Sport England plays a significant role in working with local government to produce better outcomes for sport and active recreation. As part of Sport England’s continuing support for local government, we have produced a guide to help it respond to the public sector improvement agenda

As a part of this agenda, the term Commissioning has been used as a way of describing how public sector bodies should use their resources to obtain the best possible service delivery.

This Sport England North West-produced report provides a definition of Commissioning and its context within sport and active recreation; gives background information on the process of commissioning in the public sector; and outlines examples of how local authorities in the North West are already addressing the issue.

The Report provides a framework within which the concept of commissioning can be debated and taken forward. The topic is complex and the report does not claim to provide a total answer to the question of how the sector should deal with commissioning.

However, it does attempt to provide a starting point for the debate, with the intention that it will stimulate both interest and engagement, and that the sector will respond to the issue as a matter of both urgency and importance.

Commissioning Brochure