About Us

3SC’s vision is of the third sector delivering an increasing share of public services and a greater amount of social impact. The principal activity of 3SC has been the management of public service contracts. We are now adding to our business the provision of other services, all of which have a clear social impact and will help grow 3SC for the future. The aim is to create a more diverse offer: one that embraces a much wider range of services, solutions and systems and then utilises the creativity and collaborative and complementary style of working that underpins the 3SC model.

3SC manages and wins contracts on behalf of voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations. The delivery of public services is a difficult and competitive marketplace, dominated by large commercial organisations that can lack the person-centred and inclusive approach to public services that the VCSE sector excels at delivering. 3SC gives these VCSE organisations a chance to compete for, and ultimately deliver, such contracts.

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We have built supply chains and worked with more than 550 different delivery organisations across 16 programmes in the welfare to work/employment, young people, criminal justice, and disabilities’ arenas.

3SC has supported and enabled the VCSE sector to access more than £69 million since its inception through our directly delivered contracts and Transforming Rehabilitation activities. In 2018-2019 alone we supported our supply chains to access in excess of £5 million.

We believe that the needs of people using public services – especially those who are hardest to reach – are best met by experienced, local, passionate and mission-driven organisations.

With your help, we can support more of those organisations.

What we do
Executive committee

Our Executive Committee brings together the leadership of 3SC and those organisations with which it is formally collaborating. It considers the strategic direction of the alliance; how we can leverage each other’s expertise; reviews investment decisions; and identifies new organisations with which to collaborate.

Equality and diversity

3SC is committed to providing equal opportunities in recruitment, selection, employment and in services relating to our stakeholders. 

work with us

If you want to register to provide your services as part of our supply chains; need help securing access to finance for socially responsible projects; if you want to invest for a better society; or if you need expert consultants to assist you in any aspect of your business – please contact us.

Privacy policy

This privacy policy sets out how 3SC uses and protects any information that you give to us when you use this website.

our board

As a social enterprise delivering government contracts through specialist supply chains, 3SC’s Board is made up of experts in its different markets. Given its UK-wide reach, and reputation for delivering excellent contract performance, the Board is committed to growing capacity to deliver even more social impact.

quality management and accreditation

3SC puts the service user at the centre of everything it does within a culture of ‘getting it right first time’ and customer service excellence. More information about quality management and accreditation.

vacancies

If you want to join a growing social impact organisation, check our current vacancies.

disclaimer

3SC website disclaimer.

Accessibility

The 3SC website has been designed to work well across all devices including desktop computers, laptops, tablets and mobile phones. For more information on accessibility click here.

87Partners
5019network
114Contracts currently managed
10years in business

What we do

Youth

Young people are tomorrow’s social seedlings. 3SC works with our VCSE supply chain organisations to ensure that young people have a better start in life, and access to opportunities to help them achieve a brighter future.
Read more about our work in the youth sector…

Disability

3SC and our partners deliver services tailored to those living with physical and mental health conditions and disabilities to ensure inclusivity, diversity and full participation in all aspects of society.
Read more about our work in the disability sector…

Employment

3SC and our partner organisations deliver targeted programmes to support individuals facing many different kinds of barriers to find employment.
Read more about our work in the employment sector…

transforming rehabilitation

3SC manages a supply chain dedicated to reducing re-offending, and enabling and supporting offenders to integrate and contribute to society in a positive way.
Read more about our work in the transforming rehabilitation sector…

Case Studies

    Partnerships with purpose

    About our partnerships (Click on the + icons for information)

    Since its inception, 3SC has built partnerships with a very broad group of organisations. These relationships are at the heart of the way we work. The majority of our partners have worked as part of our supply chains delivering different types of contracts and services. Others are commissioners providing funding to deliver a service or organisations known as prime organisations for who we have managed supply chains in order to help them deliver services for contracts they have won.

    DELIVERY ORGANISATIONS IN CONTRACT ON EMPLOYMENT

    We work with many charities, voluntary and community groups, social enterprises, and ethical businesses to deliver each of our employment contracts. These are our Delivery Organisations who work together as a supply chain to provide the front line services that meet the needs of service users. Some of our Delivery Organisations include:

     

    Commissioners

    Commissioners are those individuals or organisations who provide funding to acquire services. Typically we work with Government Departments and Local Government to offer solutions around our core work in the Youth, Employment, Disability and Justice sectors. We are also widening our offering to include other types of Commissioner, for example, those who might like to use our experience in delivering social impact and/or want some support in relation to meeting their Corporate Social Responsibility goals. Some of our existing Commissioners are:

     

    Primes

    Prime organisations are often large, private sector international businesses who bid to deliver public sector contracts from Government Commissioners but there can also be smaller third sector prime organisations . We work with these Primes to add value by delivering local services that meet the needs of the local communities in which they are located, through our supply chains. We have recently worked with the following Primes:

     

    Transforming Rehabilitation Partners

    We manage a large supply chain of VCSE partners delivering services that reduce re-offending in Merseyside; Cheshire & Greater Manchester; West Yorkshire, Humberside, Lincolnshire & North Yorkshire; and Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Some are larger national partner, while others are highly specialised niche local providers. These include:

     

    What people say about us

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    “3SC is robust and disciplined and leads the way. It has helped smaller providers to win contracts that they may well not have won.”

    Rosie Goodwin: Merseyside Community Rehabilitation Company
    john lynch, royal national college for the blind

    “Our experience as one of 3SC’s Delivery Organisations meant we didn’t hesitate to choose them as our sub-contractors when we successfully bid for the DWP SES contract. They are responsive, customer-led partners.”

    John Lynch: Royal National College for the Blind
    Charlotte Slinger, Hampshire Cultural Trust

    “Thanks to 3SC we are well supported to deliver a clear and realistic programme. Working with 3SC has really embedded good practice and robust systems. They have been very supportive and set out clear expectations during the due diligence, contract negotiations and on-going monitoring.”

    Charlotte Slinger: Hampshire Cultural Trust
    JENNY JENKINSON: HULL COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTARY SERVICES

    “3SC have been excellent partners. They have been supportive and prepared to fight our corner. They have helped us deliver good results.”

    Jenny Jenkinson: Hull Community and Voluntary Services
    Head office of Beacon Centre for the Blind

    “Thanks to 3SC, we have been able to engage with clients we wouldn’t otherwise have been able to reach, and have helped them to develop and ultimately achieve their individual goals”

    Rachel Shaw: Beacon Centre for the Blind
    Dave Wylie, Bootstrap Enterprises

    “Bootstrap Enterprises has been helping people into work for the past 30 years, and has worked as a subcontracted partner of 3SC for the past year. It’s a partnership we greatly value. The approach of 3SC as a prime contractor is supportive, very well organised and responsive when necessary. We are grateful to 3SC who are supportive of our insight and actions when working with customers. 3SC are a good partner to work with and we hope our relationship with them continues.”

    Dave Wylie: Bootstrap Enterprises
    Robert Glenn, Groundwork

    “I have no hesitation in recommending 3SC as a prime contractor. We have greatly benefited from their quality assurance processes, their online customer management system, and supportive monthly performance reviews.”

    Robert Glenn: Groundwork
    Chris Murray, The Write Time

    “3SC supported us by offering us our first contract called Intergr8, which involved working with young people on the brink of permanent exclusion from their school. Throughout the contract we have been supported by 3SC, and given clear guidance about successfully delivering the contract.”

    Chris Murray: The Write Time

    “We have been patiently supported by 3SC to ensure excellent reporting and adherence to targets.  The Network Meetings that 3SC  has set up are extremely beneficial to all partners and great networking takes place. We feel that local 3SC staff are a massive source of support and have enabled us to show how successful, effective and efficient TWW are as partners in delivering interventions to assist in the successful completion of Court Orders/licences and preventing reoffending.”

    Angela Murphy: Tomorrows Women Wirral

    collaborations

    Introduction: Our alliances for social impact (Click on the + icons for information)

    3SC is committed to maximising its social impact. Historically, we have done this through our own operations and our supply chains. However, we are now moving to use our contact base, partners, skills, and reputation, to drive further social impact across a much broader range of opportunities.

    We are exploring a variety of means to achieve this, including: joint ventures; specialist subsidiaries; investment in parallel organisations; sharing contacts and ideas.

    This is our new future – developing a wider range of alliances. We hope it will also be attractive to those who share our vision and determination to grow a more socially responsible world of business.

    The TI Group

    The TI Group is a social impact measurement, management and design organisation. It provides tools, products and services that help frontline social purpose organisations, and the organisations that support them, to improve. It enables organisations to grapple with complexity and context and quickly gain clarity about their impact and measure progress, so that they can align their practices with their purpose. Operating in the US and the UK, the TI Group has worked with approximately 200 social sector organisations to strengthen their impact.

    safeandfound

    SafeandFound is a system for tracking and monitoring people with early stage dementia. The system holds and maintains records of people who may go missing, so they can be found by the police and their relatives, and returned safely home. This is a digital information and telemetric combination which humanises the process for locating missing persons. It gives those registered – and their relatives – the reassurance that, when the police locate someone they will have full information to approach them sensitively, be sure that they are well, and that any needs they may have can be quickly met. It cuts the time for locating people and allows searchers to maximise the resources they have when locating a missing person, so that the effort is focused and the time spent is minimised.

    RentSquare

    RentSquare’s mission is to make renting in the private sector simple, fair and square. We seek to maximise the efficiency of housing supply, empowering tenants with choice, through an honest, transparent and affordable lettings service. RentSquare uses technology and data to reduce the time properties sit empty, maximise institutional return and ensure these benefits are passed onto tenants. RentSquare has found a way to reduce void periods and pass those savings onto tenants. We have built a Machine Learning algorithm, in close work with LSE, Mayor’s Office and Koln University, that predicts affordable rent prices and uses technology to let properties quickly. We are investing in further machine learning capabilities to make the letting process fast, secure and easy. RentSquare has been featured in The Guardian, Financial Times and Londonist and has been recognised by London’s Assembly Housing Committee as a model of innovation in the sector. We are a proud partner of Red Door Ventures and alumni of the Open Data Institute, Bethnal Green Ventures and ODINE H2020 fund in partnership with Telefonica.

    latest news

    Read here news and views from and about 3SC
    all news

    Executive committee

    short profile of joanne cholerton, 3SC chief executive
    Chief Executive
    Joanne CholertonChief Executive – 3SC
    short profile of brendan connoly, 3SC finance director
    Finance Director
    Brendan ConnollyFinance Director – 3sc

    Our board

    Chair
    John SwinneyChair of the Board
    short profile of simon charlick, executive director business services, national housing federation
    Vice Chair
    Simon CharlickExecutive Director: Business Services, National Housing Federation
    short profile of joanne cholerton, 3SC chief executive
    Chief Executive
    Joanne Cholerton3SC Chief Executive
    short profile of brendan connoly, 3SC finance director
    Board member
    Brendan Connolly3SC Finance Director
    short profile of mushtaq khan, commercial director, new charter
    Board member
    Mushtaq Khancommercial director, New Charter

    Mailing List

    3SC sends out regular sector updates and supply chain opportunities

    to our registered members as well as our mailing list.   Please join our mailing list by clicking on the button below.

    join our mailing list

    Contact Us

    Do you have a project you're interested in discussing with us? Send us an email or give us a call.
    Email us

    info@3sc.org

    Call us

    0330 30 30 300

    Head office

    3SC, Suite 208
    6 Hays Lane, London SE1 2HB
    Click here to view head office on map

    Wales office

    3SC, Castle Court,
    6 Cathedral Road, Cardiff, CF11 9LG
    Click here to view Cardiff office on map
    Tel: 02920 647 673

    Manchester office

    3SC, c/o Cheshire and Greater Manchester CRC,
    12 Minshull, Manchester, M1 3FR​
    Click here to view Manchester office on map

    Hampshire office

    3SC, Hampshire and Isle of Wight CRC,
    Third floor, Civic Offices, Civic Way,
    Fareham, Hampshire, PO16 7AZ
    Click here to view Hampshire office on map

    Lincoln office

    3SC, c/o National CRC, 8 Corporation Street,
    Lincoln, LN2 1HN
    Click here to view Lincoln office on map
    Tel: 015 2251 0011

    Hull office

    3SC, c/o Hull CRC, 3rd Floor Norwich House,
    Savile Street, Hull, HU1 3ES
    Click here to view Hull office on map

    Liverpool office

    3SC, c/o Merseyside CRC, Second Floor,
    Cunard Building, Water Street, Liverpool, L3 1QX
    Click here to view Liverpool office on map

    Wakefield office

    3SC, c/o West Yorkshire CRC,
    Merchant Gate, 1 Burgage Square,
    Wakefield, WF1 2TS
    Click here to view Wakefield office on map

    Registered office address
    3SC, Suite 208
    6 Hays Lane, London Bridge, SE1 2HB
    Registered company number
    OC347365 (England and Wales)