What do you mean - it's no good?

I am sure Sir Philip Green is correct in saying that the Civil Service could save a significant amount of money by negotiating central contracts for goods and services (but isn't that what HMSO used to do?).  A word of warning though - there will be a natural tendency to go for the cheapest option, and the words "cheap and nasty" spring to mind.  I remember my Department deciding to negotiate a central contract for photocopiers - so every office would have the same make of photocopier - there would be big savings on the cost of maintenance and repairs.  Problem was, these photocopiers were, to put it bluntly, crap - and the worst aspect of this was that some offices had already had these photocopiers in the past and knew how rubbish they were, but "them up there" didn't know that - or didn't ask! - so we were lumbered with them.  And this is the problem with centralised contracts - the people negotiating them are so removed from the shop floor that they may, with the best of intentions, make bad decisions which everybody is then stuck with for the duration of the contract.