140130-third-sector-scheme-en

Q Are desired outcomes intended to benefit Government directly in
furtherance of its functions or policy objectives?
A
Where the intention is to secure a direct service for Government either in
the supply of goods and services (e.g. office supplied) or in direct
furtherance of its functions or policy objectives (e.g. recruiting consultants)
then a procured approach is likely. The recruitment of research
consultants, for example, can have a wider secondary interest or benefit,
but the question of whether the research outcomes are primarily of direct
benefit to Government remains relevant.
Q Is Government proposing to provide all the funding to meet requirements
for which funding is being paid?
A
If it is, then this would be a factor in favour of a procurement route. Often
grant funding covers only a part of the cost of a project or activity with
funding also coming from other sources. This means that other funders
also have a stake in determining the direction and outcomes of the work.
Q What degree of control does Government wish to exercise in achieving
outcomes?
A
The more prescriptive Government wishes to be about specifying the
service required or the outputs to be secured, the greater the presumption
there is for proceeding via procurement.
Rapid Response Team
The Rapid Response Team is comprised of representatives from relevant
disciplines within Government and can be quickly convened where a situation
is particularly complex and a decision whether to grant fund or to procure
cannot be reached. Its aim is to recommend the most appropriate way
forward to achieve best value for money.
Grant Management and the role of the Grants Centre of Excellence
Grants are very important in Wales. The Welsh Government use grants as a
mechanism to deliver policy objectives; they enable the public sector and the
Third Sector to provide services which directly impact on the lives of people in
Wales.
To improve the way Welsh Government grants are managed, a Grants
Centre of Excellence has been established to provide expert advice, support
and guidance for anyone working with grants across the organisation. The
Grants Centre of Excellence is a key source of advice, training and corporate
guidance in the management of grant funding in the Welsh Government,
aimed at increasing compliance, consistency and quality in Grants
Management in Wales. Together, Centre of Excellence staff have a depth and
breadth of grant funding experience gained from working on grant
programmes in the third, public and private sectors
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