Innovation and Impact: Making procurement work for VCSE organisations

Name: Innovation and Impact: Making procurement work for VCSE organisations
Start: 2026-03-26T10:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-03-26T14:00:00+00:00
Location: St Thomas Centre

Schedule

Thu Mar 26 2026 at 10:00 am to 02:00 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

St Thomas Centre | Manchester, EN

Free workshop for VCSE organisations to build skills to navigate Manchester procurement, access contracts and raise awarness of challenges
About this Event

This four-hour workshop aims to create space for voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations to develop the knowledge, confidence, and practical tools needed to navigate local procurement processes and access contract opportunities across Manchester.

Through a blend of expert input, lived experience, hands-on guidance, and open dialogue with commissioners, participants will gain a clearer understanding of where to find opportunities, how to present themselves effectively, and what to expect throughout the contracting lifecycle.

The session also provides space to hear directly from commissioners about upcoming opportunities, common misconceptions, and how the sector can better align with strategic priorities across the city and Greater Manchester. As part of the event we also aim to shine a light on some of the challenges and obstacles small to medium organisations face in accessing commissioning/procurement opportunities and create an open dialogue with our colleagues across the public and private sector.

Participants are encouraged to bring a digital device to enable live registration on procurement portals and explore platforms during the session.
Agenda:

10:00 – 10:15
Arrival, Registration & Networking

10:15 – 10:20
Welcome & Session Overview

10:20 – 10:40
Commissioning: Highs and Lows for Small Social Enterprises

10:40 – 11:15
Panel Discussion: Securing & Delivering Contracts

11:30 – 12:00
Finding Contracts in Manchester (Manchester City Council)

12:00 – 12:30
Navigating Local Procurement Platforms (Demonstration)

12:30 – 13:15
Lunch

13:15 – 13:45
Listening Session with Commissioners

13:45 – 14:00
Feedback & Future Opportunities

Agenda

🕑: 10:00 AM
Arrival, Registration, Refreshments and Networking
🕑: 10:15 AM
Welcome and overview of the session aims and context for VCSE orgs
🕑: 10:20 AM - 10:40 AM
The highs and lows of commissioning as a small and evolving social enterprise
🕑: 10:40 AM - 11:15 AM
Panel discussion

Info: Panel discussion with wider organisations sharing practical examples, tips and lived experiences and challenges of securing and delivering contracts. (Chaired by Abby Taylor)

🕑: 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Finding Contracts in Manchester (Manchesty City Council)

Info: Guidance on where contracts are advertised, how Manchester City Council publishes opportunities, and how to understand the local commissioning landscape.

🕑: 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
Navigating Local Procurement Platforms:

Info: Demonstration of key portals used across Manchester and Greater Manchester, led by Manchester City Council. Participants will have time to create accounts, set up notifications, and develop organisational profiles. Participants should bring a device.

🕑: 12:30 PM - 01:15 PM
Lunch
🕑: 01:15 PM - 01:45 PM
Listening Session with Commissioners:

Info: Collaborative conversations on routes to innovating commissioning opportunities and making processes more accessible.

🕑: 01:45 PM - 02:00 PM
Feedback & Future Opportunties

Info: Feedback from listening session and outline of future opportunties including from Manchester City Council, Greater Manchester Combined Authoirty, LiveWell) and next steps.