Five independent Office for National Statistics price indices in one buyer-focused view. Use them to challenge unsupported renewal claims and frame better questions — not to infer guaranteed savings.
These are output-price indices (2015 = 100). They indicate the direction of price pressure in broad industries, not an independent fair-price benchmark for your contract.
A useful context signal when examining proposed cleaning contract increases. Site coverage, staffing, frequencies and contract terms must still be compared.
View original ONS series ↗Relevant background for freight rate negotiations, but route mix, surcharges, vehicle utilisation and service levels make contracts non-comparable without detail.
View original ONS series ↗Sector-wide price movements can frame renewal questions; pallet profile, locations, inventory turns and handling activity drive actual client cost.
View original ONS series ↗Broad service-sector context; not a substitute for contract line-item comparisons or detailed outsourced-services specifications.
View original ONS series ↗Indicates sector-level pricing trends, not whether a particular business has overpaid for a supplier contract.
View original ONS series ↗Interpretation: An index rise does not mean a supplier's proposed increase is justified, nor does a lower index mean the client is entitled to a price reduction. Contract scope, indexed clauses, service levels, unit volumes, pass-through costs and available alternatives determine negotiating leverage. ONS statistics may be revised; the latest available values are shown with their original release period.
Start with the actual contract: which index, if any, governs price changes? Does it cover wages, energy, transport or a separately priced scope? Then compare the proposed movement with a relevant, clearly identified public series. A market-wide index is context — not proof of supplier margin or a benchmark for a specific facility.
Use the variance to formulate questions: why did a 12% rise occur if the selected official service index moved less? Was the increase due to scope, additional sites, staff hours, risk transfer or an expiring introductory concession? Ask the supplier to explain the bridge.
For a multi-site group, normalise specifications and base volumes before comparing site rates. A lower price may also reflect reduced scope, poorer response times or hidden one-off costs. Understand what qualifies as a real saving →
Source: Office for National Statistics, Services Producer Price Indices. The figures displayed above are a versioned snapshot of official quarterly observations published on 22 July 2026; source series are linked individually. Updated snapshots are intended to be reviewed before publication. The dataset has a published revision history; do not assume that old observations will never change.
ONS data reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Analysis and interpretation are Pearl Lemon Procurement's; the ONS does not endorse this service.
We work backwards from the contract, the spend and the decisions you can actually implement. If your annual addressable supplier spend is £5m+, tell us the categories and renewal window.