Report of the Assistant Chief Executive.

This report provides an update on the review of the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise infrastructure contract and subsequent process that has been taken for the contract in preparation for the re-procurement due in 2023.

The committee received a report of the Assistant Chief Executive which provided an update on the review of the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) infrastructure contract and subsequent process taken for the contract in preparation for re-procurement in 2023.

Key points and themes within the report included:

• An introduction to the VCSE sector in Manchester and background to the infrastructure contract;
• Key findings of the external, independent review into Manchester’s VCSE support provision;
• Development of the new infrastructure specification, which would identify four main areas of support; and
• The timeline and next steps for the infrastructure review.

Key points and queries that arose from the committee’s discussions included:

• Who the Commissioners of the contract would be, and whether this would include people from the BAME community;
• How new VCSE organisations could access support through Manchester Community Central (Macc)
• How the Council could support smaller VCSE organisations, particularly with evaluation of the projects they deliver;
• How the Council could support organisations with bid-writing and other skills;
• How the Infrastructure Contract will address and target poverty and lack of access to services;
• How BAME VCSE organisations would be supported;
• Noting that smaller VCSE organisations often had large overhead costs, and querying whether funding would be provided in instalments or as an up-front lump sum;
• Whether the new Infrastructure Contract would form part of the additional £120k allocated for the development of VCSE organisations amongst BAME community groups; and
• Suggesting that the Council provide support for smaller VCSE organisations to become sub-contractors to other providers.

The Deputy Leader introduced the item and explained that the VCSE Infrastructure Contract had been in place for over 10 years, which strengthened the local VCSE sector, and she expressed her thanks to the Policy and Programmes Manager (Communities and VCSE) and his team for their work on the Contract.

The Assistant Chief Executive stated that infrastructure support provided partnership and practical support to VCSE organisations around volunteering opportunities, developing connections between organisations, and advocated for the sector. He explained that the current Infrastructure Contract was awarded to Macc and was jointly funded by the Council and NHS, who had committed their involvement for the current financial year. Discussions with the NHS were ongoing regarding future funding.

He explained that, as part of the review into the new infrastructure specification, the Council was trying to respond to the experiences, feedback, and priorities of the VCSE sector and that there had been significant consultation on this. An independent review had also been undertaken, which recognised that the sector wanted a greater focus on capacity-building and practical support for their organisations. There would also be a focus on ensuring that the support offered by the provider was accessible and culturally appropriate for all communities. Feedback from the sector also indicated that there needed to be greater support in specific areas of the city, such as North Manchester and parts of East Manchester where the sector was less developed.

The Assistant Chief Executive also stated that further member engagement on the Infrastructure Contract was proposed and that members had been invited to a meeting on this taking place in the following week.

In response to a member’s query, it was advised that a group of officers would be responsible for awarding the Infrastructure Contract and this group would be representative of different backgrounds and protected characteristics.

The Policy and Programmes Manager (Communities and VCSE) provided assurances that Macc was publicly accessible to all VCSE organisations with tiered and general offers to groups. Membership to Macc was also open to all VCSE organisations. The Deputy Leader explained that organisations could book 15-minute sessions online to learn more about the services provided and to begin the process of receiving a tailored support package.  

The Assistant Chief Executive stated that the Our Manchester VCSE process was the main grant funding administered by the Council, but other grants were also available. He stated that this funding had been awarded to small, medium, and large VCSE organisations but he recognised that larger organisations could have access to more funding opportunities and had more resources at their disposal compared to smaller groups.

In response to a query regarding how the Council could support organisations to improve skills, the Policy and Programmes Manager (Communities and VCSE) explained that the Council liaised with organisations in receipt of the Our Manchester VCSE Fund or Supporting Communities Fund upon receipt of their monitoring information to support their evaluations and the standard of information provided. The Assistant Chief Executive welcomed the point around evaluation raised by the member and stated that officers would take this forward during procurement discussions.

The Assistant Chief Executive explained that the infrastructure support provider would be required to undertake targeted work in areas of the city which experienced poverty and had less access to services. He cited the work of North Manchester Together as a good example of how the VCSE sector can be developed in certain areas.

The committee was advised that Our Manchester VCSE funding would be provided in instalments over 3 years with annual delivery monitoring. The Infrastructure Contract funding would also be provided in instalments over a 5-year period.

In response to the Chair’s enquiry regarding how the Council could support organisations with bid-writing and other skills, the Policy and Programmes Manager (Communities and VCSE) stated that there was a strong emphasis within the review of the specification to acknowledge feedback from the sector and to meet their needs. Bid-writing and fundraising would be included in this work and there would be an encouragement of partnership working to extend provisions into difficult-to-reach communities. The Assistant Chief Executive stated that providing targeted support for BAME-led and BAME-focused organisations was also an important part of the infrastructure contract specification. He explained that £120k had been allocated to a Development Fund to help these groups to develop VCSE organisations, which was separate to the Infrastructure Contract. 

The Assistant Chief Executive stated that advice for smaller VCSE organisations on how to become sub-contractors for other providers could be provided through business development support, which the provider would be expected to undertake.

Decision:

That the report be noted.