Content

Salford City Council – Record of
Decision
 
I Councillor Youd, Lead Member
for Finance and Support Services and chairman of the Procurement
Board, in exercise of the powers contained within the
Council Constitution
do hereby:
 
·     
approve the extension of the
contract for the Integrated Information, Advice and Guidance for Adults and
Employer Brokerage Support Service in order to
deliver the
Economic Inactivity Trailblazer, as detailed in the table
below:
 

Detail required

Answers

Contract Reference

Title/Description of Contracted
Service/Supply/Project

Integrated Information, Advice
and Guidance for Adults and Employer Brokerage Support
Service
 

Name of Contractor

Economic Solutions Ltd t/a Manchester Growth
Company

Type of organisation

(to be supplied by Corporate
Procurement)

Other

Status of Organisation

(to be supplied by Corporate
Procurement)

Non-SME

Value of Contract Variation
(£)

£240,000 full project

Existing Contract Term

O1/01/2024 – 31/03/2026

Extension Period

01/04/2025 – 31/03/2026

Contact Officer (Name &
number)

Alison Burnett: 0161 793 2535

Lead Service Group

Place

Funding Source

Grant

Ethical Contractor (EC): Mayor’s
Employment Charter

EC: Committed to sign the
Charter

EC: Accredited Living Wage
Employer

 
The
reasons are:
The Greater Manchester (GM) Economic Inactivity
Trailblazer is one of eight national trailblazers, which has been
announced by the Government to support residents who are
not economically active (people of working age who
are not in work or not seeking work, usually due to a health
condition) to progress towards  or into
employment. The trailblazer is also expected to embed the
principles of Live Well in its approach
and in Salford is part of our Community Solutions Innovate
programme.
 
In
February 2025, Salford submitted an Economic Inactivity proposal to
GMCA. This proposed a delivery model 
which sought to add value to pan GM activity, as well as specific
interventions to maximise the funding available. A core element of
the service model (£240,000) sought to
buildon the Integrated
Information, Advice and Guidance and Employment Brokerage service
contract  (now branded as Salford
Employment Hub) which the City Council commissioned in summer 2023
and went ‘live’ in January 2024 in order to provide a
key worker service.
 
Given the alignment of the delivery principles of the
Economic Inactivity Trailblazer  with
the scope and ambition of the Salford Employment Hub, together with
the short timescales available to mobilise the new service, it is
in the best interests of the City Council (and will deliver best
value) to vary the existing Salford Employment Hub contract to
deliver the core elements of the service.
 
Options
considered and rejected were:
In-house delivery of the Economic Inactivity key worker service
– this was not deemed possible because of the need for staff
to have specialist Information, Advice and
Guidance (IAG) qualifications.
 
A
competitive open tender exercise - this was not deemed possible
because of the short lead times for mobilising the new service, the
potential for increased costs through a stand-alone service and
potential for confusion for residents and lack of connectivity with
the core Salford Employment Hub service.
 
Assessment of risk:
The
extremely tight timescales for the Economic Inactivity Trailblazer
present significant risks for the development, delivery and
evaluation of these proposals.
 
Any delays in
agreeing the proposed delivery model will impact on our ability to
meet the targets and outcomes described for this service over the
agreed one  year delivery
period.
 
The
source of funding is:
Department of Work and Pensions
(DWP) via GMCA (£240,000).
 
Legal advice obtained:Yes – supplied by The Shared
Legal Service (Tony Hatton).
 
Financial advice obtained:Yes – supplied by Luba
Velychko Accountant, Place Directorate.
 
Procurement advice obtained: Yes
– supplied by Emma Heyes, Procurement Team.
 
HR advice obtained: N/A
 
Climate change implications obtained: Yes – supplied in consultation with Mike Hemingway,
Environment Policy Team, for the original contract.
 
Documents used:
·     
Approval to Award the Contract for an
Integrated
Information, Advice and Guidance for Adults and Employer Brokerage
Support Service – Report to Procurement
Board on 13 September 2023.
·     
Economic Inactivity Trailblazer – Report to
the Lead Member for Skills & Work and Business Support Services
on 26 March 2025.
·     
Economic Inactivity Trailblazer – Report to
Corporate Management Team on 16 April 2025.
·     
Economic Inactivity Trailblazer – Report to
the Lead Member for Skills & Work and Business Support Services
on 16 April 2025.
 
Contact details/ Officer:     
·     
Mat Ainsworth, Director of Skills, Work and
Inclusive Economy: 07855 972257.
·     
Alison Burnett, Head of Skills and Work:
0161 793 2535.
 
Please delete from the bullets
below any which are not relevant:
·     
This matter is also subject to consideration by the
Lead Member for Skills & Work, Business and Workforce.
·     
The Lead Member has been consulted and is supportive
of the proposed contract.
·     
This matter is not subject to consideration by
another Lead Member.
·     
The appropriate Scrutiny Committee to call-in the
decision is Community and Neighbourhoods.
 
 

Signed:    Cllr J
Youd          Dated:
  28 April
2025.
           
    Lead Member
 

FOR DEMOCRATIC SERVICES USE
ONLY:
 
*          
This decision was published on 28 April 2025
*          
This decision will come in force at 4.00 p.m. on 6 May 2025
unless it is called-in in
accordance with the Decision Making
Process Rules.