On Friday 30 August 2024, an Officer Key Decision was made by Jason Strelitz, Corporate Director of Adults and Health, in consultation with Councillor Neil Wilson, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care. The decision concerned the approval to establish and award places on the Supporting Vulnerable Adults (SVA) Dynamic Purchasing Vehicle (DPV) Category 1: Supported Living (Round 2). Six providers were approved for admission onto this category of the DPV.

Supporting Vulnerable Adults Dynamic Purchasing Vehicle

The meeting approved the admission of six providers onto Category 1: Supported Living of the Supporting Vulnerable Adults (SVA) Dynamic Purchasing Vehicle (DPV). This decision was made by Jason Strelitz, Corporate Director of Adults and Health, in consultation with Councillor Neil Wilson, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care. The purpose of the DPV is to ensure that Newham Council achieves good value and quality when placing single vulnerable adults in supported living services, and to ensure compliance with public contract regulations.

The DPV was established following a Cabinet meeting on 9 June 2022, which delegated authority to the Corporate Director of Adults and Health to admit providers that meet minimum quality standards. This is the second round of admissions for Category 1: Supported Living, with the first round admitting 20 providers. The DPV operates through two routes: Route 1 for individual placements and Route 2 for schemes. Providers admitted to the DPV must pass a pre-selection stage, Stage 1A, which assesses their safeguarding policies, previous experience, quality and performance management, and resident involvement.

The report highlighted that admitting providers onto the DPV does not guarantee future business but will enable the council to select the most competitive rates from providers who have met a minimum standard. The Care Act 2014 mandates local councils to assess the needs of individuals and arrange appropriate care and support services, including supported living. The SVA DPV is compliant with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, falling under the light touch regime. The decision was made to ensure that services called off via the DPV can respond more flexibly to meet individual service user needs.

The decision can be implemented from 9 September 2024, following the end of the call-in period on 6 September 2024. The full list of successful providers admitted onto the DPV Category 1: Supported Living is available in the appendix to the report.