Love me tender?Commissioning,

procurement and the third sector

Annie Gunner Logan, Director, Community Care Providers Scotland

Fife Council Commissioning Event, December 2009

Definition of terms

“strategic commissioning is the term used for all the activities involved in assessing and forecasting needs, agreeing desired outcomes, considering options, planning the nature, range and quality of future services and working in partnership to put these in place…

“…it is not just about purchasing services from external providers, although this is an important part of the process.”

Social Work Inspection Agency 2009

Spot the difference?

CommissioningSupport for peopleWhat to purchaseStrategicPartnership On behalf of communityOutcomesBest value Slow pace of

developmentLow priority/budget

ProcurementCommoditiesHow to purchaseSpecificCompetitionOn behalf of authorityEfficiencyBest priceRapid pace of developmentHigh priority/budget

Spot the difference? Mk II

What is the nature of a social work or social care service?

a key means of supporting disadvantaged citizens to make their own decisions, manage their own lives, remain as independent as possible and achieve outcomes that are personal to them?

or a contract opportunity to be awarded following a competitive

tendering process, which must ensure that all service providers are treated according to principles of fairness, non-discrimination and transparency as laid down in the EU Treaty provisions relating to procurement within the single market?

Procurement: key issues

Terms of contracts Tender evaluation criteria Little (or no) involvement of people using services Workforce implications Exemption of direct provision Terminology No impact assessment

Ways forward

Set procurement activity firmly within a commissioning strategy: then, Develop shared understanding of what it takes to

provide a quality service, and how that relates to cost Develop procurement processes which test capacity

to deliver Standards for engagement with people supported by

existing services Proper consideration of workforce issues Work with authorities and other partners to explore

alternatives to tendering

“In accordance with our principles of free enterprise and healthy competition, I’m going to ask you to fight to the death for it.”

Monty Python and the Holy Grail