BSWN Briefing Paper: Modernising Commissioning Green Paper

Modernising Commissioning Green Paper 

The recently published Modernising Commissioning Green Paper asks for views on how the Government can create a level playing field for charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises that want to bid for public service contracts.

Views are sought on four key questions that outline the Government’s current plans for discussion as follows:

1.     In which public service areas could government create new opportunities for civil society organisations to deliver?

In particular question seeks to….

·      Introducing payment by results – so payment is linked to outcomes not inputs;

·      Setting proportions of specific services that should be delivered by independent organisations; and

·      Introducing new rights for communities to run services.

·      How could government make existing public service markets more accessible to civil society organisations?

·      This seeks to:

·      Cut away unnecessary red tape by streamlining procurement processes;

·      Improve transparency of public procurement opportunities;

·      Address ways to manage the short term movement towards large centralised contracts and move to a decentralised approach in the longer term;

·      Launch a contract finder service, a free facility for small organisations to find procurement and sub-contracting opportunities all in one place.

·      How could commissioners use assessments of full social, environmental and economic value to inform their commissioning decisions?

·      This question seeks to…..

·      Encourage understanding of social and environmental priorities of local people to be considered in the commissioning process; and

·      Support the ‘Social enterprise and Social Value’ Bill which would require the recognition of ‘full value’ as part of mainstream commissioning practice.

·      How could civil society organisations support greater citizen and community involvement in all stages of commissioning?

·      This seeks to…..

·      Develop a new package of support to enable local civil society organisations and state partners strengthen working relationships;

·      Extend the planned ‘right to challenge’ to public services; and

·      Roll out ‘Community Budgets’ which pool funding for local services giving more flexibility to meet local priorities and a joined up approach across the board.

The Green Paper follows the commitment in the Coalition Agreement to develop new opportunities for civil society organisations in public service delivery. The consultation will close on 5 January and the results will feed into a Public Service Reform White Paper to be published shortly afterwards.

ACTION REQUIRED

Your views are important. BSWN will coordinate and submit a collective BCVS organisations view.

 Deadline for your input: 28^th December 2010

Once your input has been received a Draft document will be circulated for further comments before final submission

Deadline for submission 5th January 2011