Issue - meetings
Procurement of Advocacy Provision
Meeting: 29/07/2021 - Cabinet (Item 33)
33 Procurement of Advocacy provision 
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Report of the Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Health.
Minutes:
The Cabinet considered the report of the Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Health in relation to the procurement of an integrated Sefton advocacy hub with a lead provider that will provide a single point of access to service users and referrers but still provide essential specialist provision to people who feel excluded from mainstream services.
Decision Made: That:
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(1) |
the Executive Director of Social Care and Health be authorised to conduct a Light Touch regime open procurement exercise for an Integrated Sefton Advocacy Hub with an initial contract term of three years that will incorporate both statutory and non-statutory advocacy provision to commence from the 1st January 2022, with the option to further extend for a period of up to two years (either as a single extension or via two separate twelve-month extensions) subject to satisfactory performance of the successful supplier and the required budget being available, be approved:
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(2) |
the Executive Director of Social Care and Health in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care be granted delegated authority to make decisions with regards to the procurement process, service specification and tender evaluation criteria, be approved;
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(3) |
the Executive Director of Social Care and Health in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care be granted delegated authority to award the contract and any permitted extensions thereof, beyond the initial three-year contract period, be approved; and
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(4) |
the Executive Director of Social Care and Health in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care be granted delegated authority to increase the contract value if necessary following successful award, due to the unknown impact of the implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards, be approved. |
Reasons for the Decisions:
This new service model reflects the key priorities identified within the Integrated Commissioning Work Plan, which is to commission joined up Social Care and Health services with streamlined pathways that improve the service user / patient journey by providing efficient and effective service provision at place.
The commissioning of an Integrated Sefton Advocacy Hub also meets the requirements of the Care Act 2014, which states that individuals accessing advocacy services should have consistency with the advocate supporting them through their journey. It states that if an individual’s needs change the advocate should be skilled to continue to support the person and not be signposted to another service where they are not known.
The new service model will underpin Sefton’s Advocacy Strategy for the next 3-5 years and reflects the aims and vision of the Council’s New Realities Agreement which outlines our commitment to working in partnership with the Voluntary, Community and Faith sector.
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:
To do nothing in terms of maintaining the current service delivery arrangements has been considered, but on the basis of being able to develop services further and achieve greater system wide efficiencies, as well as improved experiences for users of advocacy services this option is not recommended.
There are potential TUPE implications that will need ... view the full minutes text for item 33