a framework to help UK councils and local authorities reduce spending errors and tackle corruption. The reality is that many councils are drowning in administration that makes it impossible for their finance teams to truly control and manage spend.
"At ProcurementExpress.com we’re actively helping a number of councils across the UK to get better visibility of their spending and highlight procurement risks in their organisations."
* Blog Article
If you’re just starting out, we’ve identified four red flags that all finance and procurement managers in UK councils must watch out for. This e-book covers everything from identifying inappropriate spending to dealing with petty cash issues.
"Whether you feel your council's spending is under control or not, dig into this free resource to stay accountable and save your department hours every week."
* PDF Article
The best way to start managing your council’s spend is to learn from the stories that other Local Authorities and Councils have shared with us. We’ll be looking at everything from councils that failed to carry out due diligence when choosing key suppliers to a serial fraudster who stole £60k from their local government authority employer.
These horror stories will keep you awake at night if you haven't got the proper spending controls in place! Watch us dissect each horror story on the webinar replay below!
* PDF Article
Smart companies cary out regular audits. Use this template to stress test your council’s spending policies and keep your department on their toes.
For every council, regardless of size and culture agree that having verifiable audit trails is absolutely necessary.
* PDF Article
On 8th June 2002, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the Review into risks of fraud and corruption in local government procurement report. It was produced in collaboration with local government partners and the Prime Minister’s Anti-Corruption Champion John Penrose MP.
It is imperative that the money spent on vital public services gets to those who need it most. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased opportunities for criminals to defraud taxpayers everywhere.
* PDF Article
