Programme overview
Introduction:
Social impact bonds and outcomes-based contracting are the subject of this 1-week course for social programme commissioning units, outcome funders and service providers, who finish with an Outcomes Contract Design Pack for a case social programme. Many public bodies and foundations pay for activity rather than results, while early impact bond deals stall over vague outcome metrics, unrealistic prices and unclear payment rules. Nominees already commission, fund or deliver social services, and learning is by case study on real contract terms, rate cards and payment schedules. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this social impact bonds course.
Course Objectives:
- Assess whether a social programme suits outcomes-based contracting by testing cohort definition, data availability and the cost of poor outcomes
- Compare social impact bond, development impact bond, outcomes fund and rate card structures and select one for a given commissioning need
- Define verifiable outcome metrics, cohort eligibility rules and payment triggers with thresholds, tiers and caps
- Price outcomes from fiscal savings and social value and model the payer budget exposure and investor cash flow
- Specify an independent evaluation design and contract governance arrangements that control gaming, cherry-picking and early termination risk
- Assemble an Outcomes Contract Design Pack that a commissioning board and prospective investors can assess
Target Audience:
- Commissioning units in public bodies that buy social services and decide how providers are paid
- Foundations and donor agencies that act as outcome funders or top up outcome payments
- Non-profit service providers preparing to deliver services under payment-by-results terms
- Intermediaries and performance management teams that structure deals and manage provider delivery
- Contract, legal and finance units that draft payment schedules and monitor budget exposure
Course Outline:
Day 1: Outcomes-Based Commissioning Foundations and Programme Readiness
- Commissioning Spectrum From Grants to Payment by Results
- Social and Development Impact Bond Party Roles Map
- Core Impact Bond Features and At-Risk Capital
- Outcomes Contracting Suitability Test for Social Programmes
- Cost of Poor Outcomes Profile for Target Cohorts
Day 2: Impact Bond Structures, Outcomes Funds and Rate Cards
- Social Impact Bond Contract Chain and Cash Flow Mapping
- Development Impact Bond Structure With Foundation Outcome Funders
- Outcomes Fund Design With Pooled Payer Budgets
- Rate Card Construction With Fixed Prices per Outcome
- Intermediary and Performance Manager Roles in Deal Delivery
Day 3: Outcome Definition, Outcome Pricing and Payment Triggers
- Outcome Metric Selection Using Verifiable Administrative Data
- Cohort Eligibility Rules and Referral Pathway Definition
- Outcome Pricing From Fiscal Savings and Social Value
- Payment Trigger Thresholds, Tiered Bands and Pro-Rated Payments
- Payment Cap and Payer Budget Exposure Modelling
Day 4: Evaluation Design, Investor Risk and Contract Governance
- Counterfactual Comparison Designs for Outcome Attribution
- Independent Evaluator Terms of Reference and Data Validation
- Investor Return Profile, Tranche Disbursement and Loss Scenarios
- Perverse Incentive, Cherry-Picking and Gaming Risk Controls
- Contract Governance Board, Variation and Early Termination Clauses
Day 5: Case Study on an Outcomes Contract Design Pack
- Case Programme Suitability Assessment and Structure Choice
- Case Outcome Metrics, Rate Card and Payment Schedule
- Case Payer Budget and Investor Cash Flow Model
- Case Evaluation Plan and Governance Arrangements Draft
- Outcomes Contract Design Pack Completion and Panel Defence
Skills You Will Gain:
- Commissioning Model Selection
- Outcome Metric Specification
- Outcome Price Setting
- Payment Mechanism Design
- Investor Cash Flow Modelling
- Counterfactual Evaluation Planning
- Gaming Risk Control
- Outcomes Contract Governance
Why Attend This Course:
- Deliver an Outcomes Contract Design Pack for a case social programme to the commissioning board, outcome funders and finance leads
- Decide which services to buy on outcomes, under which structure, and at what price per outcome achieved
- Avoid deals that overpay for easy results, exceed the payer budget or collapse during negotiation over vague metrics
- Equip commissioning, provider and finance colleagues with the suitability test, rate card template and payment schedule worksheet
Conclusion:
Back at work, the participant presents the Outcomes Contract Design Pack to the commissioning board, outcome funders and finance leads, who use it to decide whether to procure a social programme on outcomes and under which structure. Providers and intermediaries use the metrics, rate card and payment schedule to prepare bids and investor discussions. After the first payment period, the organisation should review outcomes validated, payments made against the budget cap, provider cash flow and any gaming signals, then adjust prices, triggers or governance terms.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What should participants know before a social impact bonds and outcomes-based contracting course?
Participants should already commission, fund, deliver or contract social services. No finance qualification is needed, but comfort with a simple budget helps. Bringing an anonymised service specification or cohort profile makes the case work closer to their own commissioning decisions.
How does a social impact bonds and outcomes-based contracting course differ from an impact measurement course?
It focuses on buying and paying for results: contract structures, outcome prices, payment triggers, investor risk and governance. An impact measurement course centres on frameworks for reporting an organisation's own results to funders rather than on designing payment-linked contracts.
When do social impact bonds and outcomes-based contracts suit a social programme?
They suit services with a clearly defined cohort, outcomes that can be verified from reliable data within the contract period, and a payer willing to fund results. Where outcomes are hard to attribute or data is weak, a grant or fee-for-service contract is usually better.
What do participants take back to work from the social impact bonds and outcomes-based contracting course?
Participants take back an Outcomes Contract Design Pack containing a suitability assessment, structure choice, outcome metrics, a rate card, a payment schedule, a payer budget and investor cash flow model, an evaluation plan and governance arrangements.