Prison chiefs are flushed with success after getting to the bottom of soaring loo roll costs – and wiping out nearly £160,000 in spending in just six months.
Procurement bosses at the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) are on a roll after cutting the bill for paper essentials by around £154,000 or 40% in just six months compared to the same period the previous year.
It was part of a cost-cutting drive that saved more than £16 million, within a total contract value of £875.6m.
The loo roll savings came despite rising demand – with record numbers of inmates at around 8300 and former private nick HMP Kilmarnock being brought under their control in December 2023.
A rethink of the janitorial contract for toilet paper and other disposable paper items such as paper towels helped stop cash going down the pan.
According to a yearly report by procurement head Andy Door, the savings reinforce the need for “market testing to maximise value” for public sector expenditure.
He says: “A strategic procurement review of paper goods under Lot 2 of the Janitorial Contract has delivered substantial financial savings for the organisation in the 2024/25 financial year.
“Lotting the paper products – toilet roll, paper towels etc – the SPS delivered a reduction of approximately 40% – £154k – over a six-month period (July–December 2024), compared to the same period in the previous year.
“The savings were realised despite a notable increase in prison population and the addition of HMP Kilmarnock in December 2023.”
Mr Door added: “The procurement approach delivered significant savings, supporting budgetary objectives and enabling reinvestment in other operational areas and exemplifies best practice in contract management and strategic sourcing.
“The documented savings reinforce the importance of ongoing supplier review and market testing to maximise value for public sector expenditure.”
An SPS report shows they opened up more than £16 million in savings overall during the period.
According to the report, of the total savings, £10.1m was achieved through “cost reduction or cost avoidance” and £4.1m came via “community benefits, efficiencies, Living Wage supplier commitments, sustainable products, etc”.
A further £2m was achieved via participation in “public sector collaborative contracts” set up by the Scottish Government or other public sector bodies.
SPS say inmates have not been left short and loo roll has not been rationed to achieve savings.
