1. Commissioning A short introduction

2. What is Commissioning?
Commissioning involves statutory organisations involving stakeholders in decisions about the services required to meet the needs of people in their area.
It involves deciding the capacity, cost and quality of services together with how to, and who, will deliver them.
Commissioning includes the procurement – and also co-production – of services
Fulfilled Lives, Supportive Communities (Welsh Government)
Commissioning is the process public bodies use to assess the needs of people in the area, design the services to meet those needs and select an appropriate service to meet those needs
Procurement is one of the options commissioners may use for selecting who is going to provide the service. Another option might be to provide grant aid
A common misconception amongst commissioners is that if you are planning to bid to provide a service, you cannot play a part in the commissioning process. This is not true. The procurement process is different to and separate from the commissioning process.

3. Commissioning: Welsh Policy Context
A focus on public services rather than public sector services
More outcomes focused service development
More citizen-centred services
More joint commissioning and service planning
Greater involvement of service users, carers, families and communities in what and how services are delivered
Recognition and valuing of the third sector’s role in delivering services
Commissioning should provide opportunities for the sector to influence service planning, what services are open for tender, how these services are to be delivered and the tendering process itself. Unfortunately many commissioners go straight into contracting without thinking enough about the nature of the service and the range of potential service providers.
One of the best ways to influence commissioning is to involve your service users in discussions with commissioners and develop menus of the services that users actually want; what users want is often different to what commissioners think they want.
Non profit organisations can influence commissioning by developing relationships with relevant public bodies through membership of local partnerships and networks or attending key consultation events and meetings.

4. Commissioning Cycle Principles for the Commissioning cycle are:
- Focus on service user-needs across agencies
All 4 activities are equally important
Activities follow sequentially
Commissioning leads to procurement
Procurement experience informs the ongoing development of the commissioning strategy
On-going dialogue between service users/carers, case/care managers, providers and third sector organisations to develop understanding of population needs and gaps in provision.

5. Roles of the Third Sector in Commissioning
Expert – advising commissioners on population needs.
Advocates – assisting individuals to express their own views in the process.
Service provider – delivering specific commissioned services.

6. What you can do to plan for Commissioning
Register with sell2wales
Join C3SC’s networks
Training
Know your own organisation
Relationship development

7. What else is needed?
C3SC provide training for the sector and run networks.
What else can we do to support you?
Facilitate your involvement in commissioning arrangements
Help to develop third sector consortia and partnerships
Share the third sector’s expectations and experience of commissioning
Influence the development of the commissioning cycle.
If so, how?
Short discussion opportunity

8. Any Questions?