Agenda item

[Report of the Assistant Director for Commissioning. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Adults and Health.]

This report seeks approval to extend the Council’s existing contract for the provision of Information, Advice and Guidance services for one year, as provided for under clause 3.2 of the contract and in accordance with the Council’s Contract Standing Order (CSO) 10.02.1(b).

The Cabinet Member for Adults and Health introduced the report which sought Cabinet’s approval to extend the Council’s contract for the provision of Information, Advice and Guidance services, held by Haringey Citizen’s Advice Bureau, for one year from 3rd April 2019 to 2nd April 2020.

The Cabinet Member was pleased to introduce the report and highlighted the important work the Council carried out with regard to ensuring that residents who needed information, advice and guidance, had access to high quality services.

The Cabinet Member commended the recommendations to Cabinet.

In response to a question from Cllr Palmer regarding the reduction of £50,000 against the original annual contract value, Officers confirmed this would not have a direct impact on service delivery. Officers expected to make small savings across a range of the contracts that made up the service.

RESOLVED

1. To approve, in accordance with Contract Standing Order (CSO) 10.02.1(b), the extension of the Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) Contract with the Haringey Citizen’s Advice Bureau across all four lots of the existing contract.

2. That the contract across all four lots be extended for a period of one year from 3^rd April 2019 to 2^nd April 2020, to the total of £816,000.

3. To approve the underwriting of a £55,000 contribution made to the IAG contract by the Better Care Fund, which as yet remains unconfirmed, due to administrative delays beyond the Council’s control. This contingency is recommended to ensure the contract extension is promptly completed and service delivery is maintained, however it has been strongly indicated that this funding will continue into the final year of the contract. If necessary, the contribution will be secured from within the Council’s Housing Related Support budgets.

Reasons for decision

It is in the Council’s overall interest to agree to an extension of the current contract whilst a review of the contract is completed and recommendations are made for a redesign to the service. The contracts were awarded for a period of three years with an option to extend for a further one year until 2020 in order to facilitate this.

Performance has been evaluated as good throughout the contract period. Performance returns are completed and submitted on time and targets are met. There is a demonstrable need for IAG in Haringey and the service is evidently delivering positive outcomes for residents. It is proposed that in order to continue to best service Haringey residents, the contract extension period is used to explore the current and future IAG needs of service users, alongside a range of new Council and Clinical Commissioning Group priorities and strategies, including the integration of health and community services. This process will consider any changes to be made to the service and will result in recommendations which will be used to inform the recommissioning of the contracts.

Extending this contract with a value of £816,000, will result in a reduction of £50,000 against the original annual contract value. This saving is required in order to contribute to the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy, providing good value and also ensuring that the quality of service delivery is maintained. The Council have stipulated that no more than 20% of the saving should be made from the portion of the contract delivered by the two smaller partners, Haringey Association for Independent Living (HAIL) and Public Voice.

Alternative options considered

Procurement of new contracts was considered, however this would not allow enough time to conduct a sufficient review of the service, or the necessary market engagement, to deliver best value and practice.

Ceasing the current contracts was considered, however this was deemed not to be in the best interests of Haringey residents or the Council. The decision to extend will ensure continuity of Information, Advice and Guidance in Haringey which contributes to the delivery of the Council’s statutory responsibilities under a range of legislation.