Cabinet Office Controls
The Cabinet Office spend controls help organisations to reduce unnecessary spend and encourage cross-government collaboration.
The Cabinet Office is committed to iterating the spend controls process to increase government efficiency and collaboration.
Email cabinetofficecontrols@cabinetoffice.gov.uk for general questions about the spend controls process and policy.
Cabinet Office spend controls summary
This policy summary outlines the objectives, benefits, scope, exemptions and thresholds for the spend controls process. Version 6 supersedes version 5.
Commercial spend controls: pipeline process (introduced in 2018)
Use the pipeline process to request spend approval for commercial activities that cost £20 million or over (excluding VAT).
Commercial spend controls: non-pipeline process (pre-2018)
Use the old commercial spend controls guidance if your organisation is yet to transition to the new pipeline process to get spend approval for commercial activities that cost £10 million or over (excluding VAT).
Digital and technology spend controls: pipeline process (introduced in 2018)
Use the pipeline process to request spend approval for all digital and technology activities. Email the CDDO assurance team for help with the digital and technology spend controls.
Advertising, marketing and communications (AMC) spend controls
Use this guidance to request spend approval for advertising, marketing and communications activity costing £100,000 or more.
Contingent labour spend controls
Follow this guidance to ensure approval requirements are met for all contingent labour spend with day rates of £750 and above, or 12 months duration or longer.
Property spend controls
Government organisations should follow this guidance to request spend approval on leaseholds, property acquisitions and disposals.
Facilities management spend controls
Use this guidance to request spend approval when buying or extending facilities management contracts, regardless of their cost.
Redundancy and compensation spend controls
Use this guidance to request spend approval for all redundancy and compensation schemes.
Learning and development (Civil Service Learning) spend controls
Use this guidance to request spend approval for learning and development (Civil Service Learning) activities.
Updates to this page
Last updated 18 September 2023 + show all updates
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removing non-pipeline process for digital and technology control
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Replaced GDS references with CDDO. Removed Consultancy and Professional Services Control.
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Linked v6 of controls guidance, updated consultancy and professional services thresholds and added a link to the contingent labour control.
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The link to exempt bodies has been removed as exemptions are no longer applicable.
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First published.