Decision

The