Savings data collated from across the sector for the past five years has provided much needed evidence of how we are working together to deliver efficiencies against third party spend to the Home Office and Minister and for the purposes of the HMICFRS inspections. It has also provided data to identify areas of best practice and efficiency opportunities that can be shared with others.
In a letter from the previous Home Office Director of Fire, Luke Edwards, regarding the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), it was made clear that the ‘credibility of any financial proposition put forward will hinge on ensuring that we have a good story to tell on efficiency, both now and in the future’ It is critical therefore that the FRSs provide the savings data so we are in a position to demonstrate and evidence the commercial efficiency of the Fire and Rescue Services.
This initiative has the full support of NFCC and the Home Office and will require cooperation from services procurement staff (lead), finance staff and functional business areas. Generating and recording efficiencies/savings is a team effort; it is easier to have a single conduit within Fire and Rescue Services for reporting, and procurement is best placed to do that, but finance and functional business areas all have a key part to play. The current methodology described by the Cabinet Office is attached, along with guidance notes and the original template issued for completion.
To see what we are doing to evolve the current model, click the link below to view our Inspection Judgement Criteria page.
Savings Hi-lights
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£ 3.2 m
equates to 86 firefighters from 18/19 collaborative savings
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£ 12.7 m
equates to 58 new appliances on the run from 18/19 FRS savings