Purpose

It is recommended that approval is granted to proceed with a direct award to Orbital Economics for the provision of consultancy services, with a total contract value of £47,959.20 (including VAT).
This exception is required due to the highly specialised nature of the services, specifically the creation and testing of the Bayesian Network.
Market research indicates that any alternative supplier would need to replicate the work already undertaken and develop a new Bayesian Network before being able to apply it to assess the mental health benefits of flood risk interventions. This would result in additional time and cost.

Undertaking a request for quotations (RFQ) would therefore introduce significant delays and could jeopardise the delivery of the project, including the potential loss of grant funding.

A direct award represents the only proportionate and defensible procurement route, enabling the Council to deliver the required research outputs within the necessary timescales while ensuring compliance, value for money, and project continuity.

Decision

To award the work on testing the Use of the Bayesian Network to Assess the Mental Health Benefits of Flood Risk Management Interventions to Orbital Economics

Amount = £39,966 Ex VAT

Alternative options considered

The below alternative options were considered and rejected:
Do Nothing – This is not a viable option, as there is a significant risk that DEFRA funding may be clawed back, with insufficient time to reallocate it to alternative flood risk projects.

Conduct an RFQ – This option would introduce additional time and cost. Any alternative provider would need to rebuild the existing Bayesian Network, which Orbital Economics is best placed to develop further, resulting in inefficiencies and duplication of effort.