It is important to understand who is involved in each phase of commissioning.
People with lived experience
Commissioning focuses on improving outcomes for people in the Canberra community. People with lived experience are the ultimate beneficiary of each commissioning cycle. A focus on the needs of people and their experience ensures that our community see improvements in their health and wellbeing.
People with lived experience play an active role in identifying needs, defining outcomes, co-designing solutions, or service changes, and evaluating providers as well as services, programs or projects.
Strategic Commissioners
Each participating ACT Government Directorate has a team of strategic commissioners. They track the progress of commissioning by each cycle, drive the whole-system reform, address the overarching priorities for commissioning, identify and develop training and resources to build commissioning capacity as well as evaluate the commissioning experience. They are available to support other participants to make the most of commissioning. Strategic commissioners meet regularly to coordinate, share learnings and together they drive coordination within the ACT Government.
Commissioners
ACT Government Directorates or funding areas are the commissioners. They can be a team of government representatives with responsibility for the commissioning cycle in a part of the system. They set timescales and lead the key activities and phases of the commissioning cycle. They plan and align investment to evidenced community needs. They determine and approve commissioning and the transition of services within the sector or system.
Often, they develop and manage oversight of the delivery and service improvements. They can also implement and integrate commissioning decisions within related cycles, government processes and reporting frameworks such as the ACT Budget process and the ACT Wellbeing Framework. They seek to align planning, funding, and commissioning timelines and processes, where practical. They liaise with the areas of government responsible for investment through the Budget or outcomes reporting through the ACT Wellbeing Framework.
Providers and Partners
Providers and partners can be government and or non-government organisations that contribute and collaborate through the commissioning cycles to ensure services remain responsive to community needs. They develop innovative and cost-effective service models and solutions in response to commissioning decisions and needs assessments. They implement commissioned services, programs, or projects.
They gather, use and share data to continually review and improve performance for health and wellbeing outcomes or other agreed outcomes. They develop effective partnerships with the wider non-government sector to support service development and to meet the needs of the community, where appropriate. They respect and maintain alignment with commissioning priorities and decisions.
Other stakeholders
Other stakeholders can include peak non-government organisations, academics, related sub-sectors, and ACT Government Directorates that support commissioning as a system-wide reform. These stakeholders understand the ACT Wellbeing Framework outcomes, commissioning priorities and plans for the next 10 years. They may be responsible for or involved in multiple commissioning cycles. They understand the commissioning approach and can advocate for commissioned services or for the outcomes a commissioned service is delivering for the community. They bring unique strengths, assets, and resources to work collaboratively to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes for Canberrans.
Page updated: 28 Feb 2024
