Decision details

The license for usage of the Low-Income Family Tracker (LIFT) tool, from Policy in Practice, expired on 26 June 2025. The tool has been and continues to be used to proactively identify and target residents who may be eligible for benefits such as Pension Credit but who are not currently claiming.

Oldham Council is using the tool to support a campaign to increase the uptake of a variety of benefits throughout 2025-2026 as outlined in section 1
The annual cost of LIFT is £37,273 per annum, excluding VAT. GMCA agreed to fund our license for 2024-25 retrospectively, subject to successful outcomes. Those outcomes were satisfied, and we are in the process of obtaining that retrospective funding, which amounts to £42,598. We will utilise this funding to cover the license for 2025-26.

Approval is requested to award and enter a 12-month call-off contract with Policy in Practice under the Crown Commercial Services G Cloud 14 RM.1577.14 Framework Agreement.

RESOLVED - That:
To renew the license for usage of LIFT from 27 June 2025 for 12 months via CCS G Cloud 14 Framework RM.1557.14, this will ensure services that currently utilise this application will remain licensed and fully supported, ensuring uninterrupted service continuity.

To renew the license for usage of LIFT from 27 June 2025 for 12 months via CCS G Cloud 14 Framework RM.1557.14, this will ensure services that currently utilise this application will remain licensed and fully supported, ensuring uninterrupted service continuity.

Without LIFT, we would not currently have the capacity or capability to extract the relevant data to deliver a targeted campaign to increase benefit uptake.

Whilst alternative options to LIFT may be available in the marketplace, in addition to the Council building a platform internally, a change to a different platform would require several months of planning, implementation and training, and would not be ready in time to support the current benefit uptake work.

During 2025-2026, we will review whether LIFT meets our requirements or whether a procurement process is required to identify a suitable alternative to enable us to continue to increase benefit uptake in Oldham as part of our commitment to work with a resident focus.

Without LIFT, we would not currently have the capacity or capability to extract the relevant data to deliver a targeted campaign to increase benefit uptake.

Whilst alternative options to LIFT may be available in the marketplace, in addition to the Council building a platform internally, a change to a different platform would require several months of planning, implementation and training, and would not be ready in time to support the current benefit uptake work.

During 2025-2026, we will review whether LIFT meets our requirements or whether a procurement process is required to identify a suitable alternative to enable us to continue to increase benefit uptake in Oldham as part of our commitment to work with a resident focus.

None.