Resources - Purchaser Guides

Key documents and additional reference material

These documents are of use to potential providers and commissioners of services. The aim is to signpost important and up to date information, websites and organisations to build a comprehensive resource library.

A Guide to Procuring Care and Support Services

This guide is designed to help non-procurement professionals who need to procure (or purchase) services for people who need care and support. It is particularlyrelevant for local authority staff and for other public bodies, including:

• children's trusts that are organising services for children and young people Office of Government Commerce - Policy and Standards framework
• drug action teams and crime and disorder reduction partnerships
• regeneration and local area agreement partnerships
• social care and healthcare commissioners for older people or those with a learning or physical disability or mental health problem
• Supporting People programmes that are organising housing-related support services.

The document can be downloaded from http://tinyurl.com/ykgszpc(URL shortened using TinyURL)

The Policy and Standards Framework

An on-line portal guide to the key principles and processes of public procurement, explaining "what to do" and "how to do it".

• Clearly articulating the legal and policy boundaries surrounding publicprocurement;
• Providing clarity and consistency on standards and best practice; and,
• Providing step-by-step guidance on how to buy.

Thedocumentcanbedownloadedfrom http://tinyurl.com/nxgpch(URL shortened using TinyURL)

Needs Analysis, Commissioning and Procurement for Housing-Related Support

A resource for housing-related support, social care, and health commissioners.

This guide is intended for an audience of local authorities and their partners. It is particularly aimed at commissioners of housing-related support, adult services, health, and probation projects. It will also be relevant to corporate procurement teams, voluntary, user, and community groups and providers of housing-related support for information.

This document can be downloaded from http://tinyurl.com/yke2unu(URL shortened using TinyURL)

More responsive public services? A guide to commissioning migrant and refugee community organisations (Guide)

The guide's main aim is to set out the case for minority ethnic organisations as providers of commissioned public service, both to show commissioners why they should consider them and to help the organisations themselves to understand and form their own views on what their potential roles could be.

This document can be downloadedfromhttp://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/2166-migrant-service-provision.pdf

Commissioning for outcomes

This briefing shows how to put outcomes and impact at the heart of tendering and commissioning for public services. By doing this, both third sector service providers and commissioners can meet the needs of people and communitiesmore effectively. Commissioners: if you follow the steps in Part II, you will have moved a long way towards commissioning for outcomes and impact.

The document can be downloaded from http://www.financehub.org.uk/uploads/documents/Impact_Briefing_final_185.pdf

Commissioning Outcomes and Recovery

Commissioning and procurement have been accused of ignoring service users, going for the cheapest option irrespective of quality, squeezing out small providers, and playing safe. To address this, Camden Council has teamed up with the new economics foundation (nef) to develop outcome based procurement that will support sustainable communities, and demonstrate the added community value from third sector service provision.

The document can be downloaded from www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/cms-service/download/asset?asset_id=1364965

QUALITY - PQASSO

A brief guide for funders and commissioners can be downloaded from http://www.ces-vol.org.uk/downloads/pqassoguideforfundersandcommissioners-292-300.pdf

National Occupation Standards

National Occupational Standards: Commissioning, Procurement & Contracting for the social care andchildren and young peoples' workforces.

Information can be found at website http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/nos/commissioning

NCVO

Information can be found at website http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/publicservicedelivery/index.asp?id=10346

Hull City Council Partnership Toolkit

The partnership toolkit has gained recognition and is promoted nationally by the Audit Commission as an example of best practice in partnership working.

The toolkit provides guidance for the Council and partners on the key elements required for high standards of governance and accountability when working in partnership.

Partnership working presents challenges and to ensure effective delivery robust governance arrangements are required to provide consistency and value for money.

Information can be found at website http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/portal/page?_pageid=221,52565&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

PERSONALISATION

Supporting people with long term conditions: commissioning personalised care planning - a guide for commissioners

This guide will provide commissioners of health and social care services with information and support they need to embed personalised care planning in their localities. This should ensure that people with long term conditions receive more individualised care and services to help them manage their conditions better and achieve the outcomes they want for themselves. The guide has been developed in collaboration with stakeholders across health, social care, the voluntary and independent sectors and patient representative groups.

Information can be found at website http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_093354
Commissioning for Personalisation: A Framework for Local Authority Commissioners

This framework explores an approach that shapes capacity within communities and markets as well as individual lives, empowering individuals to direct their own care in a transparently priced market for personalisation, with information available to make choices.

Information can be found at website http://networks.csip.org.uk/Personalisation/PersonalisationToolkit/Blueprint/Commissioning/?parent=3110&child=3241

Assessing Engagement with the Voluntary and Community Sector A mini self-evaluation tool

The self-evaluation tool is an initiative that has been developed by VCS Engage, with input from local authority and VCS advisory partners. VCSEngage is a programme funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to strengthen the engagement of the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in delivering the Every Child Matters: Change for Children agenda.

Thedocumentcanbedownloadedfromhttp://www.vcsengage.org.uk/PDF/Self_Evaluation_Toolkit.pdf

Evaluating engagement with the VCS: Self-evaluation toolkit (SET)

This report has been produced by NCB following work undertaken for VCS Engage, a programme funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), to strengthen the engagement of the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in delivering the Every Child Matters: Change for Children agenda. The toolkit enables representatives from local authorities, children's trusts and the VCS to assess existing levels of engagement and review current practice.

Thedocumentcanbedownloadedfromhttp://www.vcsengage.org.uk/PDF/SET_report.pdf

Financial relationships with third sector organisations - A decision support tool for public bodies in England

The DST is designed for people working in the public sector who are responsible for financial relationships with third sector (often referred to as 'voluntary and community sector') organisations (TSOs). The DST is a web-based tool which provides practical support for real-life decisions about the design of appropriate funding models. We hope that the DST will help you to design or modify your funding programmes and will help to ensure that you both achieve your objectives and comply with the government's principles of better TSO funding.

Thedocumentcanbedownloadedfromhttp://www.nao.org.uk/our_work_by_sector/third_sector/better_funding.aspx