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Published Delegated Executive Decisions

Welcome. This system contains information about published delegated executive decisions, including exemptions.

Decision Number: 0017 2016/17

Executive Portfolio:
Growth (Including Planning)
Decision Number:
0017 2016/17
Exempt / Confidential Item:
No
Ward(s) Affected:
All Wards
Declarations of Interest Received:
None
Title:
Award of contract for a Young Persons Engagement Service (part of ESF Ways To Work programme)
Summary of Decision:
To award a 12 month contract for a Young Persons Engagement Service (part of ESF Ways To Work programme) to Career Connect
Proposed Decision:
After a full quality/price open tender process, to award the contract for the Young Persons Engagement Service to Career Connect Ltd. The process was coordinated via the Economic Development team, working closely with the Procurement team and the Post-16 Learning & Skills team. The Post-16 Learning & Skills team will manage this contract from a service perspective; Economic Development from a funding and contract management perspective. The purpose of this service is to increase the engagement through information, advice and guidance of young people from vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds who require additional support to access learning and employment opportunities. In particular this may include but it is not limited to those who are care leavers, teenage parents, young offenders or those who have learning difficulties and / or disabilities. The service will reflect localised needs and requirements and will work closely with local authority teams and other agencies supporting these young people. The service will be an integral part of the ESF-funded Liverpool City Region Ways To Work programme, and will be part of the programme's match funding. Therefore the Supplier will also be bound by ESF regulations A similar, larger-scale service has been delivered on behalf of the Council for the past 24 months by Career Connect. A new procurement of the service was deemed necessary because (a) the contract budget had significantly shrunk by approximately 50% and (b) the contract budget was not eligible for ESF match purposes. This contract is for 12 months. The possibility of either re-procuring for a further 12 months or taking the service in-house will be evaluated during this contract period. The ESF Ways To Work programme was signed off via DED 222 2015/16.
Summary of Reason for Decision:
Following a full tender submission and evaluation, Career Connect were deemed to offer the best value for money and quality.
Reason for Decision:
The tender was via Open Procedure and was advertised on the Chest. Two bids were received on 6 June. The responses were scored per element as follows: · Tender Response Document (Quality Element) – 60% · Pricing Schedule / Budget (Cost Element) – 20% · Interview/presentation – 20% The reason the cost element is relatively low percentage is that the contract is offered at a fixed price of £150k, so differentiating on cost is not straightforward. The overall scoring is detailed in the attached evaluation document. Career Connect scored the higher and therefore should be awarded the contract.
Risks Associated with this Decision:
The main risk is the possibility of non-compliance with ESF contract conditions (which are typically onerous for ESF funding). This could lead to exposure to financial clawback risk for the Council.
Measures to Redress Risk:
Measures being taken to mitigate this include: (i) The Council’s Economic Development team are managing the programme for the Council – ED staff are highly experienced in delivering EU-funded programmes. (ii) Additional programme support staff are being recruited on time-limited contracts for the duration of the programme to ensure full compliance and successful delivery of outputs, outcomes and financial requirements. (iii) The Combined Authority has put in place a centralised compliance team to support local authorities in delivering the programme.
Anti Poverty / Human Rights / Agenda 21 Implications:
Attachments:
Please Contact Steve Berlyne - Ext 1750 for more details.