This is mainly down to Treasury cuts, but Parker said procurement practices were also to blame.
Mark Daniels, Head of Market and Sector Development at Social Traders says "procurement is the greatest untapped tool for social change".
Furthermore, he said, procurement officers are finding that while suppliers are initially upset at being subjected to an auction, most are appreciative after having gone through it.
The company says procurement for its £2.1bn committed development plan – the largest in central London – is leading to improved sustainability across the industry.
The council said procurement costs, including finance, legal and technical fees, totalled £5.45m, while the planning process cost £460,000, including £400,000 for the inquiry.
The report said the UK had fallen behind other EU countries in securing contracts for its own companies to help national economies and said procurement generally in the UK took 50% longer than it did in France and Germany, despite operating under the same EU rules, due to a "process-orientated, risk-averse culture".
"It's a radical and unique venture," says Ian Conner, procurement leader at Southwest One, which, as well as sharing traditional back-office functions, runs a "transformational procurement" programme to encourage effective working.
As Northampton vice-chancellor Nick Petford says, university procurement is not a sexy subject, but an important one.
Earl Howe, Lamb's Tory colleague in the upper house, says the "procurement law is no different" from Labour's.
The department said the procurement is part of a drive for the increased automation of passenger counting technology on trains.
