Content

Salford City Council – Record of
Decision
 
I Councillor Youd, Lead Member
for Finance and Support Services and chairman of the Procurement
Board, in exercise of the powers contained within the
Council Constitution
do hereby:
 

approval for an
Exception to Contractual Standing Orders to award a contract for
Pure Insight for the delivery of a mentoring, psychological
wellbeing and counselling service for Salford care leavers, as
detailed in the table below:

 

Detail
required

Answers

Contract
Reference

Title/Description of Contracted
Service/Supply/Project

Connecting Care
Leavers

Name
of Contractor

Pure Insight

Type of
organisation
(to be supplied by Corporate
Procurement)

Registered
Charity

Status of
Organisation
(to be supplied by Corporate
Procurement)

Non-SME

Value of Contract Extension
(£)

£80,000 for the 1st
year
£60,000 for 2nd and
3rd years

Existing Contract
Term

36 months

Extension
Period

31/07/2026

Contact Officer (Name &
number)

Jennifer
Walsh

Lead Service
Group

People Services

Funding
Source

Revenue Budget

Ethical Contractor (EC):
Mayor’s Employment Charter

EC: Committed to sign the
Charter

EC: Accredited Living Wage
Employer

 

 
The reasons are:
 
Delivers Best Value to the
Council
Pure Insight brings significant
match funds to Salford. This comes via their volunteer hours, which
last year amounted to over £34,296.00 as well as 3 posts
funded by Big Lottery and 1 post funded by Henry Smith which
provide 2x Psychological Wellbeing Workers,
1x Mentoring Coordinator and 1x Trauma Counsellor for
Salford. By funding an
extra £20,000 for the first year we get added funded from
other grants of £90,225. 
 
The goods / services / works
are only obtainable from one provider and there is no other
provider available to allow genuine competition
Pure Insights are a unique
provider who have built up good relationships with Salford care
leavers over the past three years.  Pure
Insight deliver a service that has grown with the needs of Salford
Care Leavers to provide a unique offer. Parts of the service like
the drop-in café
facility, are bonus to the commissioned service and if we
were to go to tender, we would have to commission different
providers to facilitate the different parts of the service that
Pure Insight delivers. This would not only mean more expenditure to
the Council but also a loss in match funding and in
savings.
 
This is a health service as it is funded by CAMHS
Transformation fund from GM Integrated fund and the services are
predominantly mental health support services.
 
Options considered and rejected were:
To go out for full tender. This
was rejected at this time due to time restraints and the time
needed for the market to further develop for sufficient
competition.
 
Assessment of risk:
If
this service is not commissioned then there is a risk of not
meeting the requirements of the legislation and the identified
needs of service users in relation to mental health and wellbeing,
as detailed above. 
 
The
renewal of funding for the service would reduce the risk of adverse
outcomes for vulnerable care leavers which would lead to pressures
on Salford City Council’s Next Steps leaving care service and
on mental health and other services in Salford. There is a high
risk that statutory obligations to address care leavers’
mental health needs would not be met. 
 
The source of funding is:
£20,000 for the first year to be paid by the Council from
Next Steps budget slippage from vacancies in the
team. £180,000 for the three years agreed by
SFFG are to be paid from the recurrent funding
for the provision in the children and young people’s cost
centre within the Integrated Fund.
 
Legal advice obtained:
Supplied by the Shared Legal Service
Ordinarily when commissioning contracts for the procurement of
goods, services or the execution of works the Council as a
‘contracting authority’ must comply with the Public
Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR) as well as the provisions of its
own Contractual Standing Orders (CSO’s), Financial
Regulations and the duties of Best and Social value. In addition,
the PCR require that contracting authorities treat candidates
equally and in a non-discriminatory way and act in a transparent
manner, failing which the award of a contract may be subject to
legal challenge.
 
In
exceptional circumstances the Council may dispense with strict
compliance of its CSO’s, and the report sets out the reasons
for the request for the exception, in accordance with paragraph 3.1
of CSO’s. Whilst exceptions may be authorised by an approval
from the Procurement Board, there is still a risk of challenge from
aggrieved providers if the usual tender process has not been
followed on the basis that it ought to have been advertised and put
out to competition.
 
The
risk of challenge increases with the value and duration of a
proposed contract being awarded. The report sets out the reasons
for the need to enter this contract, the benefits and added value
the provider brings to the Council and confirms that Pure Insight
are in a unique position to deliver the services. The direct award
will also reduce the risk of adverse outcomes for vulnerable care
leavers and mitigate the risk that statutory obligations to address
care leavers’ mental health needs would not be
met. 
 
The
Council is also under a best value duty to carry out its functions
economically, efficiently and effectively with the objective to
achieve value for money in all public procurement. The Council has
considered the circumstances in this matter and concluded that the
recommendation to award the contract to Pure Insight to be of least
risk and of most benefit to the Council.
 
Financial advice obtained: Supplied by: Ian Johnson, Senior Accountant,
17/07/2023.
£60,000 for all three years will be funded by GM ICB. In
year one a further £20,000 will be funded from the
Childrens’ Services revenue budget, through savings from part
year vacancies within the Next Step service.
 
Procurement advice obtained: Supplied by: Christine Flisk
ext.6245
The
request to an exception to CSOs is in line with councils
constitution, procurement board has the authority to approve an
award of contract above £150,000, as outlined within the
report.  Although there is always a risk
of challenge from an aggrieved supplier when a contract is a direct
award, this is thought to be low, as it was established that this
is a unique service.
 
As
part of the Council’s Innovate program and budget challenges
over the next three years, the service group should consider
efficiencies, revenue savings opportunities and enhanced contract
management KPI’s as part of this procurement activity. The
procurement team will work with the service group to review the
contract and determine the procurement strategy going
forward.
 
HR advice obtained: N/A
 
Climate change implications obtained: Supplied by: Michael
Hemingway
Pure
Insight encourage walking and cycling for the Care Leavers
Accessing their service as well as healthy cooking at their
café. Their café is local and can be accessed by
walking, cycling and public transport.
 
Contact
details:
Contact Officer:        Catarina Lima
Telephone number:  0161 603
4255
 

Signed:     Cllr
Youd            Dated:
  23 August
2023.
           
   Lead Member
 

FOR DEMOCRATIC SERVICES USE
ONLY
 
*          
This decision was published on 25 August 2023
*          
This decision will come in force at 4.00 p.m. on 4 September 2023
unless it is called-in in accordance with the Decision Making
Process Rules.