Is Our Sector Part of the Problem?

A reflection from our CEO, Justine Forster.

We are being asked to compete in what is, in effect, a race to the bottom.

Over the past decade, those of us working in advocacy and the wider charity sector have seen a steady shift in how local authorities commission services. Competitive procurement is the norm, and with it a growing expectation that providers will deliver more for less, absorb rising employment costs, and stretch already‑lean resources to meet increasingly complex needs.

This isn’t unique to one contract or region. It’s a worrying pattern. And it raises a difficult question for all of us in the sector; are we unintentionally becoming part of the problem rather than the solution?

When tenders are issued at the same financial value as three years ago, despite higher delivery expectations, increased employer costs, and additional infrastructure requirements, we are being asked to do the impossible. We are being asked to place undue pressure on our people. We are being asked to compromise on quality. We are being asked to compete in what is, in effect, a race to the bottom.

And the hardest part is this; many of us continue to bid for these contracts anyway.

Not because the numbers make sense. Not because the contract is viable. But because we care deeply about the people delivering the work and those who rely on our services. We care about protecting jobs, maintaining continuity for residents, and honouring the values that brought us into this sector in the first place.

But at what cost?

When we bid for contracts we know are financially unsustainable, we risk normalising the very conditions that undermine our mission. We risk signalling to commissioners that quality advocacy can be delivered on a shoestring. We risk drifting away from the principles that define us.

This is not a criticism of any single organisation. If anything, it reflects the impossible choices we are all being forced to make. Every provider is navigating the same pressures, the same moral dilemmas, the same tension between values and viability.

But we didn’t come into this sector to compete. We came here to improve lives. And we must never lose sight of that. So, we should be raising quality, widening access, and shaping advocacy that truly makes a difference. This is the moment we must choose collaboration over competition and commit to building advocacy that is strong, sustainable and life-changing.

So, let’s start with meaningful conversations about; How we protect the integrity of advocacy; How we safeguard the wellbeing and fair remuneration of our teams; How we push back, together, against commissioning practices that erode quality and sustainability; How we remain true to our charitable purpose in an increasingly demanding environment.

Because if we don’t talk about these things now, we may find that our vital sector has shifted into something unrecognisable. Not through intention, but through the cumulative effect of impossible choices.

I don’t have all the answers. But I do believe that our people, our values, and those we support must remain central to every decision we make. If competitive procurement pulls us away from that, then we need to have a rethink and challenge the system.

As charities, growth should never be our measure of success. We shouldn’t be trying to become bigger; we should be trying to make the world fairer, more equitable. In a future where people feel informed, confident, and able to speak up for themselves, our role should naturally become smaller. Not because we’ve stepped back, but because we’ve done our job well.

That future may feel distant, but it remains our north star. It’s the standard we hold ourselves to, the responsibility we carry, and the direction we must move in together. Every decision we make, individually and collectively, shapes whether we get closer to that, or drift further from it.

As a not‑for‑profit sector, we need to go back to our core purpose. Advocacy means standing with people as they face systems stacked against them. But the truth is, the system we work in is broken. Competing inside a flawed model only makes it harder for the people who need us most. So, we need to fix this together. Collaboration is our strength, our leverage, and our absolute responsibility. The real question now is this: are we ready to stand side by side and build the kind of advocacy our communities truly deserve? Because that is something I would love to be a part of.