Local Commissioning and Procurement News

Survey on DWP Work Programme and voluntary sector involvement

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:08:27 +0000

Survey on DWP Work Programme and voluntary sector involvement:

Inclusion and the Third Sector European Network (TSEN) are conducting a survey to find out the extent to which the local voluntary sector in England has been included in Department of Work and Pension’s (DWP) Work Programme bids.

The government has signalled strongly to prime providers that it expects them to involve the voluntary sector in delivering the Work Programme, especially at a local and community level. The survey’s results will illustrate whether this expectation has been met.

NAVCA suggests that support and development organisations encourage local providers who have engaged or attempted to engage with the Work Programme to complete the survey. It is open until 25 March.

Results of the survey will be released at the TSEN Annual Conference on 30 March 2011 entitled Europe and the Work Programme. The conference will “provide the platform for potential civil society sub-contractors to discuss with Primes the barriers which small civil society organisations face to involvement with Framework Providers”.

Alternatively the results will be available on the TSEN and CESI websites following the conference.

Meanwhile the bidding process continues for the prime contractors who were successful in being listed on the framework agreement, with the government aiming to have the programme in place by summer 2011.

Read previous NAVCA news items on the Work Programme.

Transparency, and other moves to open up government procurement

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:07:51 +0000

Transparency, and other moves to open up government procurement:

Including what it means for the voluntary and community sector The government has announced a number of measures to “make doing business with government more transparent, and more welcoming to smaller companies, charities and social enterprises” and to meet the government aspiration for SME’s to deliver 25% of government contracts.

This new briefing includes the latest developments.

Transparency, and other moves to open up government procurement (pdf, 77 KB).

Response to 'Modernising Commissioning' green paper

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:11:34 +0000

Response to 'Modernising Commissioning' green paper:

In December the Cabinet Office published a green paper which set out its plans for modernising commissioning. The Government commitment is to ‘support the creation and expansion of mutuals, co-operatives, charities and social enterprises, and enable these groups to have a much greater involvement in the running of public services.’

The paper covers a very wide range of issues related to commissioning. They include:

expanding the use of payments by results
giving public sector workers in central government rights to form mutuals to take over the running of services
extending the Merlin standard across central government
maximising social, environmental and economic value in commissioning.

The paper also includes issues which are within the Localism Bill, namely the transfer of assets and the right of civil society organisations and local authority employees to challenge local authorities where they believe they could provide services differently or better.

The response to the consultation will form part of a wider Public Service Reform White Paper which will be published early this year.

NAVCA has submitted its response to the green paper and you can find it below. We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to our response by sending us your views, experiences and information and copies of your own submissions. We will keep you informed of further developments.

Download the NAVCA response to the green paper (Word, 29 KB)

Measuring social value: how five social enterprises did it

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:35:09 +0000

Measuring social value: how five social enterprises did it:

In 2009, the Department of Health, with the support of the Cabinet Office, commissioned an action research project on social value.

The results aim to help social enterprises and commissioners better understand the wider impacts of service delivery and quantify the value in monetary terms. Five social enterprises delivering mainstream primary and community care services participated in the action research project.

Read the report.

Modernising Commissioning: Increasing the role of charities, social enterprises, mutuals and cooperatives in public service delivery

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:36:03 +0000

Modernising Commissioning: Increasing the role of charities, social enterprises, mutuals and cooperatives in public service delivery:

The Cabinet Office has published their green paper on commissioning and is looking to NAVCA members for feedback.

This green paper, ‘Modernising Commissioning’ will feed into a white paper to be published early next year. There is therefore a tight timeframe for feeding in your thoughts.

The paper looks at four areas where commissioning could be improved or modernised. These are; new opportunities for civil society organisations to deliver, how to make markets more accessible, assessing a broader definition of value and citizen and community involvement.

NAVCA will be responding to this green paper and we would like to ensure our response reflects the needs of NAVCA members and the organisations you support. Please forward any contributions by 5pm 23rd December to lcpu@navca.org.uk.

If you would like to send any ideas directly to the Cabinet Office, send them to ocscommissioning@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk by the 5th January.

