Workers in public sector organizations are less satisfied with work then they were last year and they are also less satisfied than those who work in the private sector. This is one of the main findings in the latest survey into employee attitudes by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Levels of satisfaction, trust and commitment are all lower in the public sector. 

Moves to increase competition in the public sector market place and introduce common standards for public sector bodies to purchase goods electronically are all part of a wider strategy to propel procurement higher up the modernizing agenda. The new measures will help in delivering the vision of all public services procuring goods and services electronically at highly competitive prices, but turning the vision into a reality will demand radical change in culture and processes. 

By Andrew Erridge and Jonathan GreerSuccessive administrations in the UK have aimed to develop a more strategic approach to public procurement by emphasizing inter-departmental co-ordination and establishing long-term partnership relations with suppliers. This has proved to be a difficult task as the operating framework and culture of the public sector have hindered the development of interorganizational relationships and trust.