Acevo said it had written to all central government departments concerning the April deadline (as determined by the Treasury’s 2002 Cross Cutting Review), and found that progress across government was limited. Acevo said that while the Home Office, ODPM, HM Treasury and the Department for Trade and Industry all stated that they had implemented FCR, many responses indicated a lack of acceptance and application. Many departments, said acevo, have established working groups on the issue which have yet to report with recommendations.

Acevo’s CEO Stephen Bubb said: “While funded organisations have a template for achieving full cost recovery, there is little common understanding between funders on how they can fulfil their side of the bargain. This may explain why so few have made any real progress.”

As such, acevo is undertaking research looking at the challenges facing funders in making FCR a reality. A report is expected to be published in June, and will outline the perspectives and progress of funders from both the public and private sectors.