Purpose

The decision will be to award two contracts for agency workers and statement of works to supply temporary workers and resources to enable the delivery of council services to residents.

The current MSP contract awarded to Adecco is due to expire by 31/10/2026 and following a procurement process, award of two new contracts to enable the council to source temporary resources to deliver council services is required. 

DRAFT Recommendation:

To approve the award of contracts to providers dependent on the outcome of the further competition

Decision

a.          Approve the award of:

·     The Lot 1 contract called off from the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources (MSTAR) 4 Framework to supply temporary labour through a managed service provider for 2 years with an option to extend for a further 2 years to the provider and for the value set out in Appendix A, exempt Part B Procurement Report

• The Lot 2 contract called off from the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources (MSTAR) 4 Framework to supply statement of works solutions for 2 years with a further option to extend for a further 2 years to the provider and for the value set out in Part B

b.        Note bidder names and award values will be released following approvals.

Reasons for the decision

The Council currently procures temporary workers via Adecco under the MSTAR3 framework, which expires 1 November 2026. Temporary workers are critical to:

• Maintaining service continuity and addressing temporary peaks in demand

• Supporting transformation programmes

• Managing workforce pressures in critical frontline areas (e.g. social care, housing)

To support the Council’s transformation and data-driven decision making the Council also requires better analytics, improved and automated compliance controls and integrated systems.

Alternative options considered

The alternative options were considered in the procurement strategy. In summary they were

• Option 1: In-house or joint venture delivery – not recommended at this stage due to the financial commitment and transition of the Council.

• Option 2 (Recommended): Further competition under a compliant framework ESPO MSTAR4 was selected as the most appropriate framework to meet the Council’s requirements

• Option 3: Do nothing / extend current contract – not recommended as it would not be compliant with the Council’s Contract and Standing Orders (CSOs).

• Option 4: Direct award via existing frameworks – not recommended as it would provide a similar like for like service and not provide the opportunity for a wider range of providers to tailor their response to Croydon’s requirements.

Note: The tender process did not allow for alternate solutions from bidders.