Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT)
Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT) was introduced in the UK by the Conservative Government throughout the 1980s, in an attempt to bring greater efficiency to local government and health services through the use of competition. While it is generally recognised that strong incentives were needed to stimulate reform, compulsion resulted in resistance by local authorities and health trusts, an immature market and poorly-conducted procurements which focused on price at the expense of quality and employment conditions.
The literature around CCT helps to explain the origins of contracting in local government in the UK and is a key to understanding some of the issues in the current marketplace.
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Performance measurement for local authority sports halls and swimming pools Sport England, 2000 Ancient House Press Ref: 1003 ISBN: 1 86078 128 4 UK
Competitive Tendering in Local Government: A Review of Theory and Evidence Boyne, George, 1998 Public Administration, Vol. 76, No. 4 (Winter 1998), pp. 695-712 This paper reviews the theory regarding contracting and competition - this stems from traditional public choice theory and extensions of this model, and imply the need for the impact to be established empirically. There follows a literature review examining the impact of competition on the cost and quality of local government services. UK
CCT and Local Authority Blue-Collar Services (Web Page) Austin Mayhead & Co. Ltd for Local Government Research Unit, 1997 Department of the Environment This research updates and widens earlier work (published 1993) by the Institute of Local Government Studies at the University of Birmingham, into the effects of introducing competition into the provision of blue-collar services required by the Local Government Act 1988. UK
Local Government Research Unit CCT Non-Bidders Department of Transport, Local Government Regions, 1996 A report on a survey of the views and awareness of non-bidding firms ISBN 0117533424 UK
The Impact of Compulsory Tendering on IT in Local Government: Some Possible Outcomes Bryson, Colin, 1996 Unpublished working paper. Author is a lecturer in the department of Human Resources, Nottingham Business School UK
The Impact on Local Authority Leisure Provision of Compulsory Competitive Tendering, Financial Cuts and Changing Attitudes Nichols, Geoff and Taylor, Peter, 1995 Local Government Studies, Vol 21, No. 4 pp. 607-622 UK
Compulsory Competitive Tendering for Sport and Leisure management: A Lost Opportunity? Coalter, Fred, 1995 Managing Leisure 1, 3-15 UK
Delivering Best Value for Leisure Taylor, Peter, 1995 Leisure Management Contractors Association UK
CCT: The Private Sector View: A Report on a survey of private sector firms Department of the Environment, 1995 Ref: A5887 UK
Making Markets: A Review of the Audits of the Client Role for Contracted Services
Audit Commission, 1995
HMSO
Local Audits were carried out on 380 local authorities and reviewed against the themes of the Audit Commission's 1993 report,
Guidance on the Assessment of Quality in the Application of CCT to White Collar and Professional Services
LGMB, AMA, ADC, ACC, COSLA, 1994
Why Compulsory Competitive Tendering for Local Government Services is not as Good as Privatisation? (PDF) Frederick, Danny, 1994 Libertarian Alliance This article argues that despite the benefits of compulsory competitive tendering (CCT), there are certain negative aspects to it. It asserts that the biggest problem with CCT is that the values that should be produced by the services are defined by local authorities rather than the taxpayer. This difficultly of CCT, the author argues can be remedied through privatisation. ISBN 1-85637-184-0 UK
Realising the Benefits of Competition: The Client Role for Contracted Services Audit Commission, 1993 HMSO A report on the implementation of Compulsory Competitive Tendering since the Local Government Act 1988 and the problems of working in a contractual environment. It considers ways of overcoming common problems and makes recommendations on good practice whereby the local authority is cast in the role of a client defining the work to be delivered by the contractor and letting and managing the contract. ISBN 011886 098 4 UK
The 1988 Local Government Act and Compulsory Competitive Tendering David Parker, 1990 Urban Studies, Vol. 27, No. 5 (October 1990), pp. 653-667 This article reviews the Conservative's 1988 Local Government Act which extended compulsory tendering, assesses the evidence on efficiency savings, the services affected and considers the consequences for local government. UK

