‘Influencing Commissioners’ has been developed as a resource for projects funded through the National Lottery Community Fund’s Women and Girls Initiative (WGI). It is the fourth public output produced as part of the Learning and Impact Services provided to projects funded through the WGI. The WGI was created by the Fund in 2016, in order to invest in services for women and girls across England.

This guide has been written, based on the keynote presentations given by Michelle Pooley and Fiona Dwyer during WGI Masterclasses delivered during 2018. It is designed to support project staff when thinking about how best to influence those commissioning services and the commissioning process itself.

It covers the following areas:

• What is commissioning?
• What is public procurement?
• Top tips for influencing commissioners

The Masterclasses and this guide were delivered as part of the WGI Learning and Impact Services, on behalf of The National Lottery Community Fund’s WGI. The fund has invested £44.7million from the National Lottery in 62 projects across England to support and empower women and girls facing a wide range of issues.