Bidding for new contracts or retaining old ones? This training might be useful!

Are you currently bidding for new contracts or trying to successfully retain the ones you already have?

We would be delighted to welcome you or a colleague to a one-day workshop on the 1 September in London or the 29 September in Newcastle which is designed to help charities maximise their chances of retaining their current public sector contracts and win new contracts from the same commissioners.

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The workshop is designed for key staff responsible for managing service delivery contracts and has been very well received (see delegate comments below). Presented by Derek Smith, formerly Director at RNID and a leading authority in this field, the course is limited to 18 participants and examines how to:

* maximise your chances of retaining your current contracts, despite the cuts and increasing private sector competition
* work with commissioners to identify new service delivery opportunities as part of the Big Society agenda
* develop a structured approach to contract management which can benefit your organisation and service users
* ensure your key staff achieve a high level of commissioner satisfaction, rather than just focusing on delivery targets
* understand the needs of your commissioner, so that you deliver more value for money than your competitors
* ensure all team members know how they can contribute to improved efficiency and effectiveness
* enable you to build a win/win contractual relationship by agreeing realistic objectives and expectations
* gather evidence of value for money and added value to demonstrate performance
* provide simple planning, review and audit tools that provide a focus for staffing teams.
* use marketing, communications and public relations to build your reputation as an effective deliverer of public services.

Your attendance fee of £187 includes lunch and all resources including a comprehensive handbook, with a range of resources for your ongoing use. You can book your places online and we will send you an invoice. Alternatively, you can complete the form on the course brochure. We also deliver the course in house, which may be a cost effective option if you have several colleagues requiring this training. Please email us if you would like to explore this further. Here are some comments from those who have recently attended the course:

"As always with Action Planning, a really helpful course which meets my needs."
Inez Smith, Young People Development Manager, YMCA Cambridgeshire

"Very incisive and valuable learning."
Victor Momodu, Organisational Development Adviser, London Voluntary Service Council

"I have experience as both a commissioner and provider of services, but got new insights into the role of contracts manager, marketing and VFM (value for money)."
Andy Pallas, Partnerships and Contracts Manager, TACT

Film making commission

Salisbury Arts Centre is looking to commission an artist or filmmaker to produce a short film of between 7 and 15 minutes based on a recognisable fictional story as part of the ‘What’s the Story?’ filmmaking project. ‘What’s the Story?’ is taking place in October 2011, screening surprising and innovative films at Salisbury Arts Centre and other venues around the city.

There is an inclusive fee of £1,500 available for the project. This includes preparation time, travel costs, all production and material costs, attendance at the screening event, and VAT (if applicable).

For the full brief please email: alice@salisburyarts.co.uk or phone: 01722 343 020

Commissioning strategy for young people

Do please have a look at the draft strategy below that Carrie Creamer of Wiltshire Youth Arts Partnership has highlighted for us. She says:

please find attached youth work strategy for comments.... the proposals and main points to consider start at page 24....
If you have any comments...thoughts...do let me know and i shall forward them to the team. This is now a public document to be shared for comment, so please feel free to forward to other colleagues where relevant.

The consultation ends on August 5.

You can contact Carrie by email at Carrie.Creamer@wiltshire.gov.uk respond directly to Pathways@wiltshire.gov.uk. You can of course leave your comments on our blog and I'll forward them on your behalf.

Open publication - Free publishing - More arts

IMPORTANT TRAINING OPPORTUNITY

Do you want to understand how you and your organisation can benefit from commissioning? Do you need to understand better what commissioning is all about? Do you feel that you are too small an organisation to be able to get work through this commissioning process?

The Arts Council, Wiltshire Council's Arts Service and many of the WAP members believe that bringing opportunities, thus income into the arts from the very many areas now commissioning out services such as adult social care, the youth service, GP's practices etc, is a very positive way we can ensure artists and the arts continue to grow in Wiltshire.

I can not encourage you enough to come along to these sessions organised on our behalf by Grow:
Commissioning - Procurement demystified - April 28 - Chippenham - pg 5
Commissioning - Tenders Ready - May 17 - Devizes - pg 11
Commissioning - Managing Your Contract - June 16 - Amesbury - pg 12

WAP will be looking to support artists further by ensuring that you feel able to work in the ways that may be demanded of you in these arenas, evaluation, child protection, understanding the issues and complexities of the participants etc. Following these days we can identify between us what these additional support mechanisms might need to be.

Please take a look at the Grow brochure and book onto the training that you would like to attend. It would be great if you could add a comment to this blog letting me know if you are intending to attend, or any comments you might have about the commissioning process.

Thanks all