There has been a shift nationally and locally towards encouraging more voluntary organisations to deliver services previously delivered by statutory agencies. T3SC has been working with commissioners in Tameside to promote the value of the third sector and also increase the awareness and skills of third sector organisations about commissioning to help them hopefully win contracts.

Commissioning is the process of assessing the needs of people in the local area, designing services that will meet these needs. Procurement is the process of buying services or goods from an external agency (e.g. the local council paying a local charity to provide services to older people such as sheltered housing or home support).