Purpose

To seek revised approval:

• To distribute the capital grant from the Department for
Education and Arts Council England via a Type A, framework
procurement process and direct award.

Decision

In coming to this decision I have given due
and full regard to the requirements of the public sector equality
duty contained in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 (“the
Act”) by reference to the law itself and also the relevant
Equality Impact Assessment, which was prepared in accordance with
the requirements of the Act. Having fully considered all the
available information, I have decided to reject the alternative
options and take the recommended decision to:

1. Approve, without further competition, the initial award of 11
call-off contracts under the Department for Education’s
Musical Instruments, Equipment and Technology Framework (the
“DfE Framework”) to the preferred tenderers, under
which they shall supply the musical instruments listed therein for
use by funded delivery partners across the Gloucestershire, Swindon
and Wiltshire Music Hub geography. This recommendation, if
approved, replaces the cabinet member decision dated 06/08/2024 to
procure these instruments via an over threshold, open tender given
that the DFE created a Framework which allows direct awards based
on value for money in this case.
 
2. Delegate authority to Kirsten Harrison,
Director of Education, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for
Education and Skills, to procure as many further call-off contracts
as may be required by the Music Hub Consortium during the period
July 2025 to September 2026 for the supply of musical instruments
under the DfE Framework. For the reasons set out in the report.