What is Commissioning? John Dawson Commissioning and Procurement Adviser NAVCA

Commissioning… The whole cycle –The cycle of assessing the needs of people in an area, designing and then securing an appropriate service Partnership in Public Services: An action plan for third sector involvement

Understand Plan Do Review DCSF’s Commissioning Support Programme

Commissioning cycle 1 Look at the current pattern of outcomes for children and young people in their area, and recent trends, against national and relevant local comparators. 2 Look within the overall picture at outcomes for particular groups of young people. 3 Use all this data, and draw on the views of children, young people and their families, local communities and frontline staff, to develop an overall, integrated needs assessment.

Commissioning cycle 4 Agree on the nature and scale of the local challenge, identify the resources available and set priorities for action. 5 Plan the pattern of service most likely to secure priority outcomes, considering carefully the ways in which resources can be increasingly focussed on prevention and early intervention. 6 Decide together how best to purchase or provide (commission) those services, including drawing in alternative providers to widen options and increase efficiency.

Commissioning cycle 7 Develop and extend joint commissioning from pooled budgets and pooled resources. 8 Plan for the workforce development and other changes in local processes and ways of working necessary to support delivery. 9 Monitor and review to ensure services are working to deliver the ambitions set out for them.

NAVCA & commissioning… Local Commissioning & Procurement Unit Supporting membership Communicating to govt. departments Sharing knowledge “Intelligent commissioning” – contracts / grants Growth in support

Why commissioning? Finite resources Growth of public services industry Meeting strategic needs rather than historical relationships -  data? Sustainability of services Outcomes Evolving local government – LAAs / NIs / LSPs Risk

Enquiries about the whole commissioning cycle: –Relationships, communication & representation –Meeting strategic objectives –Grants / contracts –Tendering & business like skills –Quality standards –Challenging & legalities –Collaboration Issues

“intelligent commissioning”… “better outcomes can be achieved for people, communities, the environment and public purse when the Government’s own definition of value for money is put at the heart of intelligent commissioning frameworks” A better return: setting the foundations for intelligent commissioning to achieve value for money. NEF

“If contracts are…going to go to the bidder meeting the tender requirements at the lowest price, it becomes absolutely essential that the service specification is designed to the highest possible standard. If commissioners want services to be provided in a distinctive way, they will need to specify that in their tender requirements,..otherwise there will be little scope.. to emphasise distinctiveness during the procurement process” 13 th Special Select Committee report, 2008

“Intelligent commissioning” The whole cycle of commissioning Getting priorities right – scoring criteria Not just service delivery Finite resources Achieving strategic outcomes Value for money? –Efficiency gains not savings

Spread of commissioning DoH ‘World class commissioning’ 8 principles of good commissioning Commissioning frameworks Review of grant budgets Compact Commissioning Guidance Outcomes

Contact   

What next?

Support What and where? John Dawson Commissioning and Procurement Adviser NAVCA

Support Within NAVCA - –LCPU –ILP –Every child matters –Public law project –Local grants forum -

Tendering support from elsewhere NCVO - Public Service Delivery Network & Collaborative Working Unit Capacitybuilders’ Improving Support bassac – Collaboration workstream Futurebuilders Local support

Children & young people specific Local Infrastructure Organisation Commissioning support program Participation works

What next?