David Cameron's Big Society aims to get more of the third sector involved in delivering services but a review of the commissioning process over the past decade suggests more work needs to be done to engage those organisations.
The review – which was carried out the by Third Sector Research Centre – looked at 48 pieces of research, debate and policy on public service delivery from the past 10 years. The review reflected concern in the sector that commissioners lacked knowledge about the range of providers and understanding of the wider benefits of services they could provide. It also called for more evidence that the commissioning process led to third sector organisations (TSOs) delivering better services.
One issue highlighted in the review was the problem of measuring "soft outcomes" when awarding contracts. While commissioners regularly cited "poor understanding of a changing agenda" or "insufficient attention to outcomes" for why third sector organisations failed to win tenders, organisations in turn felt that commissioners failed to recognise the importance of "soft" outcomes offered in their bids. Organisations said they also needed better skills and resources to compete in the contract market.
The review also said wider work needed to be done on understanding how the commissioning process impacted on services provided by TSOs.
"It seems more attention has been paid to supporting organisations to navigate and cope with the demands of commissioning than how to improve the services they provide to their users," says Rob Macmillan who conducted the review. "We need to know more about the effects of commissioning – especially the impact that it has on services and service users, whose voices and concerns have received little attention. The most important question – is the commissioning process leading to better services? – remains unanswered."
While the prime minister has stated his intention to help create and expand more TSOs and to support them in having greater involvement in running public services (last month the government asked the sector to share innovative ideas of how things could be done differently), the review said more assessments needed to be made of the commissioning process.
"We need to know whether commissioning achieves better public services," says Macmillan. "There is little independent evidence surrounding the nature of the services commissioned or whether new commissioning processes lead to better services for users.
"Many sources note the need for a "cultural shift" amongst organisations – increasing their understanding of new processes, building relationships with commissioners, and framing bids around what purchasers want to buy rather than what organisations want to deliver," says Macmillan. "But this in turn raises concerns about the effects of commissioning on TSOs. Are they compromising their independence, their mission, or their values? Should TSOs be focusing on what is better for their users?"
Acknowledging that the political context has changed since the reviewed documents, Macmillan says: "Evidence already suggests that the commissioning process may undervalue the costs to TSOs and the added value they provide. It remains to be seen whether the new economic and political climate will allow these issues to be addressed, or will signal a return to the primarily instrumental view of the sector as 'alternative provision'.''
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