Decision details

On the 4th of March 2025, the council received confirmation of £376,200 funding from GMCA, enabling the ABEN Service to extend its reach until the 31st of March 2026, encompassing an additional four bed spaces.
The most recent contract in place for the provision of the ABEN Service expired on 31st of March 2025, and there was insufficient time after the GMCA grant notification to seek approval to modify the term of the contract and implement any agreed variations prior to the contract’s expiry.

RESOLVED - That:
1.
(recommended)
Part A: approve an exemption in respect of rule 4 of the Contract Procurement Rules by utilising rule 21 of the CPRs, and
Part B: Subject to approval of the recommendation under Part A of Option
1, that the Delegated Officer for Part B approves:
(a) the direct award of and enter into a new contract with DePaul UK for the provision of ABEN Service from 1st of April 2025 to 31st March 2026 at a value of £245,000 (this includes a £15,000 uplift for National Insurance and Real Living Wage increases).
(b) an underlease of the building at 10 Sharples Hall Street and any other necessary units to DePaul UK from 31st of March 2025 to 28th of February 2026, aligning with the council head lease's expiration on 5th of April 2026.
(c) the augmentation of the scope of the recently expired contract by incorporating four more bed spaces into the specification for the proposed contract, elevating the total ABEN spaces to 33. This expansion demonstrates the commitment to supporting the Councils commitment to ending rough sleeping and enhancing accommodation options for those in need.

Option 1 -
Part A: approve an exemption in respect of rule 4 of the Contract Procurement Rules by utilising rule 21 of the CPRs, and
Part B: Subject to approval of the recommendation under Part A of Option 1, that the Delegated Officer for Part B approves:
(a)
the direct award of and enter into a new contract with DePaul UK for the provision of ABEN Service from 1st of April 2025 to 31st March 2026 at a value of £245,000 (this includes a £15,000 uplift for National Insurance and Real Living Wage increases).
(b)
an underlease of the building at 10 Sharples Hall Street and any other necessary units to DePaul UK from 31st of March 2025 to 28th of February 2026, aligning with the council head lease's expiration on 5th of April 2026.
(c)
the augmentation of the scope of the recently expired contract by incorporating four more bed spaces into the specification for the proposed contract, elevating the total ABEN spaces to 33. This expansion demonstrates the commitment to supporting the Councils commitment to ending rough sleeping and enhancing accommodation options for those in need.
Option 2 -
Do not approve the proposed exemption under rule 21 of the CPRs, end the external delivery of the ABEN Service and deliver the service in-house (Not Recommended): This would cause instability for the residents, and the Council also does not have the staffing capacity to deliver in-house and would have to rely on agency staff at additional cost. There would be a significant gap in service whilst the council re-procured the services.
Option 3 -
Do Nothing (Not Recommended): Ceasing to deliver ABEN would cause reputational damage to the Council and increase rough sleeping in the Borough, which would also go against the Council’s own Ending Rough Sleeping Plan and directives from MHCLG.

Option 2 -
Do not approve the proposed exemption under rule 21 of the CPRs, end the external delivery of the ABEN Service and deliver the service in-house (Not Recommended): This would cause instability for the residents, and the Council also does not have the staffing capacity to deliver in-house and would have to rely on agency staff at additional cost. There would be a significant gap in service whilst the council re-procured the services.
Option 3 -
Do Nothing (Not Recommended): Ceasing to deliver ABEN would cause reputational damage to the Council and increase rough sleeping in the Borough, which would also go against the Council’s own Ending Rough Sleeping Plan and directives from MHCLG.

No conflict of interest declared