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Members' Feedback 2004

Feedback on Funding and Procurement Implementation Guidance

 

The consultation period is now over, and listed below is our members' feedback collected at the Voscur Assembly meeting on 14 December 2004.

 

General Comments

  • When regeneration schemes are managed by Bristol City Council, they benefit from its huge infrastructure, such as legal services, translation services, etc. However, when they are given to a community-based, resident led structure to manage that structure is not able to benefit from this infrastructure. This should not be the case and the Compact should include this point.
  • Section five - Bristol Compact Equal Opportunities and Section six - Organisations from Black & Minority Ethnic and Faith Backgrounds and the Bristol Compact should be amalgamated into one section on Equalities.
  • All voluntary sector organisations should have equal opportunities policies.
  • Poverty should be included in the Equalities section.
  • There should be a process for pursuing complaints against a body which is not abiding by the Compact and people should be made aware of their rights under the Compact.
  • Ref. guidelines on withdrawal of funding: if this is for reasons other than non compliance with the terms and conditions of funding, then there should be compensation for vcs groups. Private sector organisations demand these conditions Ref. guidelines on withdrawal of funding: if this is for reasons other than non compliance with the terms and conditions of funding, then there should be compensation for vcs groups. Private sector organisations demand these conditions.
  • If regeneration strategies or funding drivers change, then there must be financial flexibility to allow core, essential services, seen to be important to the local community, to continue.
  • Implement 1 year wind down periods in funding streams, such as Supporting People projects have.
  • ACEVO & ACU are developing the idea of a rolling 3 year funding period. Voscur to investigate details.
  • A Human Resource Advice service is needed to the voluntary and community sector (vcs).
  • Request for a league table to see how Bristol City Council compares on a national level- or at least sub regional level, with reference to contracting out to the vcs.

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Procurement

  • Procurement means competing in the marketplace for a service which could be provided by a local authority
  • A service level agreement is where an organisation offers a service to the community.
  • The voluntary sector needs to be more professional when competing for contracts and needs to write full cost recovery into the contract.
  • The timescales and notice set out in the Compact should follow through into Contracts.
  • The draft guidelines do not adequately describe the activities carried out by the voluntary & community sector (vcs), funded by statutory bodies. The vcs are contracted to carry out essential services, which the local authority has a responsibility for. E.g. Day Services and Community Care.
  • Any funded service which has performance indicators or targets attached to it is not simply about “sponsorship” as stated in the draft guidelines.
  • Examples: Age Concern and Brunel Care both compete against commercial organisations for work. Help the Aged recently won the National Health Service contract for distributing digital hearing aides, competing against private and public sector organisations.
  • The terms in the guidelines should be able to be applied to service providers in all sectors. There should be clear Terms of Reference for those carrying out contracted services, as well as the contractors.
  • There is a requirement for clear information about the range of statutory services available for procurement. Each year, there should be a report on which services were successfully contracted out to the vcs, and which weren’t. Better, clearer information on when contracts are open to tender. Advice, support and models of good practice available for groups bidding for contracts. A request that Voscur provide this kind of support.
  • There ought to be recognition within the guidelines that the vcs is often better placed to deliver local services in communities, such as education, health etc. This is about best value, not sponsorship.
  • Ref. guidelines on withdrawal of funding: if this is for reasons other than non compliance with the terms and conditions of funding, then there should be compensation for vcs groups. Private sector organisations demand these conditions.

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Full Cost Recovery

  • The principle of adding full cost recovery to the Compact was supported
  • Project by project funding does not allow for development of organisations
  • May reduce the number of organisations funded if every organisation claims full costs.
  • Organisations must lobby for their own funding
  • If applications are based on full cost recovery then statutory organisations may start to recognise the quality of services offered by the voluntary sector and not regard them as a cheap option.
  • Full cost recovery funding should result in an increase in the quality of services offered by the voluntary sector
  • Identifying the proportion of management costs for a particular project to ensure full cost recovery can be difficult. The Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) has a number of formulae for calculating these proportions which is “recommended” for use in the Compact. It was felt that this should be more than just a recommendation – a “requirement”.
  • Many people are not aware of full cost recovery. There needs to be more information, training and support, including training in the ACEVO formulae which may be provided by Voscur.
  • Costs of implementing an equal opportunities policy should be included in funding bids.
  • Some opinion that to say Full Cost Recovery should be applied across the board in the voluntary and community sector, is contentious. This may result in very small, new groups not being to able small, short term pots of funding, which are vital to their growth.

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Funding Guidance

  • If a project is successful why should we have to change/repackage it?
  • Longer term funding please – 1 year creates too much insecurity/uncertainty
  • Can the level of monitoring info required by the Council be reduced to a sensible level (that does not breach confidentiality)?
  • It would help confidence if Council explains why information is requested and only asks for things that will be looked at.
  • Can the level of monitoring info required by the Council be reduced to a sensible level (and also does not breach confidentiality)?
  • Arms length auditing please - unless there are causes for concern, show trust in the funded organisation.
  • Re-funding decisions – why not an opportunity to put case to officers to try to influence decision before the Committee.
  • Council should report back publicly their view on the funding they decide and what gaps remain unfilled and areas where there is room for improvement
  • Transparency/clarity about all funding rounds and how the funding will be decided upon
  • Council should take account of VCS groups’ track record and provide support where necessary.

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Getting the Compact Known, Understood and Used

 

Barriers

  • Sheer amount/volume of documents, eg multiple compacts.
  • Relevance – understanding
  • Connecting document to reality
  • Time to interpret
  • Can create anxiety if unsure of its power
  • Central Government directive breaks code of good practice in Compact
  • Issues agenda is largely imposed
  • Summary sheet (bullet points) showing the value of the Compact to the VCS with examples – Voscur to do this.
  • Voscur newsletter article each edition where a statutory body department has been interviewed about the impact of the Compact.
  • Re problem of too much consultation but not wanting to be left out of decisions. Voscur acting/speaking on behalf of VCS using discretion.
  • CASE STUDY SHOWING BENEFIT – Tell people about the Compact when you have this but not before.
  • Pilot an aspect of the Compact in a partnership between a statutory body and VCS organisation. Show how Compact has improved relationship.
  • Very short press releases written by Voscur and sent to other VCS to use.
  • Make sure BP reviews it (eg annually) to create news.
  • Long term culture change so accept this.
  • Voscur to do 5 minutes at peoples’ AGM’s etc.
  • Statutory bodies and VCS should have something about the Compact written into every job description
  • Feelings of one-sidedness
  • Scepticism
  • Matching it to organisations’ objectives
  • Different statutory bodies and departments have their own “good practice” guidelines more important to them than the Compact.

Who Monitors Adherence To Compact

 

Solutions

  • Good news stories re the Compact and benefit to VCS
  • Rationalisation of compact-type documents
  • Incentives, eg publicity
  • BCC can use it internally.

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