Below is the full speech of Diana Coman, Chair, Sutton Together Committee at the launch
"Thank you so much for coming today and helping us launch Sutton 'Together, a new consortium for the voluntary and community sector.
I found a qute the other day.
" Even if you're on the right track you'll get run over if you just sit there."
The voluntary and community sector in Sutton has successfully collaborated, built partnerships and worked togeter for the benefit of Sutton's residents. However, we all know that the funding climate has changed over the past four years and we are facing challenges as the Council looks to working in different ways with the voluntary sector organisations providing greater scope to take on delivery of local services.
Over a year ago to Concil approached the voluntary sector with the suggestion that it consider the establishment of a consortium which would allow local organisations to compete against the big names. SCVS and the Council held a seminar on the issue of consortia working and a few organisations at that meeting, expressed an interest in taking part in early discussions on the issue - supported by a consultant hired by the Council."
There were three options considered:
- A lead organisation model - where one organisations holds the contract supported by a cluster of organisations
- A brokered model - where an organisation takes on the contract, project manages it but does not handle delivery
- A stand - alone legal entity - a new organisation - which would take on the contract on behalf of member organisations, with member organisations delivering elements of the contract.
Sutton already has experience of the lead organisation model - and the consensus was that this would be a better model to choose for Sutton as it builds on what we are already doing.
Eleven organisations have agreed to be founder members of the new consortium. Each of these organisations are capable of meeting Sutton Council's criteria to run a Council contract and they can lead and project manage a contract.
A major concern in the discussions about establishing a consortium was the issue of wider involvement or local organisations - everyone wanted a structure that would bring into the bidding process smaller organisations that are providing niche services, but it would not be able to sustain a bid in their own right. The model we have set up will:
- enable us to include smaller organisations in the tender or bid process
- provide us - as a voluntary and community sector - with the chance to go for different funding or tendering opportunities which at the moment are out of our reach
- meet the Council's objective
The group has bid for - and received - some funding from Sutton Council - to support the development of this model or working and this will support the consortium in its first year
Already we are discussing how we can bring innocation to service delivery - how we can draw on experience around the country and beyond, to develop services - how we can share intelligence and research. This is a real opportunity to collaborate, share resources and through working together, bring positive improvements to the lives of people in Sutton.
All that the voluntary sector has done so far is on the right track - the launch of Sutton Together provides us with an opportunity to keep moving."