Ethical Commissioning & Procurement

Scottish Care’s research report, Ethical Commissioning for the Independent Sector: Rights, Respect and Redistribution, articulates a clear vision for embedding ethical commissioning across adult social care. This vision emphasises three core components: Rights, recognising the expertise of independent providers and enabling person-led care; Respect, embedding fair working practices, trust and partnership in commissioning relationships; and Redistribution, shifting accountability, resources and decision-making power into a more sustainable and equitable system. Given rising demand and tight resources, the report calls for a new bottom-up approach where providers are empowered, relationships matter and commissioning enables rather than constrains. This vision anchors our ethical commissioning agenda in meaningful reform.

Ethical Commissioning is the dedicated Scottish Care workstream committed to implementing and advocating for reform in commissioning and procurement across the independent social care sector. Our work continues beyond research into sustained engagement, representation and policy influence. We remain active on national working groups and collaborate with commissions, regulators and providers to bring the independent sector’s voice into major reform agendas. The workstream supports members by promoting transparent processes, fair contract terms, shared accountability and meaningful participation in service design. We believe commissioning should not only buy care services, it should enable rich, community-based support that respects people, empowers providers and values the workforce.

Our Resource Library is a gateway to essential materials on ethical commissioning, procurement and sector reform. It includes briefing reports, position statements, podcasts, and links to national and international research. Sample titles include “I Worry About the Future, 49% of Care Homes Report a Decrease in Placements” and “Myth-Busting: The First Steps of the Care Revolution.” These resources support providers and commissioners alike to understand and apply ethical commissioning principles in practice: person-led care, fair work, transparent pricing, sustainability, and climate-aware decision-making. Our aim is to equip you with insight, tools and evidence so you can participate fully in shaping commissioning that works for people and providers.