Overview of commissioning

Commissioning can result in:

• The identification of new ways of delivering outcomes
• Economies of scale by eliminating duplication of services and effort between departments, organisations and agencies
• Stronger and more varied partnerships
• Improved and more targeted services
• Joint assessment of needs on an individual and community level and greater consistency of eligibility (for example, between adult and social care and NHS provision)
• Better engagement with people, providing opportunities for people to take more control over their lives and increasing social capital by supporting people to help each other
• Shared assets, premises, workforces and integrated teams
• Engagement with voluntary and community sector organisations, which brings new perspectives to public services

Commissioning is a process that public bodies such as local councils and clinical commissioning groups use to plan, procure, deliver and evaluate services for local residents. It represents a move away from grant-giving to awarding contracts.

Commissioning is about being needs focused, creating a common purpose and working in co-production with service users.  It involves aligning strategic objectives and often necessitates working across multi-partnerships. 

Ultimately it is a way to provide services that offer better value for money and put people in charge of the services they use.

Interpretations of commissioning may vary in different organisations but in general it involves four key activities:

• Understanding needs and desired outcomes – using up-to-date information about needs and trends to gain a solid understanding of what and where the priority areas are.
• Optimising resources – including money, assets, community and user resource. From a commissioner’s perspective, this could mean redesigning internal or external workforces to deliver a service; using public buildings in an area to create optimum value for the community; or building community resilience or skills.
• Targeting – resources for those most in need, services that are a priority and at the right stage to have maximum effect on outcomes.
• Choosing the right mechanism – to best achieve the desired outcomes. The choice of mechanisms range from more traditional approaches such as procurement and service level agreements to a focus on pooling budgets, partnership building, harnessing voluntary and community resources and capacity, influencing partner spend and users’ decisions and behaviours.

Commissioners are working with a host of challenges such as significant budget reductions, growing need, new and complex payment structures, integrated commissioning models and changes in regulations.  Within these constrained environments they may lack the confidence to pilot new approaches. 

So, the emphasis initially needs to be on understanding and responding to their priorities.  Listening and learning about their agenda and reflecting back the Reading Friends offer in language that resonates with them will help you to build a relationship based on shared objectives.

Listening to, and working with, existing participants and being mindful of non-users is also part of commissioning. You will have a body of people who you work with and through this you will be able to bring their particular insights into the relationships with commissioners. 

Remember that Reading Friends brings community engagement, builds social capital and involves numerous volunteers in support of programme participants. Valuing this wealth of contacts is something to nurture and to bring to the table as a key player and partner in the community.