Free Training!

What is R2O?

In 2007, Advantage West Midlands appointed Birmingham Race Action Partnership (BRAP) to manage the Routes to Opportunity programme (R2O) – the first programme of its kind in the region – which aims to improve the ability of BME third sector organisations to access and successfully deliver public sector contracts. This is the second year of the programme and we want to attract more organisations that can take advantage of the R2O offer.

Who is R2O for?

R2O is for any BME owned, managed or focused organisation with social aims, such as charities, voluntary and community organisations or social enterprises. Organisations must be located in the West Midlands and must be involved in the delivery of, or have aspirations to deliver, public sector contracts and services.

23 October :  Legal Issues: Contracts and Partnerships:

Do contracts mean what they say? A professional take on developing contracts: their nature and formation, oral v written, validity, breach and damages. Are we Really Partners? What exactly is a partnership; know your partnership essentials, formal v limited liability partnerships and liabilities.

 28 October : Winning Contracts

A practical approach to successful proposals, giving participants the opportunity to practice their skills in tender writing and ensure the organisation is tender ready.

12 November : Local Area Agreements

Local Area Agreements (LAAs) set out the priorities for a local area agreed between central government and a local area (the local authority and Local Strategic Partnership) and other key partners at the local level.  LAAs are intended to simplify central funding, help join up public services more effectively and allow greater flexibility for local solutions to local circumstances. This workshop is intended to demystify the purpose and impact of LAAs for the BME third sector.

19 November : Approved Supplier Network Meeting

‘The Edge’ - An opportunity for R20 and other consultants to meet, discuss the current supplier issues and regulations. The network aims to achieve equitable, intelligent and inclusive consultancy.

26 November : Business Planning

Learn how to write a business plan. A workshop to support your organisation (community group or social enterprise) develop its vision, goals, governance and work plan, in order to feed into the business plan.  This programme will help you to identify key elements of a successful business plan and get you started with your forward strategy.

2 December : Financial Management and Full Cost Recovery

A workshop to help organisations to identify the true costs of their projects and activities and to gain the necessary tools to support budgeting. We will provide practical exercises to support the learning and identify a range of simple tools currently available to help you to better manage your finances in line with charity legislation (e.g. from basic spreadsheets to simple software).

11 December : Creating a Competitive Edge

This workshop will support your organization to identify its unique selling point and develop your competitive advantage. It will cover ethical marketing, and measurement of social impact. It will also provide practical tips and suggestions to develop your marketing plan.  We will also be sharing real examples of project marketing and the lessons learned from our professional marketing companies' work with a select number of BME TSOs.

15 December : Launch of ‘The Collective’

‘The Collective’ is a regional network of BME third sector organisations that was developed through various focus groups. It aims to be a forum where BME TSOs can champion their causes, influence policy and decisions, share best practice and facilitate dialogue. The launch is a great opportunity to discuss the current and most pressing issues that BME TSOs face and enter the next phase of the journey to sustainability.

15 January 2009 :R20 Rural Performance Improvement Event

Two Sides of the Same Coin. A joint event of commissioners and beneficiaries of R20 from the rural areas.  This is a pilot event intended to establish clear working relations and lines of communication between commissioners and commissionees and to support commissioners to understand the benefits of engaging BME organisations.

End of March 2009 : R20 Conference 'End of a Road, Beginning of a Journey'

Final R2O conference of the year!

For more information on any of these events or to book a place, please contact a member of the R2O team on:

0121 456 7400 or brapevents@brap.org.uk