VCSE Support & Improvement Programme (BDCHCP) 26.27.24

The current provider, the Bradford VCS Alliance (VCSA) was established by the local VCSE sector with the explicit purpose of acting as the infrastructure body and strategic partner for health and care in Bradford District and Craven. It plays a unique system role in coordinating VCSE engagement, managing representation across partnership groups, and overseeing delivery of health and care projects by a wider network of local VCSE organisations. There is no viable alternative organisation able to deliver this function in a way that preserves existing alignment, infrastructure, and system trust.

Changing provider at this stage would risk destabilising delivery, duplicating effort, and undermining the progress made in embedding the VCSE as a core system partner. The VCSA's model of delivery, coordination, and insight reporting is embedded across our place-based structures.

This 12 month contract supports:

• The development of the VCSE's role in Integrated Neighbourhood Working, aligned to local and national strategic priorities
• Ongoing review and transition of Community Partnership structures, forming a core part of current organisational change
• Joint planning with local authority commissioners to determine the most appropriate long-term commissioning route
• Exploration of potential investment from other system partners, including emerging provider collaboratives
• Continued delivery of statutory duties relating to involvement, engagement, and system partnership

This direct award represents a time-limited, proportionate and compliant arrangement to maintain stability, enable joint strategic planning, and support system transition. Future commissioning arrangements will be informed by this planning work and will follow the appropriate governance and legal routes, taking account of direct award criteria where applicable.