The areas where Cabinet Office wants input are:

In which public service areas could Government create new opportunities for civil society organisations to deliver?
How could Government make existing public service markets more accessibly to civil society organisations?
How could commissioners use assessments of full social, environmental and economic value to inform their commissioning decisions?
How could civil society organisations support greater citizen and community involvement in all stages of the commissioning?

There are also a series of sub questions throughout these four headings looking at topics in more detail.

Download the green paper.

New government procurement feedback service for Small Businesses

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:43:21 +0000

New government procurement feedback service for Small Businesses:

The government has opened a new online feedback facility to enable suppliers to share their public procurement stories. The service is aimed at SMEs, so would be relevant for most third sector organisations to also use. The intention seems to be to open up a direct way for suppliers to tell central government about ‘barriers’ and ‘red tape’ to securing contracts.

The Cabinet Office will publish a quarterly commentary on the issues that have been highlighted and the actions they propose to address them. So far there are around 30 comments from suppliers covering themes many will be familiar with such as the length of paperwork, size of turnover, use of jargon, insurance and risk.

Feedback can be left on the Number 10 website.

The online facility is for general comments on how procurement processes could be improved, rather than specific processes. For providers with concerns over specific tendering problems, NAVCA has a guide to your options.

DWP releases preferred suppliers list for Framework of the Work Programme

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 10:25:22 +0000

DWP releases preferred suppliers list for Framework of the Work Programme:

DWP has announced who that it has completed the selection process for the Employment Related Support Services Framework and has made its award decisions.

The names and contact details of the organisations that have been selected as Preferred Suppliers in each of the Lots can be found below.

If local voluntary sector organisations are interested in sub-contracting opportunities for these contracts they would be well advised to follow up these preferred suppliers if they haven’t already. There have been a number of primes advertising for sub-contractors on the industry website, Indus Delta.

In related news, the supply chain standard Merlin now has its own web portal.

View the preferred suppliers list.

Capable Communities: Towards Citizen-Powered Public Services

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 16:28:57 +0000

Capable Communities: Towards Citizen-Powered Public Services:

This report from the Public Sector Research Centre, takes a practical approach to citizens involvement in the design and delivery of public services.

Read the report (free registration required).

Merlin web portal launched

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 16:28:42 +0000

Merlin web portal launched:

The Department of Work and Pensions announced today that the welfare to work industry has launched the Merlin Web portal.

The portal has been developed for the industry, and by the industry, to help support the development of prime provider supply chains and the sharing of best practice. It will facilitate the development of partnerships with the Voluntary and Community Sector, and act as a shop window for the industry.

This will help improve the accessibility of the market, increasing its transparency to the VCS, and therefore help the sector’s involvement in the delivery of DWP programmes. The web portal also supports the Merlin Standard which has been developed by DWP in partnership with the Welfare to Work Industry, and is the Standard to which all future Work Programme providers must meet to demonstrate excellence in supply chain management.

Daniel Singleton, the National Executive Director of FaithAction who was involved in forming the Merlin Standard said ‘Merlin provides a real opportunity for effective supply chains - it is up to the Prime and Subcontractors to make it work.’

Visit the Merlin Web Portal.

New National Occupational Standards for Commissioning in the Public Sector have been approved and published

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 15:56:36 +0000

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.

Download the standards

'The Changing Face of Procurement and Commissioning' - Procurement Champions event, London, 15th December 2010

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 11:33:45 +0000

'The Changing Face of Procurement and Commissioning' - Procurement Champions event, London, 15th December 2010:

