RedQuadrant qualifies for a record 17 lots on cross-public service framework contract

Launching today, the new iteration of the ESPO Consultancy Services Framework. Run by the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation on behalf of all UK public services (and accessible to charities and other bodies too), we are proud to have been on this framework for ten years. This is a record year for us, though, as we have qualified for all the lots for which we bid – 17 in total:

We received first or second placing amongst bidders for:

  • Revenues and Benefits
  • Public Health
  • General Finance
  • Social Care (Children)
  • Strategic IT
  • Housing and Housing Support
  • Strategic Projects
  • Community Research and Engagement

And top five placing for:

  • Business Services
  • Social Care (Adults)
  • Regeneration and Regional Development
  • Marketing, Communications and PR
  • Leisure, Culture and Tourism (including Library Services)

We also qualified with high scores for:

  • Procurement
  • Highways, Traffic and Transport
  • Environmental and Sustainability
  • Waste and Recycling

The framework is now live and runs for a period of two years.

RedQuadrant Head of Consulting, Frank Curran, said:

It’s a huge vote of confidence from the sector in our unique expertise and experience. It is wonderful to get this recognition and to be able to continue to provide excellent value through fixed-price consultancy, change support, and capability building.

To procure RedQuadrant through compliant direct award or mini-competition, go to:

https://www.redquadrant.com/frameworks

Long live commissioning! But what shall we call it?

What do you call an approach that moves #publicservices

from

  • ‘spending money on services to meet needs’

to

  • ‘intervening and learning in the complex systems that actually shape our lives’?
latest piece in the Municipal Journal

The former sees ‘services’ as the whole universe, brought into being by our public service cash.

The latter sees that people are busy living their lives and that funding is just part of the influence we can have on citizen and community outcomes.


The word we’re stuck with, like it or not, is #commissioning.


It’s been five months since I last wrote ‘it ain’t dead!’ (I checked). And I have to keep saying it.

Yet because commissioning covers that (still vital) process of deciding which services (in-house, outsourced, third sector) are funded and which are not, it still gets bracketed with procurement, outsourcing, and contract management.

It’s much more than that, and since 2011 we’ve been working to show how it much more deserves to be part of #systemschange #systemsleadership and what’s now called #humanlearningsystems

My latest piece in the Municipal Journal is at https://www.themj.co.uk/Long-live-commissioning-/221192

How would you try to get this message across? What would you call it?


See also

Our core positioning piece: ‘commissioning is an approach to transformation’

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_commissioning-is-an-approach-to-transformation-activity-6757571035324915712-hdlr


Can commissioning truly start from the assets and capabilities of citizens and communities? As we inch towards the post-Covid era, what opportunities and risks are opened up by the massive release of citizen and community assets during the pandemic?

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_shift-or-skid-what-are-commissioners-doing-activity-6810819776701698048-RtML/


Commissioning is dead, long live commissioning

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_benjamin-taylor-for-pste-commissioning-activity-6775742215768682496-nAAK/

Something new has been named – #systemsconvening

see

Register for the launch webinar on 2 September: https://bit.ly/SCBookLaunch

Download the book and join the community: https://bit.ly/SystemsConvening