Carillion steps up cost-cutting effort

Carillion, the construction and support services group, is to slash its supplier base from 25,000 to just 5,000, in an effort to save £140m a year by 2013.

In the wake of government pressure on public sector suppliers to deliver savings, Carillion has already saved £42m through its Step Up efficiency programme and will transfer to an electronic invoicing system to save a further £86m next year. Carillion is one of the 34 "second tier" suppliers to central government to hold recent talks with the Cabinet Office.