Decision details

Sheffield Futures Contract Extension

Decision Maker: Leader of the Council

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Purpose:

The waiver request is being made in respect of a contract extension to ensure continuity of delivery of services for young people by Sheffield Futures. This extension will allow the council to make an informed and considered decision about how it wishes to manage the delivery of these services in the future.

Decision:

That approval is given to extend the Council’s current contract with Sheffield Futures for young people’s services, for a 6 month period from 1st April 2017 to 30th September 2017, with a contract value for that period of £1,328,562.

Reasons for the decision:

The contract extension has two key purposes – ensuring continuity of delivery until such time as a new model is developed and, should it be required, to allow time for a competitive tender or service redesign process to be executed.  Services may be commissioned differently and at this time there would be insufficient time to complete a robust procurement process or undertake any other significant re-design by April 1st 2017.

 

This proposal provides continuity of service delivery, which is effective, thus ensuring the Council has sufficient time to consider the options available and make its decisions in a timely and considered manner.  If this extension is granted, a contract variation will be issued with appropriate outcomes and volumes in the different delivery areas that ensure young people’s services are not disrupted.

Alternative options considered:

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 in the next financial year and beyond, and the timeline for managing any change and recommissioning would be difficult to meet within the timescale to March 31st 2017.

 

The Council could allow the current contract to end without having alternative services in place.  This would lead to the Council failing to meet its statutory duties to provide a range of services to young people.

 

The Council could run an open tender process for the delivery of youth services for a short 6 month contract.  However, 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.

Publication date: 01/09/2016

Date of decision: 01/09/2016

Effective from: 08/09/2016

Accompanying Documents: