Despite talk about a ‘big society’, two new case studies show that small community organisations are still expected to comply with over-complex tendering processes and evaluation systems that fail to value their local knowledge and independence.

The case studies show how independent action has been undermined in youth work and how people on the frontline are striving to uphold their values.

Localism in action? A case study of a small community project’s experience of a local authority’s tendering process (2011), shows how bidding for a contract to run a local estate’s youth provision put an unnecessary strain on a small community organisation and contributed to delaying the project by 12 months.

Short-term funding to meet external targets (2011) sets out a youth work project’s experience of accepting funding to work with young people in ‘hotspots’ for crime and anti-social behaviour and how they tried to evaluate their work in terms of what worked and what didn’t instead of ticking boxes for the youth service.

The case studies are detailed examples of how the organisations that make localism a practical reality – small local community projects – are made vulnerable by tendering and inappropriate evaluation.

For more evidence of the harm of tendering on community organisations see the following research summary report:
The local state and voluntary action in West Sussex (2010), a report on qualitative research carried out with 16 voluntary organisations.

See also NCIA’s statement: Privatising our common wealth: what it means for charities and community groups.