Shaping the approach

Aligning stakeholders and showing potential partners what you're looking for

Why this matters

Taking a formal-relational approach to contracting public service delivery typically entails doing things differently to how your organisation normally commissions services. 

What can go wrong

It can fall down when the commissioning partner doesn't have enough time to cultivate the approach, their organisation and wider stakeholders aren't on board, and the right people aren't involved from the outset e.g. colleagues in Legal, Finance and Procurement.

What's more, many commissioners aren't clear on what's allowed when it comes to market shaping, engagement and stewardship.

Good practice and useful resources

The content in this section is all about how to give this approach the best chance of success through aligning internal stakeholders and signalling to the market what kind of partnership you’re looking for.

• Deciding when to take a formal-relational approach
• Building support internally
• Building a cross-functional commissioning team
• Understanding your user's needs
• Engaging the market
• Shaping and stewarding the market
• A guide to different ways of buying services - from procurement to grants