The Hackney Procurement Board met to discuss several contracts and business cases, including fire door remedial work at 10 schools, and the provision of a children's integrated speech and language therapy service. The board was also scheduled to review the minutes of the previous meeting and the forward plan.

Fire Door Remedial Works

The Hackney Procurement Board was scheduled to consider a report regarding the proposed award of a contract for fire door remedial works across 10 schools in the borough¹.

The schools affected were Homerton, Hackney Wick, Hackney Downs, Lea Bridge, Springfield, Clissold, Haggerston, Shacklewell and Hoxton West.

The report recommended awarding the contract to Supplier A for the original tender sum of £575,509. It also recommended approving anticipated variations and contingency sums, bringing the total revised contract value to £1,007,140 (excluding VAT) or £1,208,568 (including VAT).

The report stated that a low-risk business case had been approved on 20 March 2025.

Several alternative options were considered and rejected, including:

• A single-stage procurement process without validation surveys
• Direct award
• Fully open tender
• Framework
• Two-stage design and build procurement process

The report noted that while six suppliers were invited to tender, only two submitted a response. It was also noted that there was a significant variance between the two tendered price submissions.

A new risk was identified during the tendering stage regarding the certification of fire doors post-repair work.

Should the current doorsets not have any certification or manufacturer’s details available and the contractor cannot certify a door through isolated repairs, then the doorsets may be recommended for replacement so that certification can be provided. Alternatively, the contractor can offer these to become nominal fire doors with repairs completed to meet the FD30 or FD60 requirements. There is a risk to both programme and cost should the doorsets be replaced.

The report also detailed sustainability impacts and opportunities, net-zero targets, and social value benefits. The contractor's approach to sustainability and environmental impact was tested as part of the quality criteria at the tender stage, and they hold the ISO 14001 accreditation².

The report stated that the contractor has confirmed they will continue to pay all staff engaged on this contract an hourly rate not below the London Living Wage.

The report stated that there are potential savings of £3.38 million over the next 3 years as a direct result of following this procurement route, as the works have been extended to cover all 10 schools in one year, rather than just the original 4 schools planned.

Children's Integrated Speech and Language Therapy Service

The Hackney Procurement Board was scheduled to consider a report regarding the award of a contract for the delivery of the Children's Integrated Speech and Language Therapy Service (SaLT Service) to Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT).

The SaLT Service delivers support to children, young people, and families, as well as professionals working with them, to ensure that children and young people’s speech, language, and communication needs are identified early.

The report recommended the award of a contract under Direct Award Process C of the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) for Health Services to Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) for an initial 12-month term (from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026), plus an option for a further 6-month extension (from 1 April 2026 to 30 September 2026), at a total cost of up to £1,961,070 (£1,307,380 per annum).

The report noted that the Council and the North-East London Integrated Care Board (NEL ICB) separately commission HHFT to deliver SaLT services, and some schools separately purchase SaLT services from HHFT. The long-term ambition is for the Council, the ICB, and schools to work together and integrate commissioning arrangements.

The report stated that the Council’s contract with HHFT brings together requirements and funding from across 5 different areas within the Children and Education Directorate: SEND, Early Years / Children’s Centres and Family Hubs, the Virtual School, Young Hackney, and Youth Justice.

The report noted that a new Children’s Integrated Commissioning Service was created within the Council in January-February 2025, which will hold and take forward the commissioning activity associated with the SaLT Service.

The report detailed the strategic context of the service, noting that under the Children and Families Act 2014, local authorities have a statutory responsibility to meet the needs of children with SEND, as stated in their Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). The SaLT Service supports the delivery of Hackney’s SEND Strategy, 2022-2025.

The report stated that no savings will be achieved through the award of the 12-month contract (with the optional 6-month extension), but consideration of cashable and non-cashable savings will be built into the upcoming review of the Service.

The report detailed sustainability issues and opportunities, net-zero targets, and social value benefits. HHFT has Planet Mark certification and received a Planet Mark Milestone Award in recognition of their progress towards reducing their carbon footprint.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The Hackney Procurement Board was scheduled to review the minutes of the meeting held on 8 April 2025.

During the previous meeting, the board discussed and approved the award of a contract to Bidder E for maintaining communal heating and hot water plant and associated in-dwelling equipment. The board also deferred the Electrical Testing Business Case to the May meeting.