External commissioning and procurement resources

Updated summer 2011

NAVCA produced resources and guidance on local commissioning can be found on the commissioning and procurement briefings section.

Below are external practical resources for local support and development organisations to use with frontline organisations grappling with commissioning and procurement matters.

To suggest a resource that you find useful please email lcpu@navca.org.uk or telephone the advice line on 0114 289 3989.

We have organised resources into the following sections. Click on the appropriate heading to be taken directly to that section:

• General
• Planning for commissioning / organisational development
• Charity specific
• Costing
• Quality accreditation
• Demonstrating impact
• Negotiation
• Legal
• Finance
• Tendering
• Contract management
• Collaboration

1. General

• A Provider's Guide to Procurement
  SITRA and Communities and Local Government, June 2008
  This guide, funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government, offers readers a step-by-step analysis of the procurement process and offers helpful suggestions, insights and case histories from organisations who have tendered for services. It is aimed at the supported housing sector, but contains useful and relevant information for all providers in the third sector.

• Equality guidance on procurement
  IDeA has published practical guidance on ensuring that public procurement is consistent with good practice around equalities and diversity. This guidance covers the Equalities Bill, the procurement process and supporting supplier diversity. The webpages include useful links to a range of resources on related websites.

• Commissioning and the Community Sector
  NAVCA, as part of a partnership of community sector organisations called 'Kindle', has published Commissioning and the Community Sector. The publication has been written for community sector organisations to help them better understand how local authority commissioners are working to improve outcomes for children, young people and families and how they can make themselves 'commissioning ready'

• 'Successful Commissioning: How to secure value for money through better financial relationships with third sector organisations' by the National Audit Office.
  This 'definitive guide' for local commissioners contains details about the Compact, available funding models and guidance on streamlining monitoring and reporting requirements.

• The NHS commissioning environment: A guide for organisations in the third sector'
  This is a handy guide published by the Department of Health for understanding NHS structures and an overview of how to engage with commissioning processes.

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2. Planning for commissioning / organisational developement

• Love Your Tender
  Children England, 2009, free downloadable pdfs & £20-30 hard copy
  A 64 page practical guide to understanding contracting. The resource includes checklists and useful information to assist with internal action planning to help your organisation to be ready for when that all important tender arrives.
• Commissioning and Procurement Fit for Purpose Toolkit
  East London CVS Network, 2007, £15
  This Toolkit has been developed by the East London CVS Network to assist governing bodies (boards and committees) in understanding and exploring the implications of embracing the new contractual environment in the delivery of public services.

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3. Charity Specific

• CC37 - Charities and Public Service Deliver - An Introduction and Overview
  Charity Commission, 2007
  This is primarily aimed at smaller charities and those considering public service delivery for the first time. It includes legal requirements in relation to charity status and public service delivery, good practice and risk awareness issues. A useful overview for trustees.

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4. Costing

• Pricing Made Simple, Guide number 7
  CFDG, 2008
  Brief introuctory guide covering the basics of costing and pricing.

• Full Cost Recovery Toolkit
  acevo
  Information on the concept of 'full cost recovery' and planning out the true costs of delivering services including variable costs and overheads. A free toolkit is also available to download.
  
  
• Price Lists, Estimates, Quotations and Tenders
  Business Link
  Online information on pricing services and preparing a price for a tender.

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5. Quality accreditation

• Do we need ISO?
  NAVCA, November 2009
  A look at how quality systems and accreditation are scored in the selection or pre-qualification stage of a competitive tender process.

• Prove and Improve
  New Economics Foundation, free to £20
  Part of the nef website where you can learn more about the tools and systems that help you prove and improve your organisation's quality and impact. Provides information on accreditation systems such as PQASSO and ISO. Hard copies also available.

• PQASSO - a Brief Guide for Funders and Commissioners
  Charities Evaluation Services, 2008
  Make sure that commissioners and public sector procurement officers are aware of PQASSO; send them a copy of this guide.
• PQASSO Quality Mark
  Charities Evaluation Service, 2009, variable cost depending upon organisational size
  Quality mark offering external accreditation against PQASSO standards.

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6. Demonstrating impact

• How to write about PQASSO in pre-qualification questionnaires
  CES, January 2012 
  1 page guidance on recommended wording to use when using Pqasso as evidence in a PQQ. 

• Achieving Better Outcomes in Children's Services
  Commissioning Support Programme, July 2009
  Paper introducing the characteristics of good commissioning in children's services,

• Demonstrating Effectiveness & Winning Support
  Charities Evaluation Services, 2009
  A good starting point on proving what you do works, from Colin Nee at Charities Evaluation Services. The brief webpage provides links to useful resources such as organisational diagnosis, monitoring outcomes and the use of quality systems.

• Impact Briefing: Putting Impact at the Heart of the Tendering Process
  Finance Hub, acevo and Development Trust Association, April 2008
  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 providers and commissioners can meet the needs of people and communities more effectively.

• Social Audit Network
  Social Accounting and Audit is a process to create a flexible framework which enables organisations to account their social, environmental and economic impact, report on performance and provide the information essential for planning future action and improving performance. This website provides a variety of resources around social accounting.

• The Money Trail - Measuring Your Impact on the Local Economy Using Local Multiplier 3
  New Economics Foundation (nef), 2002
  LM3 has been tried and tested across the UK, from agriculture to social enterprise to local government procurement, to determine how money coming into your community is then spent and re-spent.

• True Colours: Uncovering the Full Value of Your Organisation
  NCVO and Performance Hub, 2008, £12
  This guide will help third sector leaders and managers appreciate the broader value of their third sector organisation and communicate it to others.

• Measuring Value: A Guide to Social Return on Investment
  New Economics Foundation (nef), May 2008
  nef has pioneered the use of 'Social Return on Investment' in the UK as a method of proving the wider social value created by companies and organisations with a social purpose.

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7. Negotiation

• Negotiation Briefing: Effective Negotiating to Secure Better Outcomes
  Finance Hub and acevo, 2008
  A briefing that aims to assist with developing a structured and methodical approach to negotiation, an important skill needed in the public service delivery process.
• Win Win
  acevo, 2008, £20
  A comprehensive manual on all aspects of negotiation, pointing out that the third sector must accept the need to compete, and to negotiate for business.

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8. Legal

• Pathways through the maze: a guide to procurement law
  A joint publication from NAVCA and NCVO. 
  The first comprehensive guide to procurement regulations written for voluntary organisations and community groups.

• Empowering the Voluntary Sector
  The Empowering the Voluntary Sector project brings together the expertise of NAVCA, Compact Advocacy, based at NCVO, and the Public Law Project. This project offers advice, training and direct support around non compliance with the compact and breaches of public law.

• EU Procurement Guidance - Introduction to the EU Procurement Rules
  Office of Government Commerce (OGC)
  This introduction document is a useful starting point. The OGC website contains detailed guidance on a range of legal procurement issues.

• Frequently Asked Questions Concerning the Application of Public Procurement
  Commission of the European Communities, 2007
  Rules to Social Services of General Interest. Technical guidance on public procurement legislation and case law related to social services of general economic interest.

• EU Procurement Thresholds
  Office of Government Commerce (OGC)
  Guidance from OGC on EU thresholds for procurement

• TUPE Factsheet
  NCVO, 2009
  Good starting point for understanding the liabilities and law related to TUPE.

• Employment Rights on the Transfer of an Undertaking: 
  Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS), 2009
  A Guide to the 2006 TUPE Regulations for Employees, Employers and Representatives

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9. Finance

• HMRC VAT Guidance
  HMRC
  HM Revenue and Custom's website has detailed information on VAT, including a section on VAT for charities and other non-profit organisations.

• VAT Briefing : VAT Made Simple When Working In Partnership
  acevo, 2008
  Briefing explaining the most important rules governing VAT on partnerships.

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10. Tendering

• Tendering and Bidding Briefing : Give Your Tender a Winning Chance
  Finance Hub and acevo, 2008
  A briefing which covers basic tendering information, including key points in the tendering process, types and stages of the process and case studies.

• Before Signing on the Dotted Line, all You Need to Know about Procuring Public Sector Contracts
  NCVO and Futurebuilders, 2006
  Detailed guide on the whole procurement process, including how the public sector buys goods, how third sector organisations can identify customers, different stages of the tendering process, and legal issues. Also includes case studies, checklists, examples, links and a glossary.

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11. Contract Management

• NAO Guidance: Intelligent Monitoring
  National Audit Office
  Practical guidance published by the National Audit Office, the Office of the Third Sector and HM Treasury around proportionate monitoring of voluntary sector services commissioned by the public sector.
  The above expands on the guidance given in the National Audit Office Decision Support Tool 'Financial relationships with third sector organisations.' This provides guidance to funders around when it is appropriate to grant fund and when it is appropriate to contract.

• The Complete Guide to Surviving Contracts for Voluntary Organisations
  Directory of Social Change, £18.95
  A book that focuses on the practical and organisational issues involved in bidding for, negotiating and managing contracts. This publication attempts to show organisations how to take a proactive approach to contracts and thereby enter them on their own terms and for the right reasons.

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12. Collaboration

• Due Diligence Demystified
  NCVO, 2006, £15
  This publication gives clear and concise information on due diligence and how to carry it out in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

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