Abstract:This paper examines the Home Office's attempts to apply the Financial Management Initiative to the probation service in England and Wales, with particular emphasis being given to the use of private sector management consultants in the development of a Financial Management Information System (FMIS) for the Service. The details of the FMI's application are set out and the processes whereby the aims of the initiative were attenuated and deflected are identified. In consequence, the case adds support to the literature questioning the application of such initiatives in the public sector by illustrating how even the ‘experts’ cannot provide simple solutions for the complex problems facing public sector manag