“There has never been a better time to be a third sector organisation seeking to provide public services,” – said Angela Smith, Minister for the Third Sector, writing in The Times, 4 September 2009.
Since 2006, the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office has been working on a major programme to bring more third sector organisations into the delivery of public services. This has involved various initiatives – a national training programme for public sector commissioners, the launch of Futurebuilders investment fund, as well as various grant programmes for modernisation and a hardship fund. In 2006-7, NCVO estimated that third sector organisations earned £7.8 billion in income from public service contracts.
This piece of research from TPP Law sets out to explore how this policy is working on the frontline. We asked our respondents some key questions – Are they optimistic about future contract opportunities? What challenges do they face in bidding for contracts? Is Government doing enough to transform service delivery?
The results will make interesting reading for policy makers, third sector readers, funders and anyone interested in the sector.
