Agenda item

The Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care, and Wellbeing considered the report which detailed the outcome of an open tender process and sought approval to award the contract to the successful tenderer for the Provision of Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) Service in accordance with Contract Standing Order (CSO) 9.07.1 (d).

Subject to approval, the contract should be awarded for a period of four (4) years commencing from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2026 with an option to extend for a further period or periods of up to a total of three (3) years. The maximum length of the contract would therefore be seven (7) years, if extended.

The Cabinet Member RESOLVED

1.    To approve the award of a contract to the successful tenderer (identified in Appendix 1 - Part B (exempt information) of this report), in accordance with CSO 9.07.1(d) for an initial term of four (4) years, commencing from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2026 with an option to extend for a further period(s) of up to a total of three (3) years.

2.    To approve the value of the contract for the initial period of 4 years will be £3,059,100 inclusive of London Living Wage (LLW). For a duration of 7 years (if extension clauses are invoked) would be £5,353,425.

3.    To note that funding for the Information, Advice and Guidance service is through a partnership between the Council’s Adults and Health Department and North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group (NCL CCG). NCL CCG contribute £133,000 to the annual funding for the service, of which £55,000 is from the Better Care Fund (BCF). This funding is offered on an annual basis and in the event that it were no longer available, the successful provider is aware that the associated activities would cease.

Reasons for decision

There is a clear need in Haringey to tackle the issues that place residents at risk of homelessness, unemployment, social isolation, poor health outcomes and escalating social care need. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the current IAG service saw a 28% increase in demand, and successfully adapted its operating model to offer information, advice and guidance in a more diverse range of settings, platforms and formats. The recommissioned IAG service will continue this growth and development, meeting changing need in the borough with a refreshed IAG offer which will work with people to find solutions to complex problems.

It is in the Council’s overall interest to award this contract as it will benefit individual residents and reduce pressure on reactive statutory services such as Housing Needs, Adults Social Care and Children’s Services. This will be achieved by ensuring people have access to high quality information, advice and casework support to prevent and resolve issues related to debt, unemployment, housing, barriers to healthcare, immigration status and a wide range of other life experiences.

The decision to award a contract to the successful tenderer is based on the conclusion of a competitive procurement process. The proposed recommendation to award the contract is made according to the outcome of the Most Economically Advantageous Tender, as detailed in section 6 of this report.

The recommended provider submitted a strong tender bid that clearly demonstrated their expertise and experience in providing the services required, and to meeting the service outcomes as specified. They were able to demonstrate a strong track record of delivering Information, Advice and Guidance services.

Alternative options considered

Do nothing: The Council could elect not to recommission the IAG service as it is not statutorily required to do so. However, this would leave Haringey residents without access to timely, local and specialist information and advice on key areas of need and inequality in the borough. This would be highly likely to increase the human and financial pressure on key Council and statutory services, which would have a further detrimental impact on the residents affected. Therefore, the option of doing nothing was considered and rejected.

Extend existing contracts: The available extension periods available within the existing contract have been exhausted, and no further extensions are possible.

Deliver the services in house: Extensive consideration was given to the possibility of in-house delivery for this service. However, on reviewing the options available, insourcing was deemed to be unsuitable on the basis that a key aspect of the service was independent advice for people seeking to review or appeal decisions made by the Council and our statutory partners.