This page is part of our decision support tool. Public bodies should at all times follow public procurement policy policy, based on value for money, and the EU procurement rules which exist to ensure all providers can compete for contracts on an equal basis. This means that procurement practices should not involve preferential treatment for […]
This page is part of our decision support tool. What is meant by the term ‘third sector organisation’ (TSO)? Organisations are traditionally divided on the basis of‘private’ or ‘public’, and ‘for-profit’ or ‘not-for-profit’.Organisations which are established on a not-for-profit basis, and which are not directly controlled by the state (not part of the public sector) […]
This page is part of our decision support tool. Risk is uncertainty of outcome. It can arise in two ways: Threats: damaging events that can lead to failure to achieve objectives Opportunities: constructive events that can, if exploited, help with the achievement of objectives but that are also surrounded by threats. There are two aspects […]
This page is part of our decision support tool. [Footnote 1] EU law on state aid derives from the Treaty of Rome and aims to prevent member states from unfairly distorting competition within the EU, except in certain permitted circumstances. Where a state intervention distorts competition, this will usually constitute state aid. The Treaty expressly […]
This page is part of our decision support tool. Principles Government bodies’ use of the three channels (procurement, grant, grant-in-aid) available for funding the activities of TSOs has been highly inconsistent in relation to TSOs. There are a number of reasons for this: Many actual cases do not fit neatly into any one of the […]
This page is part of our decision support tool. Generic funding model 1: ‘straightforward procurement’ Key features Channel Procurement Intermediaries No Degree of competition Open Duration of contract Three years Payment formula Linked to outputs/outcomes Mainly in arrears Monitoring and evaluation Focus on outputs/outcomes Inspection (risk-based) Illustrative scenario Strategic decisions The objectives of your programme […]
This page is part of our decision support tool. Full cost recovery [Footnote 1] The government recognises that: No activity can be undertaken without its provider incurring central administrative costs A funder or commissioner has an interest in meeting its fair share of a provider’s central administrative costs because that will help to ensure that […]
This page is part of our decision support tool. Which channels can you use? You must choose one of the following three funding channels for the programme: [Footnote 1] Procurement: used to acquire goods, works or services in line with the government’s policy of value for money – “the optimum combination of whole-life cost and […]
This page is part of our decision support tool. Monitoring Monitoring is about collecting information and assessing it. If a government organisation (‘funder’) has a financial agreement with an external organisation (‘provider’), the funder must monitor the provider to ensure regularity, propriety and value for money. Monitoring, both internally for providers and externally for funders […]
This page is part of our decision support tool. What are Third Sector Organisations? The third sector is the term used to describe the range of organisations which are neither state nor the private sector. It includes voluntary and community organisations (both registered charities and other organisations such as associations, self-help groups and community groups), […]
This page is part of our decision support tool. What is it for? Financial relationships between TSOs and government bodies are not as good as they should be. The government’s financial principles in this area are sound. But the gap between these principles and the practical task of designing and operating a funding model that […]
This page is part of our decommissioning toolkit. This part takes you through what we mean by decommissioning, when it happens, what decommissioning is not, the principles underlying this guidance and successful decommissioning, some pre-conditions for successful decommissioning and some guidance on working with third sector organisations (TSOs) when doing so. What do we mean […]
This page is part of our decommissioning toolkit. Britannia Field Development Dates: April 1993 – October 1998 The Britannia field was one of the largest known remaining gas fields in the U.K. to be brought onto production. With estimated gas reserves of 3 trillion cubic feet, the field produced at its peak enough gas to […]
This page is part of our decommissioning toolkit. This guide shares its glossary with the Successful Commissioning Guide, which can be found at the link below: Successful Commissioning Guide: Glossary Accountability The obligation of individuals and organisations to report on their actions and be answerable to others for what they have done. Administrative law The […]
This page is part of our decommissioning toolkit. There has been much work undertaken in recent years to improve the level of engagement between commissioners and providers. The Compact – an agreement between Government and the third sector in England– provides a strong basis for achieving this. The relationship between local commissioners and third sector […]
This page is part of our decommissioning toolkit. The table outlines what good practice should look like in some of the key areas relating to planning decommissioning. It then identifies the risks of not following this good practice and looks at how these risks might be mitigated or what actions commissioners can take when the […]
This page is part of our decommissioning toolkit. In a local Primary Care Trust (PCT), a review of referrals to a mental health inpatient unit for young people highlighted that the existing service was not meeting requirements. The service model provided poor value for money and was creating a cadre of service users who were […]
This page is part of our decommissioning toolkit. Following an options appraisal to decide on how to improve family support for under-5s, a Children’s Trust decided to move to an outcomes-based specification that was more focused on specific vulnerable young children and parents in the area. What happened? In order to secure the most appropriate […]
This page is part of our decommissioning toolkit. If decommissioning is to be successful, certain skills and competencies need to be in place, namely: change management skills; stakeholder management skills; and commissioning skills. Change management skills Like effective commissioning, decommissioning is a change process and requires a range of competencies and skills associated with managing […]
This page is part of our decommissioning toolkit. As part of the planning phase and in line with good practice in project management, commissioners should prepare a thorough risk assessment with risk management strategies to mitigate the impact of any risk occurring. The risks considered should be risks to the decommissioning process itself and include […]