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Market Place:
What is GMVSS Market Place?
What are the benefits of using Market Place?
Is my organisation eligible to join Market Place?
How can Market Place save our organisation time and money?
What products and services are available through Market Place?
How can Market Place be a free service?
Where can I go for further information on products and services?
How can Market Place help me make ethical and environmental purchasing decision?
What if our organisation is based outside Greater Manchester?

Expenditure audit:
What is an expenditure audit and how does it work?
How can Market Place help us with contractual agreements? 

Your assurances:
We don’t want to be inundated by calls from suppliers – how can you assure me that this won’t happen?
How will our organisation’s information be used?
How are preferred suppliers selected?
Are products and services appropriate for the voluntary sector?

Who's who:
Who are CostController?
Who are GMVSS? 
Who are Community Hubs & GMCVO?
What is a local support organisation? 
Why should I join a local support organisation what can they offer me?
Who else is registered with Market Place?
How can I influence Market Place?
Who should I contact if I have further questions?

Market Place                                                              back to top
• What is GMVSS Market Place?
It is a buying group launched in September 2010 which enables voluntary, community and faith groups in Greater Manchester to access special deals offered by preferred suppliers. It is a free service, there is no obligation to follow up on recommendations and you will not be contacted by suppliers unless you request it.
Market Place was set up using government ChangeUp funding and developed by the Community Hubs Team at GMCVO, with support from a steering group. Local support organisations (voluntary sector support organisations) have agreed to help run Market Place and our partners CostController enable us to access good deals for the sector.

• What are the benefits of using Market Place?
- Access to good deals and a quality service
- Saves time, as main suppliers have been identified so there is no need to search for suppliers
- The audit service identifies if it is worth switching suppliers
- Assurances that suppliers are vetted and monitored
- We keep your details confidential and none of our suppliers will contact you without your express condition
- Suppliers can assess your contracts and provide support with switching
- Provides information to help organisations make more ethical and environmental purchasing decisions
- Switching suppliers contributes to the sustainability of Market Place as we receive a referral fee
- Supports Market Place to influence the supply chain so that products and services are more appropriate for the voluntary sector
- Increases the purchasing power of the Greater Manchester voluntary sector
- Automatically entered into a prize draw for a hamper of ethical / environmental goods

• Is my organisation eligible to join Market Place?
The GMVSS Market Place is open to all third sector groups in Greater Manchester whether you have staff or volunteers and regardless of your area of work. This includes voluntary, community and faith groups as well as not-for-profit social enterprises and co-operatives.
It is NOT for individuals.
If you can answer ‘yes’ to all the questions below then you are eligible. If you are unsure of anything please contact us.
Your organisation should:
1. Be run on a not-for-profit basis: ie all money raised and any profit/surplus generated after running costs goes back into the organisation. (An exemption may apply if you are a registered co-operative, please contact us).
2. Have a management committee, trustees, board of directors or similar.
3. Be based in, and work in, at least one of the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester.
4. Have a constitution, set of rules, memorandum and articles or similar that shows you have a purpose or aim that benefits society in some way.
5. Agree to provide any contact, monitoring and other information as required by GMVSS Market Place – we promise not to use this for any purpose other than that stated.
6. Be a member of a local support organisation to use Market Place. This is one of 13 organisations that are helping us to promote Market Place. If you aren’t a member of a local support organisation, Market Place staff will help you select the best one.


back to the registration form

• How can Market Place save our organisation time and money?
- We’ve negotiated good deals that could save you money and also time shopping around.
- We’ve found suppliers that are appropriate for the voluntary sector and you can feel confident they meet our quality standards.
- The free expenditure audit service will help you identify whether you can make savings by switching suppliers.
- You can access fact sheets and top ten tips to inform your purchasing decisions.
- If you switch to a preferred supplier you can avoid entering into unsuitable contracts with small print that absorbs your time and money.
- Please note individual needs vary so we don’t guarantee every supplier will be right for every group.

