Development of GBSLEP EU Structural and Investment Fund Investment Strategy [c£30K]
The Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) Funding Sub Group have posted the above opportunity on all procurement partner portals today. You can download the tender documents below:
If you require any more information on the opportunity, please contact Debbie Harris, on behalf of GBSLEP and Funding Sub Group on 01543 464490
Tuesday, August 7th, 2012
There are a number of websites you can access to find contracts, tenders and commissioning opportunities on. These are:
CSW-Jets – a new electronic commissioning system shared by Solihull, Coventry & Warwickshire Councils.
Also …
Solihull Council – Tenders section for low value tenders not on CSW-Jets.
Solihull for Success – mostly aimed at businesses – goods and services
Contracts Finder – a government/business link site where all public sector contracts are advertised.
Supply2Health – All NHS contracts for Part B clinical services
Supply Contracts – a site specifically aimed at the small to medium (SME) organisation with a database of government and public sector contracts.
Simply doing a Google search for, say, contracts and tenders in Solihull will provide some results.
You can more easily find out about the latest contracts and tenders simply by signing up for our regular email bulletins – “SUSTAiN Alerts” – by going to the home page of this site and completing the form at the bottom of the page or by visiting our site and going to the ‘Commissioning’ page.
Thursday, August 2nd, 2012
Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group has issued a ‘partner newsletter’ which explains the NHS changes in Solihull to help make things clearer.
You can download the first two issues below:
Friday, March 9th, 2012
The new Public Services (Social Value) Bill received Royal Assent on 8 March. The Bill is now an Act of Parliament (law).
The Bill aims to strengthen the social enterprise business sector and make the concept of ‘social value’ more relevant and important in the placement and provision of public services.
The new law will require public bodies including councils, for the first time, to consider the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of an area when a service is commissioned.
Social Enterprise UK has produced a useful brief guide to the new legislation for Commissioners and Social Enterprises.
NCVO has produced a guide to delivering public services and commissioning entitled “Before signing on the dotted line – all you need to know about procuring public sector contracts”
You can download the guide below or visit NCVO website for more information and detailed guidance.
Below is the key text from the Best Value Statutory Guidance issued by Eric Pickles to Councils. We have highlighted some key phrases.
Best Value Statutory Guidance
1. Best Value authorities are under a general Duty of Best Value to “make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.”
2. Under the Duty of Best Value, therefore, authorities should consider overall value, including economic, environmental and social value, when reviewing service provision. As a concept, social value is about seeking to maximise the additional benefit that can be created by procuring or commissioning goods and services, above and beyond the benefit of merely the goods and services themselves.
3. To achieve the right balance – and before deciding how to fulfil their Best Value Duty – authorities are under a Duty to Consult representatives of a wide range of local persons; this is not optional. Authorities must consult representatives of council tax payers, those who use or are likely to use services provided by the authority, and those appearing to the authority to have an interest in any area within which the authority carries out functions. Authorities should include local voluntary and community organisations and small businesses in such consultation. This should apply at all stages of the commissioning cycle, including when considering the decommissioning of services. In the interests of economy and efficiency, it is not necessary for authorities to undertake lifestyle or diversity questionnaires of suppliers or residents.
4. Authorities should be responsive to the benefits and needs of voluntary and community sector organisations of all sizes (honouring the commitments set out in Local Compacts) and small businesses.
5. Authorities should seek to avoid passing on disproportionate reductions – by not passing on larger reductions to the voluntary and community sector and small businesses as a whole, than they take on themselves – and in particular:
Councillor Ken Meeson, Leader of the Council and Phil Mayhew, as Compact Champion have written again to all commissioning staff within Solihull Council “to remind commissioners of the need to work with the voluntary and community sector and to do all that we are able to do to ensure that the sector is informed and engaged in the commissioning process.”
Recognising the financial pressures from spending cuts they ask that “At a minimum, organisations should be given at least 12 weeks notice of any reduction but this we would stress really is an absolute minimum and the expectation is for earlier engagement and dialogue.”
They ask Commissioners to “ensure that you are familiar with the principles of the Compact and use it as a resource to assist your work with the sector.”
The letter also asks that they consider the Best Value guidance issued by Eric Pickles – the full text of the ‘single page’ guidance can be read by clicking on the link below and you can also download a copy of the letter from Ken Meeson and Phil Mayhew.
We cant ask for fairer treatment than that.
An important bill for ‘not for profit’ voluntary, community & social enterprise organisations is going through the final stages of approval with the hope that it will get Royal Assent sometime early in the New Year.
The new bill:
The last point in particular gives ‘Third Sector/Civic Society’ organisations a more level playing field and provides an additional argument when bidding for contracts with the public sector.
The bill – a private members bill by Leamington MP, Chris White, has passed the crucial first and second readings, is now at committee stage for scrutiny and then goes before the House of Lords to secure Royal Assent and enter the statute books.
The facility in Meriden Park near Chelmsley Wood town centre is coming to the end of its Lottery funded period and needs a plan for its longer term sustainibility. SMBC are looking for any Third Sector organisations who could take it over or get involved in some way to ensure its future availability. If interested please contact Charles Rapson – charlesr@solihullsustain.org.uk
Watch this space for details of any commissioning opportunities that become available to Third Sector organisations.
In the meantime, you can visit Solihull Council and Care Trust websites to find out what is current. In addition, it is possible to register for alerts directly via Supply2Gov for council contracts and Supply2Health for NHS contracts.
