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As Co-operative Councils, our members are at the cutting edge of policy innovation – and it can be a tough place to be. Councils often need to move quickly and flexibly to be on the front foot when it comes to ‘doing things differently’.

Sometimes it is necessary to bring in extra capacity and specific expertise to be able to do this, and there can also be a need to seek independent challenge to test assumptions and policy design. The CCIN recognises this and wants its members to be as enabled as possible to develop practical policy solutions as quickly and informed as possible – and this is where the DPS comes in.

In 2019 the Co-operative Councils’ Innovation Network (CCIN) undertook a tender process to find organisations that could:

  • inspire and design innovative co-operative policy over several policy areas and themes, with a focus on delivering differently and redesign of public services in line with cooperative values and principles
  • demonstrate the ability to build capacity and leave a legacy that continues to deliver outcomes even after the funding and supporting resources have moved out
  • bring credibility and profile to the work of the CCIN reaching across a wide range of sectors and agencies.

A Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) is a completely electronic system to purchase goods, works or services. Unlike a traditional framework, suppliers can apply to join at any time. It is an ‘open market’ solution designed to provide buyers with access to a pool of pre-qualified suppliers.

Our multi-supplier DPS allows all CCIN Members and Associate Members (and the CCIN itself) to select from a specialist, prescribed pool of organisations to help in developing policy, implementing prototypes and building capacity, both in communities and inside the organisation. The DPS has been split into 2 lots.

The lots

  • Lot 1 – Policy Development & Testing
  • Lot 2 – Capacity Building

The DPS period runs from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2025.  Because it’s dynamic, organisations can apply to join the DPS at any time during that period.