Purpose

Temporary agency workers are an
important part of the Council’s workforce.  The use of temporary staff enables the Council to
operate without interruption to service levels, ensuring resilience
and service continuity.  The
Council’s current provision is via a Vendor Neutral Managed
Service.  The original contract, which
began on 1 December 2020, would have ended on
1 December 2024 but was extended until
31 March 2026 with the option to extend for one further
year until 31 March 2027.

Decision

The Cabinet
Member for Support Services and Local Government has approved:
1.    
The commencement of a procurement exercise for a new contract for
the provision of temporary agency worker recruitment service, as
detailed in the report, to commence on 1 January 2026 for a period
of three years with the option to extend for up to one further year
at an estimated maximum contract value of £90 million pounds.
 The new provider (should this not be
Matrix) would run in parallel with Matrix for the last three months
of the Matrix contract to enable a period of transition that
minimises disruption to services.

2.    
The delegation of authority to the Executive Director of Finance
and Support Services to award the contract to the provider who
submits the most economically advantageous tender and can best meet
the quality and performance standards required by the Council.