Evaluation of the Contract Readiness Programme

We are delighted to share that our final report evaluating the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s the Contract Readiness Programme has been published.

About the Contract Readiness Programme

The Contract Readiness Programme was designed and delivered in partnership by:

the DCMS (UK Government)

Social Enterprise UK (SEUK)

the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE)

Voice4Change England (V4CE)

Launched in 2022, the programme aimed to enable Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations to compete alongside other organisations and increase their participation in public service procurement in England.

The programme delivered support to VCSEs through a series of webinars and training courses. To boost commissioner understanding of VCSE organisations, the programme also hosted webinars for commissioners and facilitated VCSE-commissioner engagement events.

VCSE Experiences and Programme Impact

VCSE organisations valued multiple aspects of the programme, including its focus on relationship-building with commissioners and partner organisations, the emphasis on social value, and the peer-to-peer learning model.

By December 2024, VCSEs that took part in our survey attributed 18 newly won government contracts to the CRP, with a total value of £2,066,495 — highlighting the impact and effectiveness of the programme’s approach.

Key Findings and Recommendations

The report provides further detail on our key findings and sets out recommendations based on learnings from the programme. These insights will help inform future policy and programme development aimed at strengthening the role of VCSE organisations in public procurement.