Decision details

Procurement of supplier of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Checks

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Purpose:

The Council requires an online facility to request and provide criminal records checks to support recruitment and ongoing vetting processes. A 6 month extension is in place with the existing service provider.

 

The current contract for the provision of DBS checks is to expire on 31 August 2022, a new procurement process is required with a new contract to be in place by 1st September 2022. The procurement process will provide for a new 4 year contract.

 

Decision:

That the Executive Member for Finance and Resources:-

 

1.approves the procurement of a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) accredited provider to undertake criminal record checks for the Council for a 4 year term, as set out in the report; and

 

2. delegates authority to the Director of Human Resources and Customer Services, in consultation with the Director of Legal and Governance, to award the contract and to take such other necessary steps not covered by existing delegations to meet the aims and objects as set out in the report.

 

 

Reasons for the decision:

This is the preferred option as there will be no disruption to the recruitment and ongoing vetting processes and no risk in terms of increased numbers having to work without DBS checks and subject to risk assessment and additional safeguards.

 

 

Alternative options considered:

The Council remains a DBS registered body and could obtain paper forms from the DBS to undertake the checks directly.  However, processing the checks manually would create significant delays in terms of processing checks and require a considerable additional staff resource to be assigned to administering the checks.  It also does not provide the ability to check the progress of applications online. It would also require a full return to the office to enable verification of documentation, issue of forms, postage and receipt etc. Paper forms take significantly longer to process by the Disclosure and Barring Service which would also impact on the Council’s ability to allow new starters to commence in post and existing employees to continue in post without supervision or appropriate risk assessment.  Therefore, this option was rejected.

 

 

Publication date: 22/04/2022

Date of decision: 21/04/2022

Effective from: 29/04/2022

Accompanying Documents: