Combined Authority Series 1 — Article 1 of 3

VCSE Commissioning Analytics Series — Article 8 of 18 | Combined Authority Series 1 — Article 1 of 3

What Devolved Commissioning Means for VCSEs in 2026 | Combined Authority Series 1 — Article 1 of 3

Combined authority VCSE commissioning data reporting is the structured process by which voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations holding contracts with mayoral combined authorities demonstrate outcomes, activity, and social value against the KPI frameworks embedded in those contracts. In 2026, combined authority commissioning has become one of the fastest-growing sources of public contract income for VCSEs — and one of the least well-understood in terms of its data and reporting obligations.

Mayoral combined authorities — including Greater Manchester Combined Authority, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, West of England Combined Authority, and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority — now hold devolved responsibility for employment support, skills provision, housing programmes, and in some areas health and prevention services. When combined authorities commission VCSEs to deliver within these remits, they attach reporting requirements that increasingly mirror NHS-style outcomes commissioning: structured KPIs, social value metrics, demographic data, and impact evidence.

A April 2026 report produced in collaboration with VCSE leaders from across the North of England, drawing on the Great North VCSE Exchange, identified growing momentum toward more formalised partnership structures between combined authorities and VCSEs — including accords, covenants, and clearer commissioning frameworks. The report highlighted that while some areas benefit from well-established structures, others are still developing the foundations needed for strong partnership working. What is consistent across all areas is the appetite to strengthen collaboration — and the expectation that VCSEs bring data and impact evidence to the table when they do.

How Combined Authority Commissioning Differs from NHS and Local Authority Contracts

VCSEs that already hold NHS ICB or local authority contracts are familiar with outcomes-based reporting. Combined authority contracts share that accountability logic but apply it to different service domains and through different evidence frameworks.

NHS ICB contracts focus on health outcomes, PROMs, equity of access, and clinical productivity. Local authority adult social care contracts focus on ASCOF metrics, Care Act compliance, and Client Level Data. Combined authority contracts typically focus on employment outcomes — job entries, qualifications gained, progression into further training; housing outcomes — people supported into stable accommodation, housing adaptations completed; skills outcomes — learners completing programmes, skills gap closures measured against local labour market intelligence; and social value outputs — local employment generated, volunteering hours contributed, carbon reduction, apprenticeships created.

Each of these domains has its own KPI framework, its own definition of what counts as an outcome, and its own reporting cadence. For a VCSE holding contracts across more than one combined authority, or holding combined authority contracts alongside NHS and local authority contracts, the data management complexity is significant. This is the multi-commissioner problem that the final cluster of articles in this series addresses directly.

The Procurement Act 2023 Layer in Combined Authority Contracting

From April 2026, the Procurement Act 2023 transparency provisions apply to combined authority contracts above the relevant thresholds. Social value KPIs must be included in contracts over £5 million, and supplier performance against those KPIs is published on the Central Digital Platform. For VCSEs, this means that social value commitments made at bid stage are now tracked, published, and consequential for future procurement decisions.

Combined authorities are not uniformly in scope of PPN 002 (the Social Value Model guidance), but most have adopted social value frameworks that reflect its principles. Greater Manchester Combined Authority has one of the most developed social value frameworks among combined authorities, requiring suppliers to report against local employment, environmental, and community impact metrics. VCSEs bidding for and holding combined authority contracts need social value analytics infrastructure that can produce this evidence reliably — not just at bid stage, but throughout the contract lifecycle.

What Good Combined Authority VCSE Data Reporting Looks Like

A well-configured combined authority reporting system for a VCSE has the same three characteristics as any commissioner-ready data infrastructure: it collects data at individual participant or beneficiary level; it uses outcome definitions aligned to the combined authority KPI framework; and it produces automated reports at the frequency and format the commissioner requires.

For employment and skills contracts, this means tracking individual participants from referral through to employment entry or qualification completion, capturing protected characteristic data, and producing both aggregated KPI reports and individual-level evidence of outcome achievement. For housing contracts, it means tracking interventions from initial assessment through to outcome — stable accommodation achieved, adaptations completed, tenancy sustained at six months. For community and prevention contracts, it means applying the wellbeing and social value measurement approaches used in NHS and local authority contexts to a devolved commissioning environment.

At Quematics, our VCSE commissioning analytics service builds Power BI dashboards for VCSEs holding combined authority contracts that connect to existing case management systems — including Charitylog, Lamplight, and bespoke trackers — and produce automated combined authority KPI reports without additional data entry. The managed analytics layer sits on top of what the VCSE already uses, translating operational data into the format each combined authority requires.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is combined authority commissioning for VCSEs?

Combined authority commissioning for VCSEs is the process by which mayoral combined authorities award contracts to VCSE organisations to deliver employment, housing, skills, health, and community services within their devolved remit, with defined KPI and social value reporting requirements attached.

How do combined authority contracts differ from NHS or local authority VCSE contracts?

Combined authority contracts typically cover employment, skills, and housing rather than health and social care, and carry social value reporting requirements under the Procurement Act 2023 alongside service-specific KPIs. The accountability framework mirrors NHS-style outcomes commissioning applied to devolved service areas.

Which combined authorities are most active in VCSE commissioning?

The most active combined authorities in VCSE commissioning include Greater Manchester Combined Authority, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, West of England Combined Authority, and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. Each has developed its own social value framework and VCSE engagement approach.

What data do VCSEs need to report against combined authority contracts?

VCSEs holding combined authority contracts typically need to report against social value KPIs, employment outcome metrics, participant demographic data, service activity volumes, and in some cases wellbeing or economic impact measures.

How does Quematics support VCSEs with combined authority reporting?

Quematics builds Power BI dashboards and automated reporting pipelines that connect VCSE operational data to the KPI and social value reporting requirements of combined authority contracts, producing automated outputs without additional data entry by frontline staff.

To discuss how Quematics can build combined authority reporting infrastructure for your VCSE, visit our data analytics for charities page or contact us for a free 30-minute data review.