Updated: Added list of organisations participating in Wave 5.
Overview
To increase government efficiency, we need to improve public service commissioning. This means improving the skills of public sector leaders so their teams can design service provision, influence external parties and shape and manage markets. They need practical skill and judgement, access to the latest thinking and confidence and courage to deliver radical changes.
The Cabinet Office and its partners developed the Commissioning Academy as a development programme for senior leaders from all parts of the public sector. It is designed to equip a cadre of professionals to deal with the challenges facing public services, take up new opportunities and commission the right outcomes for their communities.
The academy is supported by the Local Government Association, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Ministry of Justice and the National Offender Management Service, the Department for Education, the Department of Health, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Home Office.
We take applications for the programme throughout the year.
The Commissioning Academy is open for applications for future cohorts. If you think that your organisation would benefit from the Academy, contact us: info@ccs.gsi.gov.uk.
The Office for Civil Society (OCS), part of the Cabinet Office, has launched the Commissioning Academy Civil Society Programme pilot. As part of the Commissioning Academy, it will support better public sector commissioning by helping commissioners understand and use a range of innovative civil society techniques.
Potential Commissioning Academy candidates include anyone who is involved in defining policy, shaping public service provision or deciding how to provide services to citizens to get the best outcome. Even if you don’t see yourself as a ‘commissioner’ you may be a good candidate for the Academy.
See what attendees think about the academy in this video.
Follow us on Twitter: @CommissioningAc
About the Commissioning Academy
The Commissioning Academy is run at venues across the UK. The programme consists of master classes, workshops, guest speakers, site visits and peer challenge.
The Commissioning Academy programme uses practical, peer-led learning, covering key commissioning issues such as:
outcome-based commissioning
whole-systems thinking, bringing all facets of public services together to deal with issues
working with the voluntary and community sector
behavioural insights
market engagement and development
alternative funding models, such as social impact bonds
joint commissioning across organisational boundaries
new models of delivery - such as mutual and joint venture companies
What the programme provides
The programme includes 6 sessions over 5 months during which participants explore commissioning practices with a range of expert speakers, through case studies and discussion. It concentrates on peer-led learning, debate and practical implementation.
Each participant is a part of a mixed sector cohort of up to 30 people. The cohorts are designed to provide as much diversity as possible to maximise learning from experiences across central and local government and other public sector organisations.
The academy aims to bring together commissioners from a variety of organisations, sectors and services areas as cohort groups.
Sectors include:
central government (for example, the Work Programme)
local government
justice sector bodies (such as the Police and Crime Commissioners’ offices)
health bodies
‘place-based’ groups (where local authorities, health bodies and others are working together in one area)
The programme is designed and delivered by the Cabinet Office and a mix of delivery partners providing specialist know-how and sector and commissioning expertise.
The Commissioning Academy brochure provides more details about the programme and what participants should expect to gain from it.
Read a set of case studies that provide examples of commissioning practice to inspire and help other commissioners in improving public services. The case studies are from:
Commissioning Academy participants and others from the Public Service Transformation Network
Department of Communities and Local Government’s Our Place and Delivering Differently programmes
Costs and how to apply
The main cost to participants is the commitment of their time to attend the whole programme.
Organisations will need to cover:
a contribution of £500 per participant to the costs of the programme
travel and expenses
Apply to join the academy
You can now apply to join further cohorts.
Participants join the Academy as part of a small group from each organisation with at least 1 person at director or assistant director level (local government), SCS1 or deputy director level (central government) or equivalent, accompanied by 2 to 4 colleagues. This will enable them to learn together and work as a team to apply their new thinking to their organisation’s commissioning practice.
Candidate organisations should be leading innovation in commissioning services for the public by challenging existing delivery models. Each cohort will have a mix of different sector groups, covering cross-cutting themes.
People applying should be making changes in commissioning outcomes, leading culture change and learning from others. They will make good use of the support available to them and be willing to commit the time.
Applications must be supported by a senior sponsor such as the council chief executive or civil service director general.
Results and impact
Each participating organisation will implement a 100-day plan, developed during the programme, to improve commissioning practice.
All participants will also join an alumni network, giving them access to a supportive group of peers who will share experience and help each other deal with new challenges.
Participants and alumni are already sharing commissioning models and methodologies. Organisations are identifying opportunities to work better across boundaries with peers in their cohort and discussing proposals for joining up central and local government. The network of contacts is building and participants are using and adapting materials to share with colleagues and to develop their own staff.
Feedback from participants
Feedback already received from participants has included positive comments on the:
enthusiasm and honesty of the speakers
unique opportunity to hear theory alongside practical examples
wealth of experience, issues and challenges that those involved bring
most up to date thinking from government departments
value of real-life examples and the chance to have more in-depth conversations with providers
usefulness of seeing commissioning from the leadership, commissioner and provider perspective
Further support for commissioners
Commissioners increasingly work across traditional boundaries and may need access to information from sectors other than their own. In addition to the Framework Document, the following sectors provide information for commissioning in their area:
The Cabinet Office
Start a public service mutual.
The local government sector
Knowledge Hub is the Local Government Association’s professional social network. It helps people in local government to connect and share online in a secure environment.
The justice sector
The Academy for Justice Commissioning identifies and promotes excellence in justice commissioning. By setting standards and raising commissioner capability, it supports the transformation of justice services to deliver best value, improve effectiveness and increase public confidence in the justice system. From Academy for Justice Commissioning you can access the A-Z of Commissioning, an online course to help all those involved in commissioning develop a shared understanding of what commissioning is and the essential components that make it work.
Useful guidance produced by the Academy for Justice Commissioning:
Outcomes and Efficiency
Characteristics of Good Commissioning
Commissioning On a Page: Creating a common message
NOMS Glossary of Commissioning Terms and Acronyms
The Complete Dictionary of Commissioning and Procurement (ACEVO)
National Occupational Standards for Commissioning in the Public Sector
National Occupational Standards for Commissioning in the Public Sector Knowledge Needs Map (Sept 2012)
Participating organisations
Pilot 1:
Cheshire West and Chester (a place-based group)
National Offender Management Service / Ministry of Justice
Staffordshire County Council
Surrey County Council
Waverley Borough Council
Essex County Council
Cabinet Office
London Borough of Barnet
Pilot 2:
Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council
Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council
DWP, The Work Programme
Norfolk County Council and NHS Norfolk
Leicestershire County Council and NHS Leicestershire
Cabinet Office
Birmingham City Council
South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office
Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office
Wave 1:
Ashford (and area) Clinical Commissioning Groups
Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioners
Bristol Clinical Commissioning Group & Bristol City Council
Department for Communities and Local Government
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Gloucestershire County Council
Home Office
Horsham District Council
Humberside Fire and Rescue
Lancashire County Council
Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioners
London Borough of Haringey
London Borough of Lewisham
NHS England
Somerset County Council
Staffordshire County Council
Tri-borough councils: Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster
West Sussex County Council
Department for Work and Pensions
Wave 2:
Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner
Department for Communities and Local Government
Devon County Council
Fenland District Council
Gloucestershire County Council
Home Office
Knowsley Council (Health and Social Care Integration)
London Borough of Lambeth
London Borough of Sutton
Lowestoft Rising
Manchester City Council
Ministry of Defence healthcare
Norfolk County Council
Public Service Transformation Network
Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
Shropshire
Somerset County Council
Staffordshire County Council
Stoke-On-Trent City Council
Coastal West Sussex, Horsham and Mid Sussex and Crawley CCGs
Swindon Borough Council
Tamworth Borough Council
West Sussex County Council
Westminster City Council on behalf of the Tri-borough Public Service Transformation agenda
Wirral Council
Department for Work and Pensions
Wave 3:
Basildon Borough Council
Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council
Canterbury and Coastal Clinical Commissioning Group
Cheltenham Borough Council
Cheshire East Council
Cumbria County Council
Department for Business Innovation and Skills
Department for Education
Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs
DWP Employment category
DWP Youth Engagement Fund
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
Essex County Council
HM Revenue and Customs
Kent County Council
London Borough of Waltham Forest
Manchester City Council
Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner
Ministry of Defence
National Audit Office
NHS NE Essex
Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner
North West London Whole System Integrated Care
Northern Ireland Prison Service
Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue
Southend-on-sea Borough Council
Staffordshire County Council
Warrington Borough Council
Wave 4:
Ashford Clinical Commissioning Group
Cabinet Office Civil Service HR
Cabinet Office Government Digital Service
Cabinet Office Government Innovation Group
Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner
Cambridgeshire Safer Communities Partnership
Cherwell District, South Northants and Stratford on Avon Councils
Cheshire East Council
Cheshire West and Chester Council
Crown Prosecution Service
Department of Health Social Care
DWP Policy Delivery
Foreign and Commonwealth Office Consular
Harborough District Council
Home Office Border Force
Home Office Immigration Enforcement
Milton Keynes Council
Ministry of Defence
National Audit Office
National Offender Management Service
NHS England
Northamptonshire County Council
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner
West Sussex County Council
Skills Funding Agency
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Suffolk Coastal
Sunderland City Council
Wakefield Metropolitan District Council
Walsall Council
Worcestershire County Council
Wave 5:
Barnsley Council
Buckinghamshire County Council
Canterbury City Council
Child Outcomes Research Consortium
Dacorum Borough Council
Department for Business Innovation and Skills - Knowledge and Innovation
Department for Business Innovation and Skills - Further Education Colleges
Department for Education
Department for Energy and Climate Change
Department for Transport
Department for Work and Pensions - Fraud Error and Debt
Home Office - UK Visa Immigration
HM Revenue and Customs - Personal Tax
HM Revenue and Customs - Risk and Intelligence Service
Humberside Police & Crime Commissioners
London Borough of Southwark
London Borough of Waltham Forest
Metropolitan Police Service
Ministry of Justice
NHS Central London Clinical Commissioning Group
Slough Borough Council
Southampton City Council
Thurrock Council
Western Bay Health and Social Care Collaborative