Sal Paradise wrote:
It would be crazy to think an organisation as big as the NHS doesn't have significant opportunities for efficiency savings and improvements.
One of the problems with big organisations is the ordering of consumables and supplies. More often than not, the person ordering doesn't know the true costs, nor do they care as it's not their money. We're living in an age where the relieving of our money is more aggressive than ever. Suppliers aren't here to do them a favour, they're here to make as much profit as they can. 'Big organisation has requested a price... think of a number... double it... put it in an official quote... hope they don't question it.'
I've worked on both sides and have seen it first hand. I've worked for a supplier who would add a third onto quotes for a large University and every time said Uni would just send over a purchase order. On the other side I've seen admin staff ordering letterheads for £1 each thinking that's what they must cost, and a supplier adding an extra £1000 profit on a job which should have cost around £300.
I'm sure the NHS has procurement procedures in place for this kind of thing but I'd hazard a guess they won't necessarily be getting the best value for money across the organisation.
