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 In Work
Progression service, 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
(£)

£208,931 full project

Existing Contract Term

O1/01/2024 – 31/03/2026

Extension Period

01/10/2024 – 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 In Work Progression service in
Salford is part of a new GM In Work
Progression Service which aims to tackle rising levels of in-work
poverty in GM, by supporting residents who are in work and within a
low-income household to progress into more skilled and/ or better
paid work or increase their hours of work.
 
Given the alignment of the delivery principles of the
In Work Progression service with the scope and ambition of
the Integrated
Information, Advice and Guidance for Adults and Employer Brokerage
Support Service (now branded as Salford Employment Hub),
 together with
the short timescales available to mobilise the new service, it is
in the best interests of the City Council 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 In Work Progression core service
– this was not deemed possible because of the need for staff
to have specialist Information, Advice and
Guidance (IAG) qualifications. However the core IAG service is part
of a wider proposed Salford In Work Progression delivery model
which includes additional capacity into the co-ordination, support,
outreach and engagement capacity within the City
Council.
 
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 In Work
Progression funding will provide an enhanced service for employed
residents in low income households within Salford. 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 2 year delivery period.
 
The
source of funding is:
GMCA reserves
(£208,931) 
 
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.
 
The following documents have
been used to assist the decision process:
·     
Approval to Award the Contract for an
Integrated
Information, Advice and Guidance for Adults and Employer Brokerage
Support Service – Report to Procurement
Board on 13th September 2023.
·     
In – Work Progression Programme – Report
to the Lead Member for Skills & Work and Business Support
Services on 11th September 2024.
 
Contact Officer:
·     
Alison Burnett, Head of Skills and Work:
0161 793 2535
·     
Angela Arthur, Commissioning Manager:
0161 793 3408
 
·     
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:
   14 October
2024.
           
   Lead Member
 

FOR DEMOCRATIC SERVICES USE ONLY
 
*          
This decision was published on 14 October 2024
*          
This decision will come in force at 4.00 p.m. on 21 October 2024
unless it is called-in in accordance with the Decision Making Process Rules.