Acronyms

Any project gives rise to a new language of acronyms as bodies and organisations become known by their initials.  This section tries to unravel the meaning of the acronyms and explain where they fit in with the Pathfinder for enhanced two tier working.

Buckinghamshire Leaders Group - is the main link between the Joint Improvement Board (see JIB) and each council for Pathfinder projects.

CADEX  - County and District Chief Executives. This group normally meets on a monthly basis, and as well as including the Chief Executives of the County and District Councils, Police and the Primary Care Trust are also members.

DCLG - Department of Communities and Local Government, this is the government department that issues guidance and controls for many aspects of the services provided by Councils. (http://www.communities.gov.uk)

ETTW - Enhanced Two Tier Working, is at the centre of the Pathfinder agreement, aiming to join up the way we work within the existing two tier structure in Buckinghamshire.

FAQ - frequently asked questions.

GC2C - Getting Closer to Communities: is a strategy introduced for local area working by Buckinghamshire County Council. It sets out a vision of strong strategic leadership combined with responsiveness to the needs of local communities. Nineteen areas across the county have been identified that are of sufficient geographic size to allow effective service delivery and facilitate joined up services with key partners.

I&DeA - Improvement and development Agency for Local Government works towards local government improvement by providing news and examples of good practice and tools and other services for Councils across England and Wales. (http://www.idea.gov.uk)

JIB - Joint Improvement Board will oversee the development of Pathfinder projects. It will comprise five County Council Members and one member from each of the four District Councils. The JIB will receive scoping papers on the agreed set of projects, will commission work to be undertaken, consider the evaluation and make recommendations to the Leaders' Group. They will also oversee any arrangements that follow from the Leaders/Councils' decisions.

OJEU - Official Journal of the European Union. The  Shared Support Services programme team will place an advert in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), an invitation to companies to bid to become the private sector partner in the Joint Venture Company.  The Shared Support Services Programme invitation to tender has to be advertised in the OJEU because it is a legal requirement for projects with a value above a certain threshold (about £100,000K).  Tendering via the OJEU is fully transparent, the intention being the creation of a free and competitive Europe-wide market.

PQQ -  Pre Qualification Questionnaire. The PQQ is the method used to select the bidders that will proceed to the competitive dialogue stage.  It is comprises questions designed to establish the bidding company's experience in providing the services required by the participating authorities, track record of working in the public sector on joint ventures, and general capability and capacity.

MKOB - Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Improvement Partnership has been established with 12 authorities in the region. The partnership focuses on collaborative working where it will lead to real improvements in service performance. There are six project strands; change management, community engagement, future skills needs, leadership development, partnership performance management and service improvement. (http://www.southeastiep.gov.uk/ip.asp?PageRef=135)

RIEP - Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership

SECE - South East Centre of Excellence is the Efficiency Partnership of the South East and is one of 9 centres in England and Wales. This partnership undertakes a number of work streams to provide advice and support to local authorities including the coordination of the improvement partnerships in the region (see MKOB). (http://www.southeastiep.gov.uk)

ToR - Terms of Reference, is a phrase, which describes the purpose and structure of a project. It specifies what has to be achieved, who will take part in it, how it will be achieved and when it will be achieved.

For more information call 01296 383991 or email enquiries@buckspathfinder.gov.uk