Many Social Enterprises successfully deliver services to meet the strategic objectives of local authorities and other public bodies through contracting arrangements with a public body.

Accessing contracts

Securing contracts for delivery of services with either private or public sector organisations is a common route to market by new and existing Social Enterprises especially those in the health and social care sector. This frequently involves  engaging with the commissioning and procurement process to secure contracts for the delivery of services of benefit to  their client group. NCVO and ACEVO have produced resources about commissioning and procurement.

Working with Social Enterprise

To read more about how local authorities can engage with Social Enterprises to benefit the communities they serve, see The Social Enterprise Guide for People in Local Government

South East Business Portal

Information about becoming a supplier or service provider for public sector bodies can be found at South East Business Portal

Moving Assets and Services into Social Enterprise

In the light of national policy shift, in some areas services which are currently provided by public bodies, are being moved through externalisation or spin out into management and/or ownership within a Social Enterprise business model.  These are sometimes described as staff mutuals.  The Quirk Review Report:  Making Assets Work explored some of the issues connected with transferring assets.  Under the present Government there has been an emphasis on a more active civil social.  The publication of the Big Society Agenda, which aimed to find a bigger role for more citizen involvement, achieve greater decentralisation and the recent Localism Act are some of the measures taken to pursue this aim, including the Community Right to Bid.

 

Other initiatives:-

• Department of Health right to request scheme. 

• The Cabinet Office has produced  The Right to Run:  A Practical Guide for public sector staff thinking about establishing a mutual or Social Enterprise

• The Transition Institute undertakes work to share knowledge and experience about the journeys of public sector entrepreneurs into spin outs.  To Download a copy of their publication Social Ethos Click here

An example is the creation of the new charity Canal and River Trust in which management of 2000 miles of rivers and canals (not in Scotland) has been spun out from the Waterways Board in a major transfer of public assets into the charitable sector.

Asset Transfer

Many assets held for the benefit of the public and the community are already held by charities and trusts and using other legal models.   In recent years there has been a shift in policy to encourage moving assets into different ownership and management arrangements under the control of voluntary and community organisations, social enterprises and charities. The Asset Transfer Unit provides information and resources about asset transfer.