New National Occupational Standards for Commissioning in the Public Sector have been approved and published
Commissioning is a skill set of growing importance within central government and across the wider public sector. The standards produced capture the performance, behaviours and knowledge and understanding that an individual must demonstrate to be considered competent to carry out a particular task within a commissioning role. The standards cover nine areas, broadly covering the whole commissioning cycle from engaging with service users, assessing and reviewing needs, securing provision, using resources and achieving results.
The standards are generic, in that they apply to the commissioning of services from any form of provider. They contain useful performance criteria such as ‘Encourage and promote the active engagement of relevant service users’ and required levels of knowledge such as ‘When alternative funding mechanisms may be used (e.g. grants)’. How these standards are used in practice by local public bodies, and adopted by commissioners will be the interesting thing.
