Procurement champions
Procurement is one of the key issues facing the long term survival of the third sector. Helping groups through this issue is a big challenge.
Procurement champions are the people who do this on a daily basis. They are drawn from 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 to provide and to deliver services for public sector commissioners.
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:
- Professional development
- Strategic leadership
- Debating key issues affecting the delivery of Public Services by the Third Sector
- Meeting key stakeholders and commissioners from the public sector
- Networking
- Peer support
It aims to equip champions so that they are able 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. To join the Procurement Champions Network contact us.
Next Event: The Changing Face of Procurement and Commissioning
December 15TH 2010
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 the sector 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, buy outsourcing all of their activities.
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 administrative charge of £50 to attend this event.
Further Events:
15th March: The Development of Third Sector Consortia for Public Service Delivery
ProcureMent Champions PEer Support Service
We are amazed at what an interesting bunch of people have come together to form the Procurement Champions Network. Your collective expertise is astounding.
To make the most of this collective expertise we are launching a mentoring service which will enable you to benefit from mentoring support from another member of the network. This will enable you to benefit from the advice of someone who has tackled the particular issue you are working on or struggling with and avoid reinventing the wheel.
Some example’s of the types of work that might be supported include:
• Helping BME groups win contracts
• Supporting a specific type of social enterprise or community group
• Forming Consortia
• Accessing PCT and health care contracts
• Supporting groups to win sub contracts
• Negotiating with commissioners
• Preparing for personalisation
• Business or financial planning
Detaios of how to apply will be issued shortly, but in the meantime do e-mail commissioning.support@acevo.org.uk to register an interest.
If you would like to provide support to others in the sector and share your knowledge, then please complete this simple on-line registration process:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/procurementchampionspeersupport
PREVIOUS EVENTS:
(We're Already) Doing More With Less
As the dust settles following the election it is clear public spending budgets will be under a lot of pressure. The national deficit is at record levels and the key issue in the election debate is how the parties will reduce public borrowing and spending. This clearly has huge implications for third sector organisations looking to deliver public services.
Presentations:
• Tony Travers (tbc) of LSE on how outcome of the election and the need to reduce the national deficit is likely to impact on the public services the third sector typically is involved in delivering. To download click here.
• Rob Owen, CEO of the St Giles Trust providing an inspiring look at how his organisation has articulated a compelling case for the way it can reduce re-offending rates, combat social exclusion, while producing huge savings of the public purse. To download the report findings click here.
• Ruth Kennedy, who worked as a programme lead on the Total Place programme in Croydon on how type of work that was carried out in the national Total Place programme and how the themes it raised could benefit the third sector. To download her presentation click here.
• Jenny Inglis of the Social Return on Investment Network looking at how we can show the true value of a pound invested in the third sector. To download her presentation click here.
Successfully Challenging Bad Practice Without Shooting Yourself in the Foot! - April 29th 2010
Speakers From:Bates, Wells and Braithwaite, the Co-operation and Competition Panel, The Public Law Project and Reading Borough Council.
To download the presentations click here.
Supporting The Front Line To Deliver Personalised Public Services - 2nd December 2009
Speakers from: The ACEVO Personalisation Commission, Voluntary Norfolk and NAAPS
You can download a PDF of the presentations here. You can download a record of the roundtable discussions here.
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