Issue - meetings

Report CS17052

The Care Services Portfolio Holder introduced a report setting out the position with regards to the provision of a Hearing Impairment Resource Centre in Bromley and making recommendations for when the existing service contract expired in March 2017.

The Hearing Impairment Resource Centre was currently provided by Deaf Access which worked to deliver a range of support including information and advice, and specific support groups including a parent and toddler group.  The service also hosted a Local Authority employed Technical Officer post as part of its contract to undertake a range of functions including community care assessment and care planning, the provision of equipment and onward referral.  This service had previously been commissioned from Deaf Access via waiver due to its specialist nature and the existing contract was for the one year period 1^st April 2016 to 31^st March 2017 and had a total contract value of £48,718, which was topped up by Deaf Access by £25k.

In considering the future delivery of this service, it had been identified that Deaf Access was the only organisation identified as having the level of specialist skills and experience, infrastructure and local knowledge required to provide the wide range of support services to people with hearing impairments in Bromley.  Reductions of 10% and 16.5% had been negotiated, respectively for the 2012/13 and 2013/14 contract periods and no increase had been awarded for 2014/15, 2015/16 or 2016/17 with no reduction in service quality.  Deaf Access also provided a significant subsidy on top of the contract value which, together with the use of volunteers to deliver some services, made it unlikely that another provider could match the value for money currently provided.  It was proposed that a further extension to the contract be agreed from 1^st April 2017 to 31^st March 2018 for a one year period, and that market testing using a light-touch procurement regime be undertaken during the contract period to establish the best value option for future service delivery.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to:

1)  Agree an exemption to tender the contract due to the specialist nature of the service and current value for money arrangements to put a contract in place with Deaf Access from 1^st April 2017 to 31^st March 2018 for a period of one year; and,

2)  Agree to carry out market testing using a light-touch procurement regime during the contract period to establish the best value option for the future delivery of this service.