On Monday 2 June 2025, Jason Strelitz, Corporate Director, Adults and Health, in consultation with Councillor Neil Wilson, Lead Member for Health and Adult Social Care, approved the commencement of mini-competitions for services within Category 4 of the Supporting Vulnerable Adults (SVA) Dynamic Purchasing Vehicle (DPV). This decision aims to ensure good value and quality in Extra Care Housing Schemes for vulnerable adults, and to comply with public contract regulations.

Extra Care Schemes: Mini-Competition Approval

Jason Strelitz, Corporate Director, Adults and Health, approved the commencement of Stage 2 call-offs via mini-competitions for several Extra Care Schemes¹:

• Cardamom Court and Hedgerow Court - estimated value of £483,422 per annum
• Amber Court - estimated value of £1,439,542 per annum
• Violet Court - estimated value of £565,374 per annum
• Leacroft Lodge - estimated value of £1,218,300 per annum

The decision was made under delegated authority from a Cabinet meeting held on 9 June 2022, concerning the Transformation of Supported Accommodation. The contracts will have a term of 3+1+1 years.

The council aims to commission all schemes as real Extra Care, featuring:

• 24-hour staffing for planned and unplanned care
• Core block contracts offering minimum care hours
• Flex offer for additional care needs
• Health and wellbeing activities to promote independence

The successful provider for each scheme will enter into a housing management agreement with the property owner.

The award criteria for Stage 2 contracts will be:

• Quality (60%)
• Price (30%)
• Social Value (10%)

The report also details the five-year commissioning intentions for Extra Care, which are included in Appendix 1 of the Public reports pack 02nd-Jun-2025 Officer Key Decision.

Alignment with Council Policy and Priorities

The Extra Care services align with key local policies, including the council's manifesto commitments to a healthier Newham and homes for residents. The services also support Community Wealth Building² principles by ensuring the London Living Wage³ as a contractual requirement.

The commissioning approach also aims to reinforce Community Wealth Building by improving independence and raising quality standards through the new Dynamic Purchasing Vehicle.

The services are in line with the Newham Ageing Well Strategy⁴, which aims to improve the health and wellbeing of residents aged 50+ and reduce health inequalities. The strategy focuses on:

• Increasing healthy life expectancy
• Improving physical and mental health
• Improving life satisfaction
• Reducing health inequality

The Extra Care services specifically address priorities related to home, finance, employment, volunteering, retirement, community, connection, neighbourhood, and planning for later life.

Financial and Legal Implications

The contracts will be funded from the Adult and Health external placements budget, with costs of £3.707m for the core provision. The inclusion of providers on the Dynamic Purchasing Vehicle (DPV) aims to drive cost efficiencies through competition.

The council has the power to procure the contracts under the Localism Act 2011 and the Local Government Act 1972. The services fall under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015) light touch regime, and the SVA DPV is compliant with PCR 2015.

Equalities Implications

The procurement process aims to place adults in the most appropriate setting for their needs, without any identified disadvantage relating to protected characteristics. The DPV will enable more flexible services to meet individual needs, with regular analysis of data to inform service design.