ACTIVITY THREE: DO

Activity Three comprises stages 6, 7 and 8 of the commissioning process. Activity Three focuses on ensuring appropriate services are in place. This period of activity takes place from September to March.

Note: timescales suggested are flexible. It is anticipated that this activity will take place at all times of the year.

The DH and DfES Guidance provides guidance against each of these stages.

Stage 6: Commission effectively: ‘Decide together how best to deliver outcomes, including drawing in alternative providers to widen options and increase efficiency’

Stage 7: Pooled resources: ‘Develop and extend joint commissioning from pooled budgets and pooled resources’

Stage 8: Workforce and market development: ‘Develop the local markets for providing integrated and other services, and produce and implement a local workforce strategy covering service and role re-design, and the necessary ways of working to support delivery’

What is involved in this activity?

1. Use the Commissioning Strategy as a basis for discussion [prepared during Activity Two]

2. Draw up Service Specifications that set out the services you want in place

3. Carry out market analysis of services for children and young people

• Build on previous mapping exercise completed in Activity Two (which maps existing services and potential service providers)
• Map out skills base within existing and potential service providers

4. Discuss and agree the funds and other resources that are available

• Identify funds that are available and discuss options around aligning and pooling budgets and collaborative contracting/procurement if appropriate
• Identify options for sharing staff / building space etc
• Consider current examples where resources are shared

5. Determine how best to proceed to ensure the right services are in place. There are three key options to consider:

• You should follow the appropriate procurement process designed to support your chosen option to either

- Design a new service

- Redesign an existing service

- Decommission an existing service, having assessed the impact of terminating the contract

6. Agree which agencies will/not deliver services

• Be open and transparent in your decision making
• Share appropriate information with stakeholders in a way that is appropriate for the audience

7. Ensure formal arrangements in place with services

• You must be clear what you expect from a service and set this out in the formal arrangement eg. outcome based contract/SLA where appropriate
• The Quality Assurance Framework will support you to ensure that formal arrangements are monitored [Activity Four]

8. Support and encourage market development

• Build on your market analysis by considering how you can help support the local market

- To enable providers to improve their skills and develop

- To encourage customers to use services

• The Children’s Trust Strategic Partnership is responsible for overseeing sustainability planning. Forward your market analysis to the Children’s Trust, which will inform the development of market and workforce development plans.
  

What are the outcomes of this activity?

• Understanding of the local market and workforce skills
• Transparent and clear processes in place to procure services
• Transparent and clear use of resources
• Formal arrangements in place with services

What tools and resources are there to support you?

• Template and model service specification ( 55kb) – this document outlines all of the key pieces of information that you should include when writing a service specification
• Market development toolkit / Market Analysis Guidance
• Guidance: Redesigning a service
• Overview of procurement and contracting (inc. principles, types, what to consider re monitoring) - provides a description of different terms that are used within procurement and contracting
• The Council Constitution / Procurement Procedure Rules
• Procurement Service Support
• Children’s Services Workforce Development Strategy
• Quality Assurance Framework

Who can support you to complete this activity?
You should identify individuals from within your organisation that can support you to complete tasks within this activity.

If you want to speak with someone about anything on this page please contact the Commissioning Team on 0191 566 1847 or email: sct@sunderland.gov.uk