Purpose

The purpose of this report is to seek permission, in accordance with Contract Procedure Rule 9.2.2 (e))for an exemption from Contract Procedure Rules 6 and 7 to award a contract without competition to St Helens and Knowsley Community College for the delivery of a Study Programme for young people aged 16 and over.

This exemption is justified as the requirements of Contract Procedure Rule 9.2.2 (e) are met as follows:

e.       Any other exceptional circumstances.

The following circumstances are considered exceptional justifying the awarding of a contract without competition.  The DfE agreed funding for this programme to be delivered in July 2026 leaving no time to complete the procurement process and give the college notice before the start of the academic year. We have to apply for the funding annually and it is not guaranteed. Last year the contract was awarded to Knowsley Community College but due to the delay of going through the procurement process the course did not start until January 2026 (rather than September 2025). Usually, the DfE deadline for awarding funding is in April which would still leave a relatively short period of time to complete the procurement process for a September start date. This year the deadline was even later (30 June 2026) and therefore there was no time to go through the procurement process before the start of the academic year. If a full competitive process were to be applied on this occasion, then we would not be able to deliver the study programme during academic year 2026/2027 and therefore the Council would lose funding from the DfE. Once we lose this funding, we will not be able to acquire it again. The study programme is an important part of the Council’s strategy for reducing NEET in the Borough so we would not want to risk losing funding for it going forward.

Decision

By Director (Corporate Support):

(i)              That an exemption from Contract Procedure Rules 6 and 7 be granted, in accordance with Contract Procedure Rule 9.2.2 (e), to permit the award of a contract without competition for the delivery of a Study Programme for young people aged 16 and over.

By Director (Education and Inclusion):

(ii)       That a contract be awarded without competition to St Helens and Knowsley Community College 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027 for the delivery of a Study Programme for young people aged 16 and over

(iii)      That the Procurement Team be authorised to make the necessary arrangements for the issue of the relevant contract documentation.

Alternative options considered

Do Nothing: This option was considered and rejected because the Council would lose the funding from the DfE going forward and it is important that we do not lose this funding.

Deliver in house: This option was considered and rejected due to the Council not having the staff in place who could deliver the programme.

Seek Competition (Quotation / Tender): The timescales for the procurement process would mean that the Council would not actually be able to deliver the study programme during the academic year 2026/2027 and therefore would lose the funding to deliver it in future years. The funding for the study programme is applied for annually and is not guaranteed.  Usually, the funding is applied for in April each year but this year it was moved back by the DfE to 30 June 2026. Therefore, once the Council received confirmation in July that the study programme could go ahead there was not sufficient time to start a full competitive process.