Decision

Decision Taken: The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Voluntary Sector has approved the procurement strategy for a new contract delivering the Carers Hub service, commencing on 1st April 2026 for an initial period of five (5) years until 31st March 2031, with two proposed extension periods of an additional two (2) years (up to 31st March 2033) and a further two (2) years (up to 31st March 2035), for a total value of £3,834,000 (including both extension periods).

Reasons for Decision: The Carers Hub Service is currently in operation and continues to deliver the services as described in 1.2; the current contract is now due to expire on 31st March 2026. There are no permitted options to extend this contract arrangement. A review of the existing service has taken place, and a revised specification produced, with the aim to carry out a procurement of new bi-borough services in Autumn 2025, with new contracts awarded in February 2026. A competitive tender process to test the market is recommended and the procurement strategy proposes an Open tender, via the Procurement Act 2023.