Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Finance – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:00 pm on 16 November 2021.
We are looking at that issue again. We had a discussion at the event this morning. That was not just a launch. We had a discussion with people from that sector. There is recognition that a lot of the contracts provided by the community and voluntary sector are very location-specific. Those organisations know the geography and the people of the area that they are dealing with, and there is often not enough recognition of them, with contracts being awarded to larger firms that can simply come in with a lower cost.
There is recognition. Measures will be included within procurement to ensure that we recognise that the community and voluntary sector can provide a more effective service to local communities. Whether it is done through a tender process or a grant process, we have to ensure that the flexibility that already exists for the way that Departments approach this is followed through, making sure that services in localities are provided by people who have experience in and knowledge of those localities.