The next meeting of the Procurement Champions Network is being held on the 15th December in London. The event will provide a dynamic opportunity to get up to date with some of the key changes to the procurement and commissioning of public services that have happened since the Coalition took power. The Aim of the Event: While much of our attention in the last few months has focused on the impact of spending cuts, it is easy to forget how quickly the Coalition has made some changes. This opens up the risk that the sector is likely to be unprepared for new challenges and it will therefore miss opportunities. The day will start with an overview of where procurement and commissioning is headed, what the aims of government appear to be, and what pilots and approaches are being undertaken. This will then open up a debate on the New Green Paper and Consultation on Third Sector Commissioning being undertaken by the Office of Civil Society. Delegates will have a unique opportunity to liaise directly with the civil servants leading this process. The focus will then move on to offer an insight into three particular aspects of how procurement and commissioning are being taken forward; Personalisation, GP Commissioning and Local Authority out sourcing. Each speaker will consider what is likely to happen, what opportunities this presents for the sector and how the sector should best frame its response to ensure it wins the work that is available. Speakers include: * Emma Jones of the Office of Civil Society will provide an overview of how national policy is hoping to transform commissioning and procurement and will use the opportunity to discuss with champions the Green Paper and Consultation on Third Sector Commissioning, which is being published at the end of November. * Natasha Curry of the Kings Fund will talk about how GP commissioning is going to transform the health sector and will look at how civil society should respond. * Amy Richards of ACEVO will talk about the future of personalisation in public services and look at how the ACEVO Commission on Personalisation has led to a major piece of work in Lambeth supporting the sector to prepare itself to deliver. * Richard Catherall of Suffolk County Council will talk about how Suffolk County Council are taking a radical approach to cutting costs, by outsourcing all of their activities. About the Procurement Champions Network: Procurement is one of the key issues facing the long term survival of the third sector. For many frontline groups the reality is that they must either ensure their services are procured by some form of governmental body or they will find they are out-competed, unfunded and on the scrap heap. Helping groups through this is clearly a very big challenge. The procurement champions are the people who do this on a daily basis. They are drawn from the various local, regional and technical third sector support agencies and umbrella bodies around the country. They play a crucial role in helping third sector service providers develop in a way which enables them provide services to you as a public sector commissioner. The network has been developed in partnership by ACEVO (The Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations) and NAVCA (the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action). It aims to provide a unique opportunity for the professional development of the champions, by creating opportunities for strategic leadership, networking, and peer support. It aims to equip the champions to go back into their communities armed with knowledge and skills that enable them to have a bigger impact in how they deliver their work. Event Details Coffee will be served from 10 with the event starting at 10.30am. It will finish at 4. For more information contact the ACEVO events team: events@acevo.org.uk or 0845 345 8481 To book please go to: http://www.acevo.org.uk/procurementchampionsnetwork There will be a small charge of £50 to attend this event.

Making bidding easier for SMEs

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 09:31:00 +0000

Making bidding easier for SMEs:

The Coalition Government has aspired to award 25% of government contracts to small to medium enterprises (SMEs). This week Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office, announced measures to make it easier for SMEs to bid for government contracts.

These include plans to investigate options which may enable suppliers to submit standard PQQ data just once to simplify the process. More details can be found on the Cabinet Office website.

This also links to the transparency agenda commitments set out by the Coalition Government in May, to publish all government tender documents for contracts over £10,000 on a single website, free of charge.

Commissioning and the Big Society: the role of the community sector

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 09:30:00 +0000

Commissioning and the Big Society: the role of the community sector:

In January 2010 the Kindle partnership (of which NAVCA is a member) published Commissioning and the Community Sector, which aims to help community organisations to understand what commissioning is and how they can become ‘commission ready’.

Commissioning and the Big Society is a companion publication to help commissioners to understand the role that community organisations can play and how to ensure that they make the most effective contribution to the lives of children and young people.

Commissioning and the Big Society: the role of the community sector - A guide for commissioners (pdf, 1.09 MB).

Collaboration for communities

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 09:30:00 +0000

Collaboration for communities:

As part of its Collaboration Benefits Programme, bassac has developed a guide designed to help you support collaborative working involving voluntary and community groups.

Guidance specifically around commissioning and collaboration is also available.

DWP Work Programme update

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 09:30:00 +0100

DWP Work Programme update:

A list of organisations who have submitted bids to be prime contractors on the framework agreement for the DWP Work Programme has been published. This is currently a long list, but will be reduced significantly once prime contractors have been selected for each of the regional lots. The list is also available as an Excel spreadsheet.

What does this mean?

The final prime contractors are expected to be large organisations, due to the significant cash flow required, the payments by results model and geographic areas covered. Therefore opportunities for smaller third sector organisations are more likely through sub-contracting arrangements.

Most organisations bidding to be prime contractors are likely to be sub-contracting some or all their delivery, and many are currently lining up their potential supply chains should they be selected as a prime contractor. DWP are pointing providers interested in subcontracting with prime contractors towards an online framework forum.

Obviously providers and local support and development organisations can also broker relationships with potential primes directly outside of this forum and would be well advised to do so.

What about smaller providers?

The Government has spent time developing a code of conduct for prime contractors and how they implement their supply chains. This Merlin Standard aims to ensure fairer relationships between primes and sub-contractors. Prime contractors are set to be judged in their bids on how robust their supply chains are and how well they adhere to the standard.

NAVCA hopes the standard will be used as a key negotiating tool by smaller providers and will help fair relationships to be established. Kevin Curley, NAVCA chief executive, recently wrote to the Charities Minister Nick Hurd MP about the standard.

The tendering process

The Work Programme is being tendered as a framework agreement. A framework agreement is a procurement method that operates as a form of approved supplier list. Once the framework is agreed it operates as a closed system for four years, not allowing new entrants. Therefore to miss being listed on a framework potentially locks you out of the system for the foreseeable future.

Getting listed on a framework is no guarantee of future contracts, or any specific quantity of work to be delivered. When the public body wants to buy the service, they will approach suppliers listed on the agreement and usually hold a mini-competition to ‘call off’ work as needed. The mini-competitions for the Work Programme framework are due in December with the first contracts being awarded towards the end of January.

Meanwhile

The parliamentary Work and Pensions Committee has decided to hold an inquiry into the contracting arrangements for the Work Programme and related provider issues. The deadline for written evidence is 25 November. Details of the inquiry and how to submit evidence are available on the parliament.uk website.

Pathways through the maze: A guide to procurement law - 2nd edition

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 09:30:00 +0100

Pathways through the maze: A guide to procurement law - 2nd edition:

NAVCA and NCVO have released the second edition of the popular “Pathways through the maze: A guide to procurement law” publication. The publication has already helped many community and voluntary organisations navigate their way through the often confusing procurement law landscape, and this second edition offers important updates which take account of the recent changes in European law.

The Guide answers the most common questions voluntary and community organisations have about procurement processes and explains the legal requirements applying to public bodies’ procurement exercises.

Pathways through the maze is essential reading for:

Anyone in an infrastructure organisation who works with commissioning, procurement and public services.
All voluntary organisations, community groups and social enterprises interest or involved in delivering public services.
Public Sector commissioners wanting to improve their engagement with third sector organisations.

Users of the first edition of the guide are advised to upgrade to the second edition to ensure they remain up-to-date with the latest legislation.

The updated 2nd edition of “Pathways through the maze: A guide to procurement law” can be ordered on the NAVCA website for the price of £15 (inc. p&p).

SCDU develops commissioning packs

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 09:29:00 +0100

SCDU develops commissioning packs:

The Strategic Commissioning Development Unit (SCDU) at the Department of Health has developed some commissioning packs.

These packs contain a set of procurement templates, tools and info to assist health-care commissioners (both PCTs and GP Consortia in the future). However, they may be of interest to providers who want to view sample tender documents or have a look at the guidance health-care commissioners are working to.

Glossary of terms for commisioning and procurement

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 09:29:00 +0100

Glossary of terms for commisioning and procurement:

To help newcomers to the commissioning and procurement field (and those more seasoned amongst us), NAVCA has produced a glossary of terms used to help it’s members navigate through the process.

The glossary of terms can be found on the LCPU resources page.

Kevin Curley writes to Nick Hurd about the new DWP Merlin Standard

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 09:29:00 +0100

Kevin Curley writes to Nick Hurd about the new DWP Merlin Standard:

Kevin Curley, Chief Executive of NAVCA, has written to charities minister, Nick Hurd MP, about the new DWP Merlin standard. In his letter Kevin Curley praises the DWP “for recognising the problems which smaller sub-contractors were experiencing and for investing considerable time and effort in the development of a standard to address these”. He also asks that other government departments using a Prime Contractor model should consider this model.

However, Kevin also uses the letter to express NAVCA’s concern about Prime-Contracting models. Kevin’s letter explains why this model is not suitable for local commissioning and warns against the danger that the Merlin standard could encourage the “increased use of large prime-contracting models, without a rigorous options appraisal of different commissioning approaches.”

Read the letter (pdf, 12 KB)

Putting People First

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 09:29:00 +0100

Putting People First:

The Putting People First website is host to some interesting discussion papers from the National Market Development Forum.

Briefings include:

The National Market Development Forum is a short life group comprising commissioners and providers from across the public, voluntary and private sectors.