The meeting was scheduled to include a decision to be made without public access on whether to award a contract to fit out a new council building.

Families and Homes Hub Fit Out Contract Award

The meeting was scheduled to include consideration of a report entitled Families and Homes (aka Sunflower House) Hub Fit Out Contract Award that recommended that the council awards the contract for fitting out Sunflower House to the contractor ISG.¹

The report, by Stacey Clark, Senior Project Manager, explained that: The works include the full fit out the building and will result in the delivery of a bespoke facility that will meet the needs of a range of services, and more importantly, residents.

The report explained that ISG was selected without a competitive tender process: The agreed procurement strategy, as approved by SCB in February 2024, was to call off the Pagabo framework and engage with fit out contractor ISG Ltd on the basis of a Direct Award. The report explained that using this process would save time: A mini-competition is not being recommended as the direct award approach demonstrates value for money for the Council, provides a reduced programme and enables the opening of the Sunflower in January 2025, and guarantees that the contract is made with a high quality and trusted supplier.

The report noted that: The design of the fit out works has been developed with sustainability in mind. The design and delivery will achieve BREEAM Very Good.²