Decision details

That the Cabinet notes the urgent action taken by the Chief Executive to approve an exception to the County Council’s Contract Procedure Rules to enable the Director of Children and Family Services to negotiate and award a new short-term contract to Prospects for the provision of careers information, advice and guidance (IAG) for 16 to 19 year olds from 1 October 2017 to 31 July 2018.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

The budget for IAG services will reduce from October 2017 and a new service specification needs to be developed for procurement in 2018.  The award of a new short-term contract to Prospects (which has successfully delivered IAG services since October 2012) will allow time to do this.  As the budget reduction will affect Prospects swift negotiations were necessary to enable a new short-term contract to be awarded in time.  

The County Council’s Contract Procedure Rules (Rule 6 (b) (ii)), in cases of urgency, provide that the Chief Executive, following consultation with the Leader or Deputy Leader, can direct that an exception be made subject to this being reported to the next meeting of the Cabinet.  Urgent action was therefore taken by the Chief Executive in March 2017 to enable the negotiations to take place.