The Government should ensure that it has counter-fraud experts dotted across departments who can rapidly deploy in another Covid-style emergency and set up a clear way of dealing with new suppliers, watchdogs said.
The National Audit Office (NAO) said that a “flexible” system where people with the right skillset can be mobilised at short notice could help ensure that unscrupulous people do not take advantage of the Government.
The amount of fraud reported in the accounts that the NAO audited jumped from £5.5 billion over two years before the pandemic started to £21 billion in the two years afterwards.
“There is evidence of the Government learning lessons from recent emergencies and improving its approach to better prepare for future emergency spending,” said NAO head Gareth Davies.
“However, there is more to do to complete this analysis and bring it together.
“The NAO has set out lessons where action can be taken now by Government to prepare for future emergency spending.
“This includes clearer communications around rules and decision-making, improved management of staff and data, and increased transparency.
“If Government makes these changes now, it will be better placed to protect public spending, and public confidence and trust in it, the next time we face an emergency.”
The NAO set out seven lessons that the Government should draw from the pandemic to help ensure that money is well-spent at the next emergency.
They included setting up plans of how to buy in “a seller’s market,” where the Government quickly needs products it does not normally buy, or deals with suppliers it does not normally deal with.
“In emergencies, Government will have reduced leverage and may have to deal with many suppliers they are not used to dealing with,” the NAO said.
“A clear playbook is needed for buying in this situation.”
Other recommendations included being clear that while public bodies might need to streamline their operations, but still need to “allow for robust oversight” and stick to normal rules about public spending.