Property transfers within the Scottish public sector

Purpose - The paper aims to explain the way the Scottish Executive, Scotland's devolved administration, transfers surplus property between its Departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies, which differs from the approach in England. Design/methodology/approach - The paper draws on government documents and professional standards to explain the revised administrative mechanism and the reasons for the way in which it is designed. Findings - The paper explains the benefits the system is designed to bring about and its limitations. Research implications/limitations - The paper is a professional practice paper designed to help practitioners who may be involved in such transfers of property, and to inform researchers in the field of public sector asset management of a new development designed to improve the efficiency of property transfer in the Scottish Executive's part of the public sector. Originality/value - The paper will be of interest to practitioners involved in the transfer of public sector assets in Scotland, and those applied researchers with an interest in public sector asset management. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.