We are a charitable company running a national grant funded project for past 3 years which has seen a network of 'partners' form. All of these are independent non-profit organisations, located throughout England and offer a diverse range of products, services and inherent expertise.

Over time, the potential within this network has become evident and opportunities to trade in the marketplace as a 'network' are rapidly emerging - such as collective bargaining, becoming a sales/distribution channel for suppliers to get to market, collective 'bidding' for grants and other commissioned work, and trading with others in the network.

However, there are a number of challenges to resolve in order to realise these opportunities and we have identified a need for agreement on the 'rules of engagement'. Some of the visible issues are:- who serves as the 'accountable body'; can any member 'speak on behalf of the network' and broker 'deals' for the network; how do individual members reconcile their own charitable objectives/ethics/etc.; can individuals opt out of specific opportunities where they perceive a 'clash'; how would financial relationships work.

Can you advise on the types of 'governance' model that might be applicable to this or suggest a template 'partnership agreement' or should the 'network' consider forming a separate legal entity? I understand from a colleague that there was a post on ExpertsOnline previously offering free legal service to charities from a solicitor - is that still available?