The aim of Procuring Social Enterprise (PSE) is to facilitate the relationship between social enterprises and local authorities. Along with the recognition among social enterprises that grant-funding is no longer a reliable source of income, local authorities are being encouraged both by central government thinking and their own needs to work with the not-for-profit sector to add social value to the way they procure services.

There is an increased awareness within local authorities of the added economic, environmental and, most importantly, social benefits of working with social enterprises. However, there can still be obstacles for local authorities when opening up their procurement processes to and working in partnership with social enterprises, and this is an area where PSE can help.

PSE can bring to the table London CRN’s unrivalled knowledge of social enterprises working in the sustainable waste management sector in London. The programme can help to identify the needs of each individual local authority and work with the appropriate social enterprise to match those needs.

The work of PSE includes support to social enterprises to develop their capacity and place them in a stronger position to win local authority contracts. It will help put quality assurance systems in place and will develop a Social Return on Investment (SROI) model, to be adapted to the sustainable waste management sector.

Other services include:

    * Circulating a fortnightly e-news service to Local Authorities

    * Delivering seminars on the pressing issues of the day in community-sector engagement, local authority best practice and effective procurement

    * Developing handy information supplements to accompany the changing landscape of public sector procurement and provide case studies of best practice in partnership working.

Procuring Social Enterprise was launch at Portcullis House on the 25th of January 2007. To find out more about the event and to download the presentations please click here.

If you represent a local authority and would like to find out more about how you can shape up your procurement processes to work with social enterprises in your area, please contact Adam Paul, PSE Project Manager, on 020 7324 4694 or at adam@lcrn.org.uk.

If you are a local authority officer looking to establish partnerships with the third sector, we’ve put together a few ideas to get you started. To find out more click here.

If you represent a social enterprise and are interested in finding out how PSE can help you, please download and complete the PSE application form. This will enable us to find out more about your business and to determine whether PSE is the best project for you. If this isn’t the case, we may be able to signpost you to another of our projects such as the enhance business support service or the London Furniture Reuse Network.

The following reports are also available to download (you will be redirected to the websites of the Office of the Third Sector and the Department for Communities and Local Government):

PSE Information Leaflet
Click here to view or save

Partnership in Public Services: An action plan for third sector involvement - http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/public_service_delivery/

Social enterprise action plan: Scaling new heights - http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/social_enterprise/action_plan/