Content

Salford City Council – Record of
Decision
 
I, Paul Dennett, City
Mayor, in exercise of the powers
contained within the Council Constitution do hereby approve:
 

·     
the award of the
Contract foran Integrated Information, Advice
and Guidance for Adults and Employer Brokerage Support
Service as detailed in the table
below:
 

Detail required

Answers

Title/Description of Contracted
Service/Supply/Project

Integrated Information, Advice
and Guidance for Adults and Employer Brokerage Support
Service

Name of Successful
Contractor

Economic Solutions Ltd t/a Manchester Growth
Company

Supplier Registration Number

(to be supplied by Corporate
Procurement)

2443911

Type of organisation

(to be supplied by Corporate
Procurement)

Voluntary Community Social Enterprise
(VCSE)

Status of Organisation

(to be supplied by Corporate
Procurement)

Non-SME

Contract Value (£)

£ 1,445,000 full project

Contract Duration

27 months

Contract Start Date

01/01/2024

Contract End Date

31/03/2026

Optional Extension Period 1

12 months

Optional Extension Period 2

12 months

Who will approve each Extension
Period?

Procurement Board (extension >
£150k)

Contact Officer (Name &
number)

Alison Burnett: 0161 793 2535

Lead Service Group

Place

How the contract
was procured?

(to be supplied by
procurement)

Open Tender

Framework Details (where
applicable)

(procurement body, framework reference
& title, start/ end date

N/A

Funding Source

Combination of Above (please detail below)

 

Revenue – City Council, DWP and
UKSPF

Ethical
Contractor (EC): Mayor’s Employment Charter

 
 

EC: Committed to sign up to charter

EC: Accredited Living Wage Employer

 

 
The Reasons are:
Following a fair and transparent open tender process, The Growth
Company, have successfully met due diligence and the overall
response across quality, price and social value has demonstrated
that they are able to provide a robust Integrated Information, Advice and
Guidance (IAG) for Adults and Employer Brokerage Support Service in
Salford.
 
Options considered and rejected
were:
In-sourcing delivery of the Integrated IAG for Adults and
Employer Brokerage Support Service was considered and rejected for
a number of reasons. This including the available timescales, the
potential for increased costs, putting in place relevant quality
assurance frameworks within a limited timeframe,
and the need for staff to have specialist
Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) qualifications.
On this basis a competitive open tender exercise was
deemed to be the best option for delivering a quality service for
residents and employers in Salford.
 
Assessment of Risk:
The service is
designed to providing targeted employment and training support for
residents who are not in employment and/ or who are in work and are
looking to connect to and progress in work. Any delays in awarding
the contract for this service could de-stabilise the current
services and/ or cause a break in delivery.
 
As
year one (15-months) has additional grant funding through DWP and
GMCA (via UKSPF), we will need to provide additional returns to
meet grant funding agreements.
 
The source of funding
is:
City Council revenue
budget (Skills and Work – formerly Childrens and Skills and
Work – Place), DWP (Supported Employment – Employer
Engagement element) and UKSPF funding (NEET Support –
Employer Engagement element): Contract Total of
£1,445,000.
 
Legal Advice obtained: Yes – supplied by The
Shared Legal Service (Tony Hatton).
 
Financial Advice
obtained: Yes –
supplied by Luba Velychko Accountant, Place
Directorate.
 
Procurement Advice obtained:
Yes – supplied by: Emma Heyes, Category Manager/ Christine
Flisk, Senior Procurement Officer.
 
HR Advice obtained: Not
Applicable.
 
Climate Change Implications
obtained: Yes – supplied in consultation with Mike Hemingway,
Environment Policy Team, Tel. 0161 793 3209.
 
The following documents have
been used to assist the decision process:
 
·     
Approval to go out to competition
for an Integrated
Information, Advice and Guidance for Adults and Employer Brokerage
Support Service –
Report to Procurement Board on 14th June
2023.
 
Contact Officer:
Angela Arthur,
Commissioning Manager: 0161 793 3408
Emma Nolan,
Commissioning Manager: 07921 749832
Alison Burnett, Head
of Skills and Work: 0161 793 2535
 
This matter is also subject to
consideration by the Lead Member for Skills & Work,
Business and Workforce.
 
The Lead Member has been
consulted and is supportive of the proposed contract.
 
The appropriate Scrutiny
Committee to call-in the decision is Community and
Neighbourhoods.
 
 

Signed:          
Dated 13th September 2023
           
       
City Mayor
 

FOR DEMOCRATIC SERVICES USE
ONLY
 
*          
This decision was published on
13th September 2023
*          
This decision will come in force at 4.00 p.m. on 20th
September 2023 unless it is
called-in in accordance with the Decision-Making Process
Rules.