Decision details

To seek approval for the strategic procurement plan for the provision of accommodation based housing related support to begin in September 2023.

1          That the Strategic Procurement Plan for the provision of Accommodation Based Housing Related Support which includes both accommodation and support be approved.

2          That the proposed contractual term of 7 years with a review of the provision in years 3 and 5 be approved.

3          That authority for the contract award decision be delegated to the Executive Director: People, in consultation with Executive Member for Adult Services, Health & Housing and Executive Member for Children, Young People & Learning, subject to successful evaluation of bids within the estimated contract price set out in the Strategic Procurement Plan.

The procurement of the Accommodation Based Housing Related Support Service supports the delivery of Housing & Children’s Social Care duties.

The proposed procurement, through a competitive tender process will help maximise tender opportunities that will generate value for money and a high-quality Accommodation Based Housing Related Support Service.

Bracknell Forest Council wants all children and young people in the borough to be safe, to learn, to gain confidence, be happy and be supported to reach their full potential, especially young people who are most vulnerable at risk of homelessness and for those young people leaving the care of the Authority, to enable independent living. The provision contributes to the reduction of potential harmful and/or negative behaviours, but also provides the support required to build resilience to key life transitional stages i.e., transition from young person to adult. This provision is critical for the most vulnerable of young people in support of the key objectives in the Bracknell Forest Council Plan, caring for your families and communities.

There are currently market pressures around securing placements for children aged 16 to 18. The Accommodation Based Housing Related Support Service provides a cost effective placement option for this group of children.

To be compliant with the Public Contract Regulations 2015 and the Council’s Contract Standing Orders, and for timely completion of the tender, award, and mobilisation phases in time for the contract to commence as of September 2023.

Do nothing: The current contract and associated obligations will lapse, therefore there would be no adequate housing and support to meet housing and children’s social care duties and the associated identified needs. If the current contract was to lapse, this would create a significant pressure on the Housing team to source accommodation to rehouse 80+ young people and potential delays in sourcing accommodation for additional young people requiring support, which would result in an increased risk of homelessness.

Extending: Extending the existing contract would be possible via a direct award, however the current providers have been in situ for the past 6 years and as such if no competitive procurement process is followed this could lead to a significant challenge from other providers, which in turn could cause reputational damage to the Council.

Spot purchasing without a contractual arrangement: Best Value for money is unlikely to be achieved.  Spot purchasing, although applicable for the proposed contract, is significantly lower than current Framework and Spot Purchased Post 16 Semi Independent Placement costs. In addition, increasing the use of Semi-Independent providers for CLA and Care Leavers – there would be sourcing challenges around placing many CLA and Care Leavers with Semi-Independent providers. This option will put significant pressure on existing budgets, increase the number of CLA and Care Leavers in high-cost placements and significantly increase the number of young people placed in unregulated provision potentially out of borough in the short term.

None.