Issue - meetings

(Report of the Director of Adult and Housing Services. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services). The report seeks approval to a waiver of tendering requirements under Contract Standing Order 10.01.2 (d) and to an award of contract for a one year period from 1 April 2013.

Cabinet considered a report, presented by the Cabinet Member for Finance and Carbon Reduction, which sought approval to a waiver of tendering requirements under Contract Standing Order 10.01.2 d) and to award a contract for a one year period from 1 April 2013.

Exempt information was considered under Item 33.

RESOLVED:

1. That the waiver of tendering requirements under Contract Standing Order 10.01.2 d) on the grounds that it was in the Council’s overall interest, be approved; and

2. That the award of contracts, detailed in the exempt part of the report at Appendix 2, for a period of one year from 1 April 2013, with an option to extend for no more than six months, be approved.

Alternative Options Considered

The option of tendering all expiring contracts for 1^st April 2013 was considered and discounted on the grounds that:

a)    Internal consultation undertaken within Adult Services points to the need for a fuller review of all current services to determine the requirements of the department and of people who use services, in the context of ensuring people who are eligible for personal budgets have services available to meet their requirements.

b)    In respect of information and advice services more broadly across the Council, a commissioning project group has been meeting since autumn 2012 consisting of officers from Adult and Community Services, Children and Young People’s Service, Housing Related Support and Corporate Procurement. This group recommends that a full strategic review of the sector is undertaken, across the Council, to ensure value for money is achieved across the Council.

c)    The proposed strategic review of legal information and advice services proposed during 2013/14, as set out in the report, requires sufficient lead-in time to then informs any plans to undertake a procurement exercise.

d)    Tendering for these contracts in the short term is unlikely to provide better value for money ahead of completion of a strategic review of both information, advice (including legal advice) and advocacy across the Council, and organisations that deliver ‘front-line’ services to people who use adult social care, taking all factors into account.  We will however negotiate the one year contracts (and extensions if required) to ensure value for money.

e)    The proposal for an interim one year contract has been discussed with the Corporate Procurement Team, and it was concluded that the proposed approach represents the best way forward for the Council.

Reasons for Decision

The proposed one year contract(s) and strategic review of the sector, planned from Spring 2013, is an approach that will help deliver high quality outcomes for Haringey residents and is line with the Voluntary Sector Strategy.

The proposed approach is considered to be in the overall interests of the Council.