… working together
Mutual Ventures
Delivery Model Detector
Input sheet & Instructions
Website: www.mutualventures.co.uk/
Email: info@mutualventures.co.uk
… working together
Introduction
Welcome to the Mutual Ventures Delivery Model Detector tool.
While there can be many benefits arising from using to alternative models of service delivery,
they are not right for all services in all situations.
The Delivery Model Detector aims to help Local Authorities quickly determine whether a
service might be suited to a different delivery model.
It presents five alternative models:

The service remaining ‘as is’;

Establishing as a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC);

Establishing as a Public Service Mutual (PSM);

Outsourcing the service;

Establishing a joint venture with a third party.
The tool analyses the responses to 29 questions examining: the intended ownership and
control of the service (staff/stakeholder/Council etc.); the nature of the services to be
delivered (traded/non-traded); the required level of financial freedom to be assumed by a
potential new entity (i.e. the intended use of surpluses); and the nature of the markets in
which the entity will operate (level of existing competition/capacity).
The questions are designed to promote thought and discussion. We appreciate that you may
be in the early stages of thinking about your services and that you may not have answers to
all of the questions asked.
Mutual Ventures then produces a short report for you that will indicate whether your service
is suited to an alternative delivery model, and if so which one.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of the questions asked or how the tool can help you to
develop your thinking, please contact us by phone on 020 3714 3900, email us at
(info@mutualventures.co.uk) or visit our website (http://www.mutualventures.co.uk/).
All rights reserved © Mutual Ventures Ltd
2014
2
… working together
Example Output
Once you have completed the questionnaire, we input the information into the tool and will
develop a short report that indicates which delivery model might best suit your service.
An example of the outputs are shown below. This is for a service that was best suited to
becoming a Public Services Mutual (PSM).
All rights reserved © Mutual Ventures Ltd
2014
3
… working together
Impact of new
delivery models

New delivery models can create different incentives and behaviours

These can embed continuous cost reductions and quality improvements
All rights reserved © Mutual Ventures Ltd 2014
4
… working together
Different types
of models
All rights reserved © Mutual Ventures Ltd 2014
5
… working together
Input sheet
Mutual Ventures – Delivery Model Detector
http://www.mutualventures.co.uk/
Input document
Please highlight in red the most accurate / suitable answer to each question.
Once completed, please return the completed form to Mutual Ventures
(info@mutualventures.co.uk). We will enter your responses into the Delivery Model Detector and
forward the output summary on to you.
Your Name
Name of the service
Your contact details
Q1
How many staff are employed? (Number of staff, not Full Time
Equivalent)
Q2
What is your service's current annual income? (or budget)?
Q3
Has the Parent Body historically supported services to explore
alternative delivery models?
[The Parent Body is the organisation within which the Service
currently sits, e.g. Local Authority]
Q4
What degree of Parent Body ownership of the service is required?
Depends on the model which is being explored
Q5
What degree of Employee ownership of the service is desirable for
the service?
All rights reserved © Mutual Ventures Ltd
2014
0-9
10 - 49
50 - 249
250 +
Don't know
< £250k
£250k - £500k
£500k - £1m
£1m+
Don't know
Full support
Some support
No support
Don't know
Full
Some
None
Don't Know
Full
Some
None
Don't Know
6
… working together
Input sheet
Q6
What degree of service user or community ownership is
desirable for the service? Depends on the model which is being
explored
Full
Some
None
Don't Know
Q7
To what extent is the service a 'frontline' or community-facing
service?
(as opposed to a 'back-office' function - for example Admin, or
business support)
Great extent
Some extent
Not really
To what degree is there potential to deliver community benefit
in addition to your core services?
Q8
Q9
Potential community benefit might involve (for example)
increasing your range of services so that additional people in the
community, who are not currently able or eligible to access your
services, may do so in the future.
To what extent is it a service delivered face-to-face, directly to
the end user / beneficiary?
To what extent would you like Service Users to be involved in the
co-production of your service?
Q10
Co-production is when services are shaped and delivered with
greater involvement from Service Users, their Carers, families
and neighbours. This can result in increased effectiveness of the
service and a greater sense of community ownership.
Q11
What degree of flexibility does the service need to change /
expand its service offering in-line with user or market
requirements?
Q12
To what degree should the service be required to focus on the
Parent Body's priorities?
All rights reserved © Mutual Ventures Ltd
2014
Very much
A bit
Not really
Don't Know
Very much
A bit
Not really
Don't Know
Very much
A bit
Not really
Don't Know
Full
Some
None
Don't Know
To a great extent
Partly
Not at all
Don't Know
7
… working together
Input sheet
Q13
To what extent is the service operating in a fast changing
environment requiring it to be responsive / adapt its delivery
model? (e.g. new political reform, legal changes, technology
trends, etc.)
Q14
What level of financial freedom should the service have (e.g.
ability to make investment and operational funding decisions)
Q15
To what extent do you want the service to bear its own financial
risks and rewards?
Q16
To what extent does the service require capital-based assets in
order to operate? For example, specialist equipment.
Q17
Would your service require / benefit from external third party
investment?
Q18
How much of your service is currently traded?
Q19
Does your service currently deliver a statutory function?
If yes to the previous question, do statutes allow it to be
externalised?
Q20
It is likely that an increased number of services will be able to be
externalised once the Care Bill (2013) is passed
All rights reserved © Mutual Ventures Ltd
2014
To a great extent
To some extent
Not at all
Don't know
Full
Some
None
Don't Know
Full
Some
None
Don't Know
A great deal
To some extent
Not really
Don't Know
Greatly
Some
None
Don't Know
ALL
Some
None
Don't Know
Yes
No
Don't know
Not Applicable (No to
previous Q)
Yes
No
Don't Know
8
… working together
Q21
Input sheet
How many funding streams (or sources of income) do you
currently have?
(eg if you are 100% reliant on funding from your Parent body this
would be just one funding stream)
Q22
What do you think will happen to the current level of funding in
the future?
Q23
For your service, is there provision in the market to meet current
(and future) demands?
(i.e. is it a growing market?)
Q24
Do you feel there is sufficient demand in the market for your
service to expand through delivering new services and/or
reaching other geographical areas?
How competitive do you feel your service would be in the
existing market?
Q25
Q26
When answering this question you may wish to consider factors
such as the level of competition in your market area as well as
the ability of your service to distinguish itself from Competitors
(e.g. Unique Selling Points, reputation of the service).
If you had the freedom, are there other contracts (public service
or otherwise) that you would want to bid for?
All rights reserved © Mutual Ventures Ltd
2014
One
Multiple
Don't Know
Likely to increase
Likely to stay the
same
Likely to diminish
Don't Know
Yes there is full
existing provision
Yes there is some
existing provision
No there is no
existing provision
Don't Know
Yes, definitely
Some demand
No
Don't Know
Very competitive
Quite competitive
Not at all
Don't Know
Many
Some
None
Don't Know
9
… working together
Input sheet
Q27
To what extent would your service benefit from the ability to
enter into formal partnerships with external organisations?
Q28
How important is it for the service to build its own brand and be
in control of its marketing strategy?
Q29
How important is the ability to engage and trade with other
organisations?
Great extent
Some extent
Not really
Don't Know
Very important
Quite important
Not at all
Don't Know
Very important
Quite important
Not at all
Don't Know
Once completed, please return the completed form to the team at Mutual Ventures
(info@mutualventures.co.uk). We will enter your responses into the Delivery Model Detector and
will forward the output summary on to you.
All rights reserved © Mutual Ventures Ltd
2014
10