Volunteer action charity Sova has become the first charity to sign up to the Compact and secure Compact Voice’s Compliance Mark, a new preferred-provider process for new tendering opportunities and contracting, which is being launched this month.

Compact Voice has developed the Mark in partnership with SOVA, which supports people into training and jobs, into volunteering and away from offending.

In the last financial year, Sova supported more than 8,500 people providing everything from employability training and mentoring, to mediation and reparation services and support to offenders, ex-offenders and those leaving care.

Sova is inviting other charities to create a network of preferred providers. To find more details click here. 

Sova's director of services and markets, Sarah Mallender, says: “We want to provide the best services possible and that means we often have to partner with other providers. We want to lead by example and embed Compact principles within our own supply chain.”

Compact Voice manager, Tom Elkin, added: “We are delighted that Sova has come forward as our first non-statutory partner and would encourage other organisations to follow their example and make sure their processes are Compact-compliant.”

Meanwhile, the Compact is to be reviewed by the National Audit Office (NAO). The review will examine the implementation of the Compact across central government, identifying and highlighting variations in practice and making recommendations for improvements in departments and in the Office for Civil Society.

This study falls under the NAO’s strategic theme of “cost-effective delivery” and “financial management and reporting”.