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London Centre of Excellence

Best Practice Sharing Groups

A key recommendation of the Status Review from Phase 1 was that Best Practice Sharing Groups be established to allow managers responsible for critical contractual relationships to share best practice in contract and relationship management.

Two such groups have been established in London with more to follow.

Social Care PFI Best Practice Sharing Group
London boasts seven contracts that provide residential, nursing and day care facilities for older people under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI).

A group was estblished to support all seven contract managers in the development and dissemination of best practice in contract and relationship management.

Minutes from the first meeting of the group, together with presentations by experts in the field of PFI are available for download.

 Notes of the Social Care PFI Best Practice Sharing Group Meeting (40kB) 

 Presentation to the Social Care PFI Best Practice Sharing Group (LCE) (175kB)

 Living With Your Payment Mechanism (Cyril Sweett Limited) (55kB)

 Linking Payment to Performance (LCE) (65kB)

Waste Contract Management Best Practice Sharing Group
A best practice sharing group was established for managers of critical contractual relationships in refuse collection, recycling and street cleansing in London.

Minutes from the first meeting of the group, together with presentations by colleagues and experts in outsourced waste management services are available for download.

 Notes of the Waste Contract Management Best Practice Sharing Group Meeting (41kB)

 Presentation to the Waste Contract Management Best Practice Sharing Group (LCE) (356kB)

 Nabarro Nathanson Presentation on the Waste Market (153kB)

 Partnerships and Open-book Accounting (RB Kensington & Chelsea) (20kB)

 Performance Management (LB Camden) (93kB)

Critical Friends' Scheme
In addition to the Best Practice Sharing Groups, pairs of contract managers were invited to participate in the Critical Friends' Scheme.

The scheme has given contract managers the opportunity to learn directly from their peers on a one-to-one basis.  In some cases, managers appointed to manage newer contracts have been able to benefit from lessons learned by contract managers who are further into their relationships and who have already found ways to overcome common problems.

The Advisory Group approved a Protocol for the Critical Friends' Programme and this is available for download.

 Critical Friends' Scheme Protocol (44kB)

Contract Support Service
LB Islington will be working with the London Centre of Excellence to establish a Contract Support Service to provide structured support to managers of the borough's critical contractual relationships.  These will include LB Islington's outsourced service contracts in education and waste and its public-private partnership in residential care homes for older people.  The pilot will commence early in 2007.

The submission to LB Islington's Procurement Board detailing the proposals is available for download.

 Contract Support Service submission (85kB)

Find out more
If you would like to find out more about the Best Practice Sharing Groups or the Critical Friends' Scheme, email the Project Team.