Purpose

The purpose of
this report is to outline the procurement process for commissioning
the Universal Stop Smoking service, which will start from 1 April
2026, and seek approval for the following:

·        
The procurement of a Stop Smoking service under the Health Care
Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (PSR) -
Direct award process C.

·        
The procurement for an initial term of 3 years (1 April 2026
– 31 March 2029) with the option to extend for up to a
further 2 years, in periods of up to 1 year at a time - A maximum
contract term of 5 years (01/04/26 – 31/03/31):

·        
The delegation of authority to the Executive Director of Place for
award of contract.

Decision

RESOLVED that

1.   
the procurement of a Stop Smoking service under the Provider
Selection Regime (PSR) – Direct award process C be
approved,
 

2.   
The procurement for an initial term of 3 years (1 April 2026
– 31 March 2029) with the option to extend for up to a
further 2 years, in periods of up to 1 year at a time. A maximum
contract term of 5 years (01/04/26 – 31/03/31: 
·        
The initial contract value, for the maximum contract term of 5
years, is anticipated to be £600,000 (ring-fenced Public
Health Grant funded universal provision)
·        
The contract will have the ability to be varied by up to an
additional £150,000 over the term of the contract (This is
subject to confirmation from the government of targeted grant
funding). This additional funding would take the total contract
value, over the maximum 5-year term of the contract, to
£750,000 be approved; and
 

3.   
The delegation of authority to the Executive Director of Place for
award of contract be approved.
 
 

Reasons for the decision

The service falls within scope
of PSR and the proposed approach is
compliant with the requirements of PSR. Direct Award - Process C is
appropriate to use as it meets the necessary criteria.
 
The incumbent provider is delivering the
current contract to a good standard and performing well against
service KPIs. There will be limited changes between the existing
and the new service.
 
Directly awarding the contract to the
incumbent provider will help maintain continuity of service and
avoid disruption for service users.
 
The incumbent is currently delivering the
targeted stop smoking service in Bracknell Forest. Introducing a
second provider could lead to confusion and a fragmented service
offer within the area.
 
The incumbent also delivers stop smoking
services across Berkshire, which presents opportunities for
collaborative and joined-up working
across the footprint, both for the service itself and for
commissioners.
 
Further information is available in the PSR
Toolkit.
 

Alternative options considered

Option 1: Deliver the service in-house.
Bracknell Forest Council takes full responsibility for the delivery
of the sexual health service. Staff, resources, and management are
retained within the council, and the service is delivered directly
to the public without outsourcing.
This option is not recommended because:
·        
Running a service in-house requires significant financial, human,
and technical resources, and the council will bear the full
operational risks. This will be more a more costly / less
cost-effective solution for the council.
·        
Bracknell Forest Council lacks the specialist knowledge,
infrastructure and governance needed to deliver stop smoking
services safely and effectively.
 
Option 2: Commission the service under
PSR competitive tender.
 
This option is not recommended because:
·        
The incumbent provider is meeting the necessary criteria for the
existing contract and meeting the current performance requirements
against the existing contract.
·        
We are of the view that that the existing provider will be able to
meet the future service criteria and performance requirements.
There is no substantial change in the service delivery.
·        
There are only a limited number of providers in the market and
historically there has been very limited interest in the
procurement of this service. We believe that undertaking a
competitive process won’t improve the outcome of the
procurement process. Our market research has indicated that for the
financial envelope there is not significant interest in the
market.
·        
Directly awarding the contract to the incumbent provider will help
maintain continuity of service and avoid disruption for service
users.
·        
The incumbent is currently delivering the targeted stop smoking
service in Bracknell Forest. Introducing a second provider to
deliver the universal stop smoking service could lead to confusion
and a fragmented service offer within the area.
 
The incumbent also delivers stop smoking
services across Berkshire, which presents opportunities for future
collaborative commissioning and joined-up working (economies of
scale) across the footprint, both for the service itself and for
commissioners.
 
Option 3: Do not commission a
service/intervention.
 
This option is not recommended because:
·        
Smoking is a major contributor to poor health outcomes and related
inequalities – it is the leading cause of preventable illness
and premature death. Smoking prevalence among routine and manual
workers in Bracknell Forest is significantly worse that national
and regional averages and it is the government public health
priority to reduce smoking levels and reduce health
inequalities.
·        
Not commissioning the service will:
o  
Negatively impact on the potential to achieve key local priorities
outlined in Section 4.2 above
o  
Mean residents who want to quit smoking or reduce their levels of
smoking in Bracknell Forest will have no access to smoking
cessation services which could potentially leave them at risk of a
reduction in both quality of life and life expectancy, and an
increase in health and social care costs associated with managing
smoking-related ill health.
·        
The condition for awarding the
Local Stop Smoking Services Grant Funding requires local
authorities to have a stop smoking service. Failure to commission
the service will lead to Bracknell Forest Council losing this
funding stream.