Hopes that procurement can secure dramatic cuts in UK public spending may be excessively optimistic. That is the conclusion of a study by Durham University and Wax Digital, which showed that public sector buyers were willing to lead the charge against excess spending, but bureaucracy, poor spend management and lack of automation could stand in their way.

The research found that 75 per cent of procurement heads and their teams were optimistic that they could reduce deficits by 2015, but they were unsure exactly how they would achieve the spending reductions.

Read more: Supplymanagement.com