Purpose

This report sets out the
outcome of a competitive tender process for the delivery of a
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and
Support Service (SENDIASS) and recommends the award of a five-year
contract to the preferred provider named in Part B of the report.
The contract will commence on 1st July 2025 and cease on 30th June
2030

Content

For
the reasons detailed in the Part A and Part B reports, the
CORPORATE DIRECTOR for Children & Young People
AGREED:
 
To approve the award of a
contract to the preferred provider named in Part B of this report
for the provision of Special Educational Needs
And Disability Information, Advice
And Support Service (SENDIASS)
with a value stated in the part B report.
 
To note that the name of the
successful bidder will be made public after the award decision is
made. 
 

Reasons for the decision

The Council has a contract with
KIDS for the provision of SENDIASS which ends on 30TH
June 2025. On 21st February 2025 CCB approved a proposal
to undertake a competitive tender process to appoint a suitable
provider to deliver SENDIASS services when the current contract
ends (PB-2425-000046-S).  Following
completion of evaluations, the Evaluation Panel recommends the
award of a contract to the preferred provider as named in Part B of
this report, following a robust and compliant procurement process.
The preferred provider submitted the most advantageous tender,
achieving an overall score of 85.58% against a competitive field,
with the second-highest bidder scoring 80.41%.
 
It should be noted that the
above referenced approved Strategy Report cited this tender being
carried out in line with PCR 2015. 
During the period between the approval of the strategy and the
tender being issued, the Procurement Act 23 came into
force.  Therefore, this procurement was
carried out in line with the open procedure and was compliant with
the Procurement Act 23.
 
This recommendation enables the
Council to continue fulfilling its statutory duty under Section 32
of the Children and Families Act 2014, ensuring that impartial
information, advice, and support relating to SEND are available to
children, young people and their families in Croydon.
 
The proposed five-year term,
subject to annual performance reviews, offers the provider the
stability needed to invest in the workforce and infrastructure
necessary to maintain and improve service quality.
 

Alternative options considered

Option

Rationale

Option 1 - Do
Nothing
 (not recommended)

·        
Service delivery would cease upon contract
expiry.
·        
The Council would fail to meet its statutory duty
under the Children and Families Act 2014.
·        
Vulnerable service users could be left without
access to support.
·        
Spot purchasing would be more expensive and
inefficient.
 

Option 2 – Award Contract
Recommended.

This is the recommended option
due to the following:
·        
Reflects the outcome of a fair and transparent
procurement process.
·        
Represents the most economically advantageous
offer.
·        
Complies with procurement regulations and internal
policies.
·        
This is a statutory service. Awarding the contract
will facilitate service continuity and ensure families continue to
receive the support they need.
 

Option 3 – Go back to the market
Not
recommended.
 

This is not recommended due
to:
·        
It is unlikely that retendering the service would
result in a different outcome. The agreed price represents value
for money having been capped for 5 years at 2024/25
prices.
·        
Would delay implementation, increase risk of legal
challenge, and jeopardise continuity.
·        
Would create uncertainty in a statutory service
area.

Option 4 – Extend the current contract
 
Not
Recommended

This is not recommended
as:

No further extensions
are permissible under the current contract terms.
Would breach the
Councils Tenders and Commissioning Regulations
May result in legal
challenge.