The Officer Key Decision meeting scheduled for Friday 20 February 2026 was set to consider the extension of a purchasing system for services for looked-after children and care leavers. The decision maker, Laura Eden, Corporate Director of Children and Young People's Services, was to consider a report recommending this extension.

Approval to award places on the DPS for Homes and Support Services for Looked After Children and Care Leavers - extension of Pseudo Dynamic Purchasing System (PDPS)

The meeting was scheduled to discuss the approval to award places on the Pseudo Dynamic Purchasing System (PDPS) for Homes and Support Services for Looked After Children and Care Leavers. This report was related to a published forward plan entry concerning the same topic.

The report indicated that the decision was an officer key decision because it had an estimated total value or impact over £500,000 but up to £1M, and it was a key decision delegated by Cabinet to the officer. The decision maker was Laura Eden, Corporate Director of Children and Young People's Services.

The report sought approval to extend the PDPS until 23 February 2029, aligning with the transitional arrangements for the Procurement Act 2023, rather than the originally planned full four-year extension to 9 March 2030. The PDPS has been in use since March 2022 to secure care and support services and accommodation for children in care and care leavers, fulfilling the Council's statutory duty under Section 22G of The Children Act 1989. Prior to the PDPS, Newham Council was spot purchasing these services.

The PDPS is described as flexible and responsive, allowing new suppliers to join and stimulating market competition. It has been used to evaluate and approve 32 fostering agencies, 15 children's homes suppliers (with 87 homes), and 18 supported accommodation suppliers. The report noted that the average weekly fee rates achieved are competitive, and five neighbouring local authorities are paying an administrative fee to use the suppliers on the PDPS.

The report highlighted that the PDPS supports the Council's financial commitment to delivering best value and contributes to the Council's Corporate Plan, Building a Fairer Newham (2022-2026), specifically Priority 5 (developing Homes for our Residents) and Priority 6 (Supporting our young People), as well as the Newham Children in Care Sufficiency Strategy.

The report considered the alternative option of not extending the PDPS, which was deemed inappropriate due to the complexity and time required to set up a new system, potentially leading to a reversion to spot purchasing at a substantial additional cost. The current PDPS was considered to be working well, delivering best value, and generating income.

The report also touched upon financial, legal, and equalities implications. Financially, the PDPS provides a consistent approach to purchasing services with a fee review process for transparency. Legally, the Council has the power to extend the PDPS under Section 111 of the Local Government Act 1972, and the proposed extension is considered permissible under Regulation 72(1)(a) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, as it was provided for in the initial procurement documents. The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 was also considered, with an Equalities Impact Assessment (EQIA) having been completed and reviewed annually. The report noted that working with suppliers through the PDPS aims to build positive relationships and support the Council's work to address disproportionality among children in care.

The report was prepared in consultation with Councillor Sarah Ruiz, Lead Member for Children's Services and Education, and Alison Chessell, Assistant Director of Procurement. The decision was to be made by Laura Eden, Corporate Director of Children and Young People's Services.

The report referenced previous documents including the Pre procurement of PDPS to Commission Homes and Support Services for Looked After Children and Care Leavers Cabinet Report (03/11/2020) and approvals for awarding places on the PDPS for Lot 1 Semi-Independent Living (SIL) Services and Lot 2 Children's Homes.

The decision was subject to a call-in period, meaning it could not be implemented until the sixth working day following the date of publication.