Secure procurement skills

Secure procurement skills that ensure robust and viable contracts.

This competency covers legal and regulatory skills such as tendering and governance, as well as costing, performance and contract management, negotiation, service specification and developing a business case.

Framework for procuring external support for commissioners: Policy statement (Department of Health 2007)
This explains the framework's aims of offering PCTs support in key areas such as assessment, planning, contracting, procurement, performance management and patient and public engagement, and sharing commissioning skills across organisations.

The future of commissioning leadership challenges (Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations 2007)
This study offers a leadership framework for third sector providers, outlining the skills required in a commissioning environment, and what behaviours strategic commissioners need to drive up service quality by involving the third sector.

Made not born - Developing skills in commissioning (Commissioning eBook 2006)
This paper outlines the skills required for commissioning, such as financial acumen, negotiation, political awareness and strategic analysis, and the challenges of a changing national context.

Developing a commissioning strategy in public care (Commissioning eBook 2006)
This paper considers some of the skills and experience needed to produce commissioning strategies, and explores practical activities involved in developing a strategy, such as the use of hypotheses and market management plans.

Is the treatment working? (Audit Commission 2008)
This report concludes that commissioning and contracting skills are not yet strong enough to drive the care closer to home agenda, and highlights examples of commissioning practice, such as PCTs using open tendering.

PCT board development framework: Specification (Department of Health 2008)
This specification for a development programme should ensure a whole PCT board has the behaviours, knowledge and skills to drive forward its commissioning agenda and is empowered to act corporately and collectively.

Monitoring social care contracts: A framework for good practice (CSIP 2007)
This aims to promote realism about resource limitations, encourage clear prioritisation and focus on the outcomes of contract monitoring. It looks at risk assessment, .

information collection and resulting actions and includes sample documents.

Monitoring contracts (CSIP 2007)
This podcast explores variation in contract monitoring systems, the lack of service user influence on contract monitoring and the limited use data collected from monitoring in supporting purchasing and wider commissioning strategies.

This podcast is complemented by a paper on monitoring contracts in adult social services in the Commissioning eBook.

A guide to fairer contracting Part 1 (Change Agent Team 2005)
This aims to standardise and improve contracts, to save costs and time, and tackle challenges variable contracts pose to smaller providers. It covers risk assessment, different types of contract, writing contracts, specific clauses and price reviews.

A guide to fairer contracting Part 2 (CSIP 2007)
This offers formats for contracts, and looks at the impact of individual budgets and direct payments, service user engagement, the relationship between national minimum standards and service specifications, and the need for fairness and transparency.

Guidance on the standard NHS contract for acute hospital services (Department of Health 2007)
This guidance looks at the standard contract for agreements between PCTs and providers of acute care, clarifying which parts are subject to local negotiation and responsibilities for co-ordinated contracting and performance management.

Open book accounting: A best value tool (CSIP)
This explains 'open book accounting', which aims to demonstrate the commitment of partners in a contractual relationship to share information on income and expenditure, and highlights risks that require agreed margins and reinvestment in services.