VONNE

VONNE, in partnership with the North East Social Enterprise Partnership (NESEP) and Funding Information North East (FINE), delivers a range of infrastructure activities on procurement and commissioning. Here you can find information and updates on some of the main regional projects and their partners.

The North East Commissioning Action Plan

The North East Commissioning Action Plan, or NECAP, was developed to sit under the regional Compact between the voluntary and community sector and the statutory sector. It is developed and delivered by the two regional Third Sector Procurement and Commissioning Steering Groups, Policy and Practice. The NECAP summarises some of the main procurement and commissioning activities being led by, or affecting, the VCS and social enterprise in region and monitors progress in these areas. The NECAP builds on recommendations of the regional Procurement Framework which can also be downloaded below.

North East Procurement and Commissioning Action Plan July 2009 (Word)

Commissioning and Procurement in the Public and Third Sectors: A framework for action in the North East

Big Society Market Place

This project, developed with support by NESEP, is about developing a web-based database system which will:

• Help registered organisations to find partners for projects, based on their skills and experience; and
• Allow better targeting of information, opportunities and support to third sector organisations. This includes providing better information on the capabilities of third sector providers and access to potential suppliers for the public sector.

The website is currently being tested to iron out the last tweaks but should be live later this month.

Valuing Social Value Network

Newcastle University Business School, in partnership with VONNE, NESEP, Pentagon Partnership and Co-operatives North East is starting to develop a regional social values network. The network, which will be open to participants from all sectors, will offer opportunities to explore the different social value techniques, such as social auditing and social return on investment. Its also hoped that the network will offer opportunities to broker training in different techniques for voluntary organisations. You'll be able to find updates on the network here in future.

If you're interested in finding out more about social value VONNE has produced a brief guide:

Social Value (PDF 58kB)

Contracts Matter

Contracts Matter is the VCS Supply Chain Hub project, funded by One North East's Third Sector Capacity Building Fund and hosted by Acumen Development Trust. The aim of the project is to develop a mechanism to help support VCS organisations form supply chain partnerships to bid for regional-scale skills and employability contracts. You can find out more information on the hub at the link below.

Contracts Matter

Historic Mapping and Gapping

VONNE carried out a preliminary mapping and gapping exercise of the support that is was available to the sector in early 2008 which can downloaded below.

Procurement Support to the VCS in the North East (Word 132kB)