Sport England

The Nation's Biggest Supporter

Use of resources

1. Budgeting by objectives

Having decided your objectives and priorities it is essential to ensure your resources are targeted at what you are seeking to achieve. Changing budgets from non-priorities is often difficult to manage particularly in a political environment and therefore often avoided.

Strategic financial planning – Audit Commission & Social services inspectorate
This section identifies a model for strategic financial planning and the criteria which need to be met to ensure effective financial planning in social services. It emphasises the reflective nature of the planning process, the need for an integrated approach over the medium term and, most importantly, that service plans and priorities should drive the strategic planning process. Although based on social services the basic principles can be extrapolated to other public services.
http://www.joint-reviews.gov.uk/money/Financialmgt/1-contents.html
http://www.joint-reviews.gov.uk/money/Financialmgt/1-22.html#1-222

Budget management- CIPFA
All organisations need to manage performance so that their financial and strategic objectives are achieved and management and financial stakeholders can be confident in the associated control processes. The proper construction and control of budgets is central to this, to safeguard the organisation’s viability and the effective delivery of its objectives. This requires a comprehensive financial planning and approval framework; consistent and rigorous processes for constructing budgets, both capital and revenue; sound methodologies for assessing the financial impact of proposed expenditure; compatibility with other management and performance data, and a control system that sets clear responsibilities and produces prompt and accurate monitoring information on performance against budgets.

2. Budget management & control & devolved budget management
Effective control of your budget is critical to your success. This means setting the right budget, monitoring it consistently and taking action to address problems quickly. Excellent organisations are confident to devolve this responsibility to the lowest possible level.

Managing budgets – Audit commission & Social Services Inspectorate
Councils need to ensure that the approach to managing budgets, and the scheme of delegation to support this, reflects the culture of the organisation and arrangements for making service decisions.
Key to the successful management of budgets is the requirement for the budget holders (managers) to act in partnership with the financial advisers (finance support staff).

Financial procedures & control manual- UK Sport

3. Finance performance data & comparators

To monitor effectively the information you receive needs to be as accurate and up to date as possible. You need to be able to model this data to compare your performance over time and to others.

Managing budgets – Audit commission & Social Services Inspectorate
Councils need to ensure that the approach to managing budgets, and the scheme of delegation to support this, reflects the culture of the organisation and arrangements for making service decisions.
Key to the successful management of budgets is the requirement for the budget holders (managers) to act in partnership with the financial advisers (finance support staff).

Gap
Finance based performance data relevant to sport & recreation that could be used as the basis of comparators.

Sport & Recreation Audit Commission for Wales

4. Procurement of good and services.

Finding the right organisation to deliver your service is the most important decision you will make if you are to achieve your objectives. Equally achieving value for money when you buy goods and services is a sign of an excellent organisation.

Procurement- IDeA Knowledge
Welcome to the IDeA Knowledge procurement resource, which aims to provide you with easy access to the resources, contacts and services you need for procurement management. This resource has been designed specifically to meet the needs of the local government procurement community.
It contains a range of guidance, good practice and other information on all aspects of procurement. This includes a series of briefing papers on a range of procurement topics, case studies, as well as the latest government guidance on procurement. It also highlights the valuable lessons learnt from the IDeA's procurement-based work within local authorities.

The procurement process – Office of government commerce
Sets out the process for acquisition within EC procurement rules; sets foundation for subsequent contract management of delivery of services/works and relationship with supplier. The aim of this workbook is to describe the principles of government procurement broken down into it's component tasks. Particular attention is paid to the roles and responsibilities of those involved in the procurement lifecycle.

5. Considering alternative forms of management

In finding the right person to deliver your service for you it is important that you consider all the options. This might include the private sector, voluntary sector, partnerships or trusts. Because of the sensitivity in this area it has often been the weakest part of Best Value reviews and service inspections.

Contract management – Office of government commerce
Sets foundation for subsequent contract management of delivery of services/works and relationship with supplier, including governance arrangements and shared approach for managing risk. Contract management is the process which ensures that both parties to a contract fully meet their respective obligations as efficiently and effectively as possible, in order to meet the business and operational objectives required from the contract and in particular to provide value for money.

Management Options for Leisure Services
Advice on alternative forms of management eg Trusts, private public partnerships ect

HR implications - Employers organisation for local government
The improvement agenda places a pressing focus on how local government services are delivered to communities. There are many different ways of delivering services, such as working in partnership with other public, private or voluntary sector organisations, outsourcing services or implementing arms length management organisations.
As with any change process, there are people management aspects of new service delivery models that need to be addressed. These include the legal implications, but also the wider issues such as changing cultures and management styles.
The EO provides advice and guidance to authorities on the people management aspects of changing local government service delivery methods.

6. E government targets & using new technology

The government is encouraging all sectors to improve accessibility through e technology. An excellent organisation will be maximising opportunities for communities and customers to access services through this route. An excellent organisation will have assessed is ICT capacity and invested where it improves service and performance. For example card access schemes improve marketing and provide valuable management information.

E Government unit- Cabinet office
The e-Government Unit works with departments to deliver efficiency savings while improving the delivery of public services by joining up electronic government services around the needs of customers. It also provides sponsorship of Information Assurance. The e-Government Unit takes on the majority of the work previously undertaken by the Office of the e-Envoy.
http://e-government.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/Home/Homepage/fs/en

E Government advice & guidance - IDeA Knowledge.
http://www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=73929

Research into E Government- LSE public policy group
This site is dedicated to improving knowledge and understanding of e-government and the impact of web-based technologies on government. This site is run jointly by the LSE Public Policy Group (London School of Economics and Political Science) and the UCL School of Public Policy (University College London).
http://www.governmentontheweb.co.uk/index.asp

Society of information technology managers
http://www.socitm.gov.uk/public/default.htm

Gap
Practical advice on use of new technology and e government in the sport & recreation services

7. Investing in innovation and managing risk

Doing things differently and taking risks is a sign of an ambitious organisation. However managing risk particularly where major change or investment is taking place is equally a sign of an excellent organisation.

Project management– Office of government commerce
Sets out roles and responsibilities for delivery (governance) of individual projects, milestones and resources; identifies stakeholders; interdependencies; manages delivery; manages project budgets. A good project management method will guide the project through a controlled, well-managed, visible set of activities to achieve the desired results. All parties must be clear about why the project is needed, what it intends to achieve and what individuals responsibilities are in that achievement.
http://www.ogc.gov.uk/sdtoolkit/workbooks/projects/index.html

Risk management – Office of government commerce
Provides framework for identifying and managing risks. The task of risk management is to identify risks associated with a particular course of actions designed to deliver a particular outcome. Once identified those risks are managed to limit the potential of adverse results and achieve the desired outcomes. Risk management is a cyclical process.
http://www.ogc.gov.uk/sdtoolkit/workbooks/risk/index.html

Benefits management– Office of government commerce
Provides framework for identifying and managing risks and delivering benefits.
The workbook aims to describe the principles of benefits management in a government context. The focus here is on the "why" of the business change rather than on the "how". http://www.ogc.gov.uk/sdtoolkit/workbooks/benefits/index.html

8. Achieving external funding

Sport is often dependant on external funding to achieve its objectives. This process however must be effective and deliver value for money. It is also easy for funding opportunities to start to what you do preventing you from achieving your objectives.

Sources of government funding- Government funding .org.uk
This site is your online portal to grants for the voluntary and community sector from the following funders:

Department for Education and Skills
Department of Health
Home Office
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Government Offices for the Regions

http://www.governmentfunding.org.uk/Default.aspx

Funding guidance-Sport England
http://www.sportengland.org/index/get_funding.htm

9. Asset management

Sport historically has large amounts of plant and equipment. How these assets are maintained and managed is critical. These assets are also a valuable resource in negotiating new investment.

Gap
Advice on asset management relevant to sport and recreational facilities.

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