Purpose

Outline of the current ISH service and seeking
approval to enter into a procurement along with the London Boroughs
of Wandsworth, Richmond & Sutton for a new service to commence
on 1st October 2026.

Decision

RESOLVED:
 
That Cabinet:
 
A. Approve Merton Local
Authority’s procurement of a new contract for Integrated
Sexual Health (ISH) Services for a contract term of 5.5 years with
option for a contract extension of up to 5 years.
B. Approve Merton’s
inclusion in a four-borough collaborative approach to commissioning
the Integrated Sexual Health (ISH) Service along with the London
Boroughs of Wandsworth, Sutton, and Richmond upon Thames, with
Wandsworth taking on the lead authority role for the procurement.
An inter-authority agreement (IAA) will be drawn up which details
the roles and responsibilities of each Local Authority and the
partnership approach.
C. Approve procurement of the
ISH service using the Most Suitable Provider process under the
Provider Selection Regime (PSR) regulations as outlined in option 4
(section 5) with Wandsworth, Richmond & Sutton local
authorities.
D. Approve the Local
Authority’s financial commitment to the Integrated Sexual
Health (ISH) Service for Merton residents as detailed in appendix 1
section 1.
E. Delegate authority to award
the contract and any subsequent contract extensions arising from
this procurement exercise to the Executive Director for Adult
Social Care, Integrated Care & Public Health, in consultation
with the Lead Member for Health & Social Care. The approximate
date of the contract award decision is on the Corporate Forward
Plan and the call-in period will still be observed.