Decision details

Requesting approval to recommission the Specialist Mentoring Service, which ends in March 2020.

That the Director of Commissioning, Inclusion and Learning be authorised to:-

1. Approve a procurement exercise to re-commission the Specialist Mentoring Service for a further three years with an updated specification and KPIs at the same level of funding of £81,838 per year, totalling £245,514 for the life of the contract;

2. Exercise her delegated authority, in consultation with the Director of Finance and the Head of Procurement & Supply Chain, to determine the appropriate procurement strategy for the provision for an updated Specialist Mentoring Service; and

3. Exercise her delegated authority, in consultation with the Director of Finance and the Head of Procurement & Supply Chain, to award the contract for the Specialist Mentoring Service in accordance with the procurement strategy; the award of the contract will follow a procurement exercise and conform to Council’s Contract Standing Orders (CSOs).

The current contract is due to expire at the end of March 2020.  A procurement exercise is required to continue this valuable service.

The updated method of delivery will support the inclusion strategy to enable young people with SEND to be reintegrated into mainstream education. This will ideally reduce the need for additional intervention work and allow them to continue in mainstream school without the need to attend specialist schools.

Accordingly, in order to continue with the provision of this service, there is a need to approve a tender to recommission the Specialist Mentoring Service for a further three years with an updated specification and KPIs at the same level of funding of £81,838 per year.

Not to recommission the Service. This proposal was rejected because clear developments have been made to support the inclusion and learning agenda around SEND in the Commissioning, Inclusion & Learning Service, and this has improved and contemporised the contract.