Decision details

The report will recommend an extension to the current contract for young people’s services to allow time for the review of young people services to be completed and any subsequent new services to be established.

That the current Council contract with Sheffield Futures for the delivery of young people’s services be extended for up to 12 months from 1st October 2019 to 30th September 2020.

This option provides continuity of service delivery, thus ensuring the Council has sufficient time to complete consultation, consider the proposals presented and make its decision regarding the future strategic direction for the delivery of youth services in a timely and considered manner.

Re-commissioning of services on an open tender was considered. However, no decision has yet been made about the way that the Council wishes to deliver its services beyond 2020, and the timeline for managing any change and recommissioning would be impossible to meet within the timescale to 30^th September 2019.  Given the scale of the services under consideration, the costs involved to both the Council and potential providers in running a tender process, and the potential implications to staff and service continuity of short term changes, this option has been rejected. It is considered that very few, if any, providers would consider bidding for a contract of such short length.

The only alternative option would be for the Council to allow the current contract to end without having alternative services in place by October 2019.  This would lead to the Council failing to meet its statutory duties to provide a range of services to vulnerable young people.  The Council would be forced to conduct an urgent in-source of some services which would lead to significant cost and disruption if not conducted as part of a properly planned strategic approach.