Government publishes first contract in transparency drive

The first contract to be published under the government's new transparency drive has been posted on BusinessLink's Contract Finder website.

The £1.5m student assessment deal has been struck between the Secretary of State for Education and Slough-based NFER Trading.

However, Whitehall had pledged to publish all its contracts from January.

The government launched the Contracts Finder website last month, which it also intends to become the main platform to find public sector contracting opportunities over £10,000.

Transparency campaigner Heather Brooke welcomed the move. "First uncensored UK government contract goes up on contractsfinder. Hopefully we'll see many more," Heather Brooke wrote on Twitter.