A report by the think tank ResPublica calls for bureaucracy to be slashed and commissioning improved dramatically if David Cameron’s vision of a Big Society is to be realised.

The Civil Effect: Bringing efficiency, innovation and community capability to our framework of public services commissioning outlines the challenges faced by organisations of all sizes, and identifies a range of areas in which charities and communities groups must develop expertise if they are to weather the inevitable cuts to public sector spending and support - from how to access and maintain sustainable finance streams, to the need for expert guidance and assistance.

The report, written by ResPublica’s Deputy Director Asheem Singh, also highlights the need for the wide range of civil society organisations and consortia to develop new models of working to achieve savings to the public purse, and identifies a number of ways that the commissioning environment needs to change to allow the expansion of the provider pool, creating choice for service users and commissioners alike.

It also highlights practical examples of charities and community groups successfully adapting and delivering services and calls for the Government to build on this success by removing barriers to innovation.

Recommendations include:

· Setting up a network of highly localised co-commissioning hubs as a base to form sector consortia and bid for services.

· A Minimum Standards Framework that gives autonomy to commissioners and users to manage and measure their own services.

· A Local Skills Exchange using an open source web portal.

· The creation of a Big Society Bank to act as a short term financier of social enterprises aimed at developing a stronger civil society.

· The introduction of levy to help fund start activities and smaller organisations.

· A prize fund similar the Big Green Challenge Fund to encourage innovation and co-operation.

Head of ResPublica Philip Blond said: “The relationship between civil society and public service delivery is complex, but it goes to the heart of what ‘The Big Society’ actually means.

"I know that the Government is keen to tap into the expertise, innovation and energy of the sector, but as this report shows there are many barriers to realising David Cameron’s vision of a Big Society.

"This report, published just a couple of weeks before the spending review is announced, lays bares the challenges faced by the sector and sets out a range of actions that we believe the Government needs to take to set the sector free from the shackles of bureaucracy and level the playing field with the public sector.”

The report’s author, deputy director of ResPublica Asheem Singh, added: “The Government must concentrate on overhauling the commissioning system, ruthlessly slashing bureaucracy to cut the cost of bidding and exploring the benefits that can be achieved through a greater use of technology.

When tendering costs approach 20% of the cost of the service as a whole, there is something seriously wrong with the system.”

Stephen Bubb, chair of The Social Investment Business who sponsored the report, added: “The Government’s commitment to greater involvement of third sector organisations in public service delivery is a fantastic opportunity.

"But the current very expensive and bureaucratic process of tendering and commissioning government contracts presents real barriers to small charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises.

"With support from commissioners, the sector should organise as consortia to bid for these contracts, which provide both investment and the chance to expand their services to help more people.

“The real challenge at this time of economic constraint is translating positive ‘noises’ about a greater delivery role for the sector into action. This report contains a number of interesting ideas this can be achieved.

"To continue to protect the excluded and vulnerable, and to advocate for citizens to build healthier communities and a stronger society, the sector will need to do what it has always done - draw upon its ability to innovate. This is at the heart of a Bigger Society. It is down to us in the sector to deliver it and down to the state to support us in doing so.”

Share Story: