2.10 In 2012, the Cabinet Office launched the Commissioning Academy, as a development programme for public sector commissioners. The Academy, delivered by the CCS, aims to help commissioners deliver more efficient and effective public services. The core Academy comprises a six-day programme, including a 'provider perspective' day at which participants meet a range of service providers, including SMEs and VCSEs. By February 2016, 1,049 representatives from around 120 public sector bodies had attended the Academy. Most attendees were local commissioners, with central government making up a third of attendees. The CCS has also supported some local commissioners to run Academy programmes focused in a particular geographic area.
2.11 The Commissioning Academy has a wide-ranging syllabus and is supported by a range of SME and VCSE delivery partners. However, beyond the provider perspective day, the focus on SME or VCSE-specific issues is limited. In June 2015, the Office for Civil Society (OCS) piloted a Commissioning Academy Civil Society Programme, which focused on contracting with VCSEs. Like the core Commissioning Academy, this was mainly attended by local commissioners so it is not clear how the OCS intends to disseminate the messages to central government commissioners.
2.12 The CCS told us it is currently working with its delivery partners to determine the future shape of the Academy programme. It expects the Academy to be run by its partners in the future, with government providing support and guidance on programme content. The OCS will take over responsibility for the Commissioning Academy at the end of 2015-16.