Agenda item

Report ACH22-020

The Committee considered a report seeking Executive approval to commence the procurement of the learning disability supported living service in accordance with the arrangements set out in the report to enable the commencement of a new contract on 6^th March 2023. It was noted that the report should be read in conjunction with the Part Two report ‘Gateway 1: Supported Living at Padua Road, Bromley Road and Brosse Way’.

The Council had a number of contracts to provide care and support into learning disability supported living services in the borough. The current contract was awarded to Southside Partnership (also known as Certitude) by the Executive on 28^th May 2018 for a period of 5 years commencing on 3^rd September 2018 with the option to extend for a further period of 2 years from 3^rd September 2023 until 2^nd September 2025. As detailed in the Part Two report, the provider had requested that they hand over the service prior to the end of the contract period and commissioners were proposing to commence the retendering of these services.

The Chairman asked for clarification of the acronym CLDT. The Head of Complex and Long-Term Commissioning advised that this stood for the Community Learning Disability Team which was the care management/social worker element supporting those with learning disabilities.

A Member noted the procurement timetable provided in paragraph 10.6 of the report and questioned if the timescales allocated for the process were realistic. The Head of Complex and Long-Term Commissioning confirmed that sufficient time had been provided for bids to be submitted and evaluated prior to the contract being awarded in November 2022. In response to a further question, the Head of Complex and Long-Term Commissioning advised that a recent tender exercise for similar services had attracted 25 bids.

In response to a question, the Head of Complex and Long-Term Commissioning advised that the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were in line with those previously agreed, and had been updated slightly following a large tender process, undertaken at the end of last year. A Member noted that KPIs were in place to ensure that a provider delivered the required service. It was considered that if there were fewer and more targeted KPIs, it would allow providers to spend more time focusing on delivering the service to residents. The Director of Adult Social Care said that the KPIs had been included to take forward the views of the Committee, as officers had previously been criticised for not proving them in their reports. The KPIs were written to reflect what the Council wanted from a contract, and would therefore differ from one contract to another.

Another Member enquired if it was usual for a contract to have 20 KPIs that were measured on a quarterly basis. The Assistant Director for Strategy, Performance and Corporate Transformation advised that each contract would have a different number of KPIs, with the proportion usually based on its cost or value, and were monitored at least quarterly to ensure providers were on track to deliver. It was noted that officers had spoken with providers during the market testing to understand what was achievable. The Head of Complex and Long-Term Commissioning highlighted that there were a number of contracts in place using the KPI system, and once indicators were established it was straightforward for providers to produce performance updates.

The Assistant Director for Strategy, Performance and Corporate Transformation suggested that the KPIs be discussed in further detail following the meeting.

In considering the recommendation to the Executive outlined in the report, a Member suggested that it be subject to comments relating to KPIs being taken on board following the meeting.

RESOLVED that the Executive be recommended to agree the commencement of a tender process for the contract of care and support into 3 supported living services for an initial period of 4 years, from 6^th March 2023 to 5^th March 2027, with the option to extend for a further period of up to 4 years from 6^th March 2027 to 5^th March 2031 at an estimated contract value as detailed in the Part Two report.