Commissioning and Procurement
The regional and national policy context around planning and delivering public services has moved quite markedly towards engagement with the voluntary and community sector (VCS). Commissioning is the cycle of assessing the needs of people in an area, designing and then securing an appropriate service. Procurement is the specific aspects of the commissioning cycle that focuses on the process of buying services, from initial advertising through to appropriate contract arrangements.
VCS organisations are increasingly considering tendering for the delivery of public services as a way of funding the services that they provide to clients. Whether the funding for local services comes via grants or competitively tendered contracts, VONNE advocate that the VCS have a vital role to play in helping to design services that meet the needs of local people, and are well placed to deliver many of these.
VONNE carried out a preliminary mapping and gapping exercise of the support that is currently being offered to the sector.
Procurement Support to the VCS in the North East (Word 132kB)
VONNE consider that there are three categories of support needs. Firstly, it is essential that individual VCS organisations that wish to engage in the provision of public services are contract ready; secondly, where there is a general trend towards higher value contracts covering wider geographical areas, ensuring that VCS organisations have the means to collaborate to compete jointly for work, and thirdly, ensuring that Commissioners and Procurers in the public sector understand the value of the VCS as strategic partner, a delivery partner and as an independent champion of change. VONNE have been working in partnership with Northern Rock Foundation, North East Centre for Excellence, Government Office North East and North East Social Enterprise Partnership to develop an action plan of activities that will provide VCS organisations with the support they need to tender for contracts. The action plan will be launched before the end of 2007.
The North East Commissioning Plan was launched at the end of 2007. More details
North East Commissioning Action Plan
Latest News
Showing articles 1 to 10 of 17
08/08/2008
Sector's expertise called into doubt by Government report
A worrying report for the sector has been published by Government suggesting there is no reliable evidence on claims the Third Sector provides public services...
10/07/2008
Futurebuilders Launches New Tender Fund
Futurebuilders England has launched a new interest-free loan fund for third sector organisations struggling to meet the cost of tendering for public...
19/06/2008
Identifying and winning public sector opportunities
Winning public sector contracts can be vital in helping businesses to develop and grow. Pitching for contracts in the public sector, which accounts for...
04/06/2008
The National Procurement Strategy for Local Government
In April, the final report of the National Procurement Strategy was launched. For anyone with an interest in the policy agenda it provides a useful summary...
04/06/2008
Training on Effective Tendering for Public Sector Contracts
This training programme will offer a series of training events throughout the UK during June 2008. The events are designed to help organisations and businesses...
02/06/2008
The Role of Grants in Sustaining a Healthy Local VCS
Keith Bayley, Chief Officer of Hartlepool Voluntary Development Agency argues that there is still a case to made for grant giving by local authorities...
02/06/2008
Public sector contracting opportunities
Until 31 July 2008, the www.supply2.gov.uk website will allow new registrants to gain free access to public sector contracts valued under £100,000....
23/04/2008
North East Commissioning Action Plan
During 2007 the North East Centre of Excellence (NECE), with support from the Northern Rock Foundation, worked with a range of Third Sector organisations...
05/03/2008
Third Sector Peer Coaching Programme for Learning and Skills
Please find attached publicity for a new free programme of support for Third Sector providers of learning and skills and Third Sector organisations about...
