Successful Commissioning: How to secure value
for money through better financial relationships with third sector
organisations
On Wednesday 17 March we launched the Successful
Commissioning guide.
The guide won’t tell you how to do commissioning; after all,
there is no shortage of guidance around on that. It focuses
on those aspects of the process that are most likely to affect
financial relationships with third sector organisations. We look at
how commissioners can help the third sector to deliver services and
outcomes that represent value for money. The main characteristics
of the guide are that it:
- clearly sets out the main issues for effective financial
relationships with third sector organisations;
- makes use of existing guidance in an accessible and practical
way, and;
- dispels some of the ‘myths’ that exist around commissioning
with the third sector.
Underpinning these characteristics is that the
aim of this guide is to improve practices which will achieve
greater value for money.
This 'how to' guide will be useful for all
commissioners, procurement officers and managers, and grants
officers who work in local authorities and local health
organisations, including in primary care trusts. Third sector
organisations will find the tool useful in thinking about their
involvement in delivering public services. Central government
organisations can refer to the Decision
Support Tool, which is aimed at central rather than local
commissioners.
This guidance is by the National Audit Office. But it has
been produced with input and support from a range of key
stakeholders, including:
- the Audit Commission;
- the Commission for the Compact;
- the Department for Communities and Local Government;
- the Department of Health;
- HM Treasury;
- the Local Government Association;
- the National Council of Voluntary Organisations;
- the NHS Confederation, and;
- the Office of the Third Sector.
Email us at successfulcommissioning@nao.gsi.gov.uk
if you would like to receive a direct link to the online launch
event, and access to the guide.