Downloadable 40 page .pdf (600kb) produced for the Finance Hub by NCVO Sustainable Funding Project. The document introduces procurement and contracting. It includes advice on how to approach agencies who may want to buy your services, assessing whether you have the capacity to deliver a contract, explaining different forms of agreements, and looking at the tendering process.

Downloadable 35 page .pdf (405kb) document produced for the Finance Hub by NCVO Sustainable Funding Project. The document provides a series of exercises and checklists designed to support advisers working with groups on procurement and contracting. It includes materials designed for those just starting to look at contracting (introductory), those ready to explore the topic further (intermediate), and for those wanting to look at contracting more seriously (advanced).

The climate has changed for third sector organisations across the country. Spending public money in an open and transparent manner to achieve particular outcomes has become a natural requirement for commissioners, and has led to a “contract culture” for those they fund.

This briefing outlines, in a step-by-step template, the four stages of a negotiation process: preparation; discussion; proposal; bargain and close.

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 communities more effectively.

A guide from NCVO to enable small and medium sized organisations to navigate the complex rules, procedures and practices that constitute the public sector procurement process.

A guide for Charity Trustees, setting out their responsibilities in relation to public service contracts.

This document sets out good practice for third sector commissioning.

The National Association for Voluntary and Community Action are working to support the Third sector’s ability to successfully tender for the delivery of public services. You can find information about their work in this area here.

Advice from NCVO on finding information about contracts.

This ‘think piece’ has been written by the Performance Hub for policymakers in government and the third sector who are interested in improving public services. It outlines how thinking about the broader value of third sector organisations can help all the players in public services focus on what matters.

With public bodies reducing the number of contracts they hold, the NCVO’s Collaborative working Unit explores three consortia models for voluntary and community organisations: a new legal body, one organisation takes lead responsibility or an external non-delivering organisation takes the lead.

Tenders which have a total value which is above the threshold are published in the Official Journal of the European Union and can be found on Tenders Electronic Daily. This is published six days per week and can be found at;

An important feature of the new Directive is the possibility for purchasers to buy using online systems called e-procurement. This is the guidance document on NePP.

A guide to the European Union Services Directive July 1993 (92/50/EEC). Whilst this relates to the Regulations pre February 2006, the Guidance is however no less valid as it emphasises how purchasers should handle some of the areas which cause providers concern.

Provides information, advice and support services for organisations large and small in the care, housing, support, third and voluntary sectors. Although a private company, it was referenced in the Cabinet Office (Office for the Third Sector) report for the 2007 Comprehensive Spending review as providing services which users believe to represent value for money.