Decision

The Director of Children, Families & Education has agreed to the direct award of a contract to Reed Talent Solutions Ltd. via the Yorkshire Purchasing Organisations Framework (001141- Managing Consultancy and Professional Services) for a term of 3 months with effect from 1st September 2026 for the provision of locum Educational Psychologists (EPs) to support the Council’s Core EP team’s delivery of statutory advice for children and young people undergoing the Educational Health and Care Needs Assessment process with a maximum contract value £356,250.

Reasons for the decision

Educational Psychologists (EP)s are critical in identifying special educational needs and disability (SEND) and providing a statutory contribution to the Educational Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA). When the Council carries out a EHCNA they must obtain psychological advice and information from an educational psychologist” (The advice provided must be given within six weeks of the date of the request.
OFSTED’s Local Area SEND Inspection published in April 2025 highlights “long-standing, systemic weakness in the processes underpinning EHCPs in Wirral” and “unacceptably long” wait for assessments

Reed Talent Solutions Ltd. received a direct award in January 2025 until 31st March 2026 to deliver up to 650 assessments at £1425 per assessment (total: £926,250). Reed Talent Solutions Ltd. overdelivered on this contract to meet the Council’s demands, which means the £926,250 budget had been exhausted earlier than anticipated. There was no provision to extend under this arrangement and data showed that without the continued use of Locum EPs, the Council would risk meeting its statutory obligations. To support this, an interim measure to award Reed Talent Solutions Ltd. for a further 6-months was agreed to mitigate concerns which has been fully utilised in line with projected demand and service requirements.

A procurement process for a new three-year Educational Psychology service contract is in progress, with contract award anticipated by September 2026. To safeguard continuity of statutory service delivery, approval is sought for a further three-month interim arrangement. This award will act as a contingency provision to address any potential delays associated with tender evaluation, contract award, and mobilisation, ensuring there is no interruption to the delivery of statutory Educational Psychology services. The Council’s Educational Psychology Service has an established working relationship with Reed Talent Solutions Ltd. which can support service continuity with minimal disruption as they are already familiar with the Council’s processes and requirements.

The contract will run on a call-off basis to deliver up to 250 assessments at a cost of £1425 per assessment with a maximum contract value £356,250 The costings provided by Reed Talent Solutions Ltd. have been benchmarked against other agencies by the Children’s Commissioning team and are competitive against the current market for face-to-face assessments.

Alternative options considered

Varying the current contract has been considered. However, the maximum variation allowed (10%) under the current Direct Award with Reed Talent Solutions Ltd. would be insufficient to meet the level of predicted demand for the next 3-months. It is therefore necessary to make a new direct contract award.

Asking schools to source their own EPS for advice has been considered. The Council reimburses the payment in such cases once the advice received has been quality assured by the Council’s Principal EP. Comparing this with Reed Talent Solutions Ltd. shows that school-commissioned advices have not provided a cost-effective solution and risk an increase in overspend of the current EP budget if relied on.

Development of an in-house resource has been considered. The Council has been actively developing core EP capacity through a ‘Grow Your Own’ approach since 2022 which requires a longer timescale than anticipated to sufficiently meet demand due to a nationally recognised shortage of EPs alongside recruitment and retention difficulties. Relying solely on this strategy presents a risk of an increased backlog for statutory EP advices unless supported by additional locum EPs