Providing Better Public Services
Over the last few years, public sector bodies have produced guidelines for service commissioners and procurement officers detailing the benefits of contracting with voluntary and community organisations (VCOs). VCOs often have established links with wider communities and the specialist knowledge, experience, independence, flexibility and innovation to deliver excellent public services. However, some VCOs need investment before they are ready to contract with statutory organisations.
In our recent research, we found that public commissioners think that VCOs sometimes lack capacity in the following areas:
- Financial management, governance and business planning
- Monitoring requirements, registration or quality standards
- Information to plan ahead and understanding of the wider operating environment
- Recruiting, training and retaining qualified and skilled staff
- Market awareness of purchasers needs
- Information communications technology