• What products and services are available through Market Place?
We have preferred suppliers for insurance, HR support, telephone systems and calls, utilities, stationery, IT support, water vending machines and business rates. Other products include: archive storage, childcare vouchers, confidential waste, furniture and postage. We aim to consider audits / independent examinations and health and safety. To access any of these services please register with Market Place then you will need to complete the expenditure audit and enquiry form.  Please tell us what other products and services you would be interested in - feedback form.

• How can Market Place be a free service?
Market Place was set up using government Change Up funding June 2009 - March 2011. We aim to maintain Market Place as a free service. GMCVO will contribute towards its development and we hope that other voluntary sector support organisations will share the tasks. Our partners, CostController, manage the relationships with most of the preferred suppliers and help us to prepare information for the website. Our preferred suppliers also pay a small referral fee to us when groups sign up with them. This will be used to cover staff and on costs to maintain and develop Market Place. With sufficient take up of services Market Place will be self-sustaining.

• Where can I go for further information on products and services?
Overtime we will provide resources;information on topical issues and top ten tips for different products and services. In response to demand we also aim to run a programme of training at different venue across Greater Manchester. Bi monthly updates will be available in GMCVO’s Digest click here to sign up and the support organisations across Greater Manchester will promote the service in their newsletters and e-bulletins.

• How can Market Place help me make ethical and environmental purchasing decision?
Although value for money is our focus we are keen to promote ethical and environmental considerations when purchasing. Some of our fact sheets focus on these issues. We aim to reduce our environmental impact by promoting North West suppliers and we assess suppliers for their level of awareness and commitment to these issues. We aim to promote Fairtrade products and we will have a link to MERCi’s sustainable purchasing directory.

• What if our organisation is based outside Greater Manchester?
If there is sufficient interest in Market Place it may be replicated in other areas of the UK. So please register your interest and provide your organisation name, contact details and where you are based via the feedback from or by contacting the Market Place team directly. 

Expenditure Audit:                                                      back to top 
• What is an expenditure audit and how does it work?
It’s an audit of your organisation’s expenditure. CostController can compare what you spend with what you would spend if you switched to our preferred suppliers. This could be done for several areas of expenditure for example stationery, telecoms and utilities where CostController just require copies of you current invoices. For other services i.e. photocopiers and IT support an initial conversation with the supplier is advisable, purely to establish whether they can actually meet your business requirements.

To request an audit or make an enquiry complete the expenditure audit and enquiry form, ticking the products and services you would like reviewed. Mike Filson from CostController will then contact you to discuss your requirements. If requested, they will pass your contact details onto a supplier for a discussion of your needs. If you want an expenditure audit they will ask you for copies of invoices (2 months worth) and they will produce a report for your organisation to show if savings can be made (example expenditure audit report). This is a free service and there is no obligation to follow up on any of the recommendations. Other CostController staff (Chris Flannigan or Kyle Blackburn) may call you if Mike is unavailable.

• How can Market Place help us with contractual agreements?
If you are not happy with your existing supplier, and are thinking about switching, CostController and our suppliers can review your contracts and provide advice. If a service issue arises with one of the preferred suppliers CostController or Market Place will liaise with both the member and the supplier to provide impartial advice.

Your assurances:                                                        back to top
• We don’t want to be inundated by calls from suppliers – how can you assure me that this won’t happen?
CostController and Market Place manage all the communications with the suppliers. The preferred suppliers will only contact you at your request and CostController will tell you who to expect a call from.

• How will our organisation’s information be used?
We will collect information from Market Place to monitor and evaluate use, savings made and members understanding of purchasing, negotiation and ethical and environmental purchasing issues. All information used will be anonymous. We will however, ask permission to list your organisation’s name on the website and may ask for your views to promote Market Place.

• How are preferred suppliers selected?
The CostController Team selects suppliers that best suit members’ requirements. Firstly, the suppliers need to have established a reputation and be able to provide testimonials on request. Although price is critical when it comes to what suppliers are able to offer our members, service is the key defining factor. CostController are continually approached by suppliers around the UK offering alleged savings against the offerings in place. However, it’s imperative that our suppliers are able to provide the best possible service and advice to the members as well as any cost reduction savings.

Market Place selects preferred suppliers for services that need to be tailored to voluntary sector needs or services that CostController doesn’t offer. We identify potential suppliers taking on board who the sector uses, and any recommendations. We often work with an advisory panel, identify criteria and selecting a supplier based on informal meetings, invitation to tender then selection and negotiation of the package to be offered through Market Place.

• Are products and services appropriate for the voluntary sector?
Through Market Place you can access CostController’s negotiated deals but where we feel that a product or service needs to be specific for the voluntary sector, like insurance and HR, we tender for our own suppliers. We aim to select suppliers that have a good understanding of the sector while still offering value for money. Our provider for insurance is Ladbrook and for HR it is Roots HR.

Who’s who:                                                                back to top
• Who are CostController?
The Pannone Law firm runs the CostController buying group which was originally set up for law firms. It has been operating for over eight years and aims to negotiate quality deals with suppliers that can be trusted. Market Place works with the Manchester CostController Team – Mike Filson, Chris Flannigan and Kyle Blackburn. They are impartial advisors and manage the relationships with the preferred suppliers, monitoring quality and coordinate support, based on clients needs. They also manage a free expenditure audit service and on average they help businesses achieve direct savings in excess of 20% by looking at what they spend money on and suggesting alternatives.

• Who are GMVSS?
GMVSS (Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Support) is a partnership of 36 organisations that provide support to the voluntary and community sector in Greater Manchester. GMVSS is made up of its members. The aim is to improve and strengthen the voluntary and community sector in Greater Manchester through a collaborative, co-ordinated approach.

• Who are Community Hubs & GMCVO?
The Community Hubs Team is based at GMCVO and has developed Market Place. GMCVO (Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation) is the voluntary sector support organisation covering Greater Manchester. Our vision is of a strong, diverse and influential local voluntary sector and our aim is to strengthen the voluntary and community sector, build bridges with other sectors, and influence local and national policy. GMCVO is the lead body for the GMVSS Consortium (Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Support).

• What is a local support organisation?
A local support organisation is one of 13 voluntary sector support organisations which has agreed to help run Market Place. They are all members of GMVSS and have expertise in a specific area which may be geographical or interest based. They also offer a range of support, information and other services which your organisation might benefit from.  Local support organisations include:
- B3SDA (Bury Third Sector Development Agency)
- Bolton CVS
- CVS Rochdale
- GMCVO (Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation)
- Manchester Community Central
- MERCi
- OCVYS (Oldham Council for Voluntary and Youth Service)
- People's Voice Media
- Salford CVS
- T3SC (Tameside Third Sector Coalition)
- Voluntary Action Oldham
- VCAT (Voluntary and Community Action Trafford)
- Wigan and Leigh CVS

• Why should I join a local support organisation what can they offer me?
Thirteen local support organisations are helping us to run Market Place; we want to help boost their membership so you have to be a member of a local support organisation to use Market Place. We also think your organisation will benefit from the services they offer, this varies but your organisation can:

- Know what’s going on in your borough or area of interest (through newsletters, regular updates, opportunities for sharing information)
- Access discounts and special services (eg GMVSS Market Place, Charity Builder UK, room bookings and equipment hire, access to resources bank or library, free / discounted publicity, payroll services, training events, advice, information).
- Link with networking opportunities (through events and meetings in related fields).
- Have your say (by influencing your selected local support organisation and they may lobby and negotiate with decision makers on your behalf).

Return to the registration page

• Who else is registered with Market Place?
102 organisations have registered with Market Place (31/12/11). Here is a list of members.

What do you think?
• How can I influence Market Place?
Use the feedback form or contact us directly to tell us what you think. For example - How could Market Place be improved to meet your needs? What products and services are you interested in? What information would you like in fact sheets or training? Do you have information or best practice to share that others could learn from?

• Who should I contact if I have further questions?
Morag Rose, morag.rose@gmcvo.org.uk Tel: 0161 277 1039
Alison Crush, alison.crush@gmcvo.org.uk Tel: 0161 277 1022

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