The UK government should improve the way it works with technology suppliers to prevent further missed opportunities to modernise, says the National Audit Office (NOA).

A new NOA report – Government’s approach to technology suppliers: addressing the challenges – scrutinises government’s approach to large-scale digital procurement. Effective use of technology is seen as essential to enable the government to improve and digitally transform its services and operations.

However, the report states that “repeated delays and cost overruns in digital delivery undermine government’s ability to achieve its policy objectives”.

The NOA estimates the UK public sector spends a minimum of £14bn on digital procurement annually. This digital spend covers a vast and diverse range of projects, from the Universal Credit benefits system to maintaining and replacing critical services like the Police National Computer, and the purchase and renewal of commodity items, such as laptops.

The spending watchdog tracked...