Purpose

To procure an Omni-Channel Customer Contact Platform to support Customer Contact Centre using services such as phone, email, web chat, SMS, social media that can route, track and record interactions supporting agents with appropriate tools, scripts and knowledge

Decision

RESOLVED that the Cabinet:

·       approves the procurement of the Council’s Omni-Channel Customer Contact Platform via direct award under the NHS SBS10521 – Patient / Citizen Communication, Engagement & Hybrid Mail Solutions Framework, lot 3;

·       delegates authority to the Executive Director: Resources, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture, Public Protection, to award the contract for the services outlined in 3.1.

Reasons for the decision

The platform underpins the Council’s customer contact centre and the management   of resident enquiries across telephony and digital channels. Renewing it is necessary   to keep services running, maintain resident access to key services and ensure           ongoing legal and licensing compliance.

The platform is already embedded within the Council’s operating model and is tightly integrated with other systems, including our configurable low-code platform. Replacing it would require significant redesign, re-integration, staff retraining and transition activity, creating additional cost, disruption and risk without sufficient benefit at this stage.

The recommended route is a direct award under the NHS SBS10521 – Patient / Citizen Communication, Engagement & Hybrid Mail Solutions Framework, lot 3. This is considered a lawful and proportionate route that supports service continuity and avoids             the disruption and cost of a full procurement exercise for a platform the Council already relies on heavily.

Alternative routes and framework options were considered, but none was assessed as offering a more proportionate combination of compliance, operational fit, value for money and risk. The recommended route is therefore considered to provide the most appropriate basis for securing continuity of service and contractual compliance at this time.

Alternative options considered

Alternative customer contact and omni-channel platforms were considered in principle. However, moving to a different system would require major replacement activity, re-integration with back-office workflows and case management processes, retraining of staff and transition planning. This would involve significant cost and risk without enough added benefit to justify changing platform at this stage.

 Alternative procurement routes, including other available frameworks such as CCS G-Cloud 14 (RM1557.14) and CCS RM6285, were also reviewed. These were not preferred because they did not offer as strong a fit with the Council’s requirements, nor a more proportionate or lower-risk route for this requirement.