Decision details

Direct awards are sought for two public health contracts to allow for staggered procurements to take place and contratcs to be in place between the council and provider for short periods up to 31 March 23 and 30 June 23. The contracts cover sexual health service for young people, and sexual health outreach and advisory service for adults.

1.    It is recommended that the Council enters into contracts with the following providers for the periods as set out in table 1 below: effective from 1st April 2023 to 30^th September for the young people’s substance misuse and sexual health service; and 1^st April 2023 to 31^st March 2024 for the sexual health outreach and advisory service for adults. The total value of the contracts will be £465,497 and will be funded from the ringfenced Public Health grant.

2.    It is further recommended that the Council notes payment to the following providers for the periods set out in table 1 below, from 1st October 2022 to 31^st March 2023.  The total value of the payments is £282,497, also funded from the ringfenced Public Health grant.

H&F has a statutory duty to provide elements of these services as part of its public health functions under the Local Authorities (Public Health Functions and Entry to Premises by Local Healthwatch Representatives) Regulations 2013.

Direct wards are sought in order to ensure the continuation of vital services until the proposed tenders are completed

Substance misuse support promotes resident’s wider wellbeing which reduces costs to other service areas. Sexual health promotion and advisory services provide a range of social and economic benefits which include reducing the need for more costly acute Genito-Urinary Medicine services. Ensuring the continuation of these services will ensure that there are no gaps in support provided to residents, some of which are the boroughs most at risk.

These direct awards are sought in order to ensure the continuation of these vital services, which are accessed by some of the most vulnerable residents, and until the on-going procurement exercises are completed.

Do nothing is not a viable option as the current contracts expired on 30 September 2022.