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Criminal Defence Service (CDS)- Preferred Supplier
Preferred Supplier
- About the Preferred Supplier scheme
- Developing the entry process
- The revised process
- Benefits of the revised approach
- Addressing concerns
About the Preferred Supplier scheme
Preferred Supplier determines who we will work with and how. The scheme is key to our legal aid transformation programme.
Stricter quality assurance through peer review will help consolidate the market and improve value for money.
Through relationship management, Preferred Supplier helps providers manage their performance and compete in the market more effectively.
Preferred Suppliers will be rewarded with greater autonomy, simpler processes and lower transaction costs.
Developing the entry process
We have published our response to the consultation on our proposals for a national Preferred Supplier scheme.
We originally proposed that qualification for Preferred Supplier would be assessed using three main tests:
- historical performance criteria, eg against the contract and Specialist Quality Mark
- financial assessment
- quality of advice and bill assessment. This required a peer review score of 1 or 2 in key categories (or a file assessment quality pass for small categories) plus satisfactory bill assessment rates.
We have reviewed our original proposals and intend to introduce a revised process using two performance measures as well as a quality assessment.
The revised process
Key performance indicators (KPIs)
These will be used to monitor providers’ performance against targets set out in the Unified Contract, eg success rates and bill assessment rates. Providers will get a red/amber/green status.
File assessment value for money - formerly called file assessment non-quality
Providers will undergo file assessment value for money when they :
- have a consistent green rating against their KPIs
- are regularly using the LSC's e-business services
- can produce a suitable future readiness plan for fully electronic processes.
This will be rated red/amber/green.
Providers rated green will be assigned a relationship manager who will help them through the change process. They will also be given a level of simplified billing and reporting and limited devolved powers.
Peer review or file assessment (quality)
The value of legal aid work done in each category will be used to confirm Preferred Supplier status.
We intend to proceed as proposed on consultation i.e. focus peer review resource on major categories of law where the total value of legal aid work exceeded £50,000 in the previous year and use file assessment (quality) for categories valued at £50,000 or under.
If no category has a total value of legal aid work of £50,000 or greater, the largest category by value will be peer reviewed. All providers who achieve a peer review rating at level 1 or 2 or a file assessment pass in all their categories will be awarded Preferred Supplier status.
We intend to peer review all categories of law. To prioritise peer review resource we will focus on quality assessing the greatest proportion of fund expenditure in the interests of both clients and achieving value for money.
Whenever file assessment quality results in a fail rating, we will move immediately to peer review the same sample of files. Therefore a provider will never be excluded from Preferred Supplier on the basis of a file assessment quality rating alone.
The award of Preferred Supplier status will trigger the full range of devolved powers, simplified working and faster turnaround from the LSC.
Crime providers
Although crime providers will not move to the Unified Contract until April 2008, we will endeavour to treat them in the same way as civil in terms of eligibility for Preferred Supplier status.
This may include allowing crime providers to sign up to the Unified Contract on a voluntary basis prior to April 2008 if they wish to become a Preferred Supplier.
It may be necessary to undertake elements of the assessment process in a different order for providers that hold crime contracts due to the timeframe for implementation of the procurement reforms. This process may result in a quality assessment taking place prior to a file assessment value for money.
Benefits of the revised approach
The revised approach:
- provides a clear link to the Unified Contract, identifies good performance and encourages high performing organisations to move into the Preferred Supplier scheme first
- allows high performing organisations to gain the benefits of Preferred Supplier status at an earlier point, bringing forward the transaction savings associated with increased e-business, simplified business processes and devolved powers
- provides a level playing field based on objective measures of performance and does not exclude any provider arbitrarily on the basis of size
- allocates a relationship manager to work with the provider to help prepare for the quality assessment, electronic working etc.
- allows time for providers to prepare for the quality assessment process
- provides a clear map of how an organisation will be working with the Commission in the future and allows lead in time in preparation for the future method of working, which will include fully electronic processes, an electronic case management system and devolved powers
- a simplified financial assessment will be used as part of relationship management, but will no longer form part of the entry criteria for Preferred Supplier.
Addressing concerns
We believe that this revised approach meets many of the concerns expressed on consultation, particularly those highlighting the impact on small firms and the need to give practitioners sufficient time and support to achieve Preferred Supplier status.
It will also enable us to bring forward some of the benefits of Preferred Supplier status, particularly relationship management, electronic working and devolved powers for those providers who demonstrate good performance.
More detail including the reports is on the Preferred Supplier: response to consultation page.
Last updated: 25 July 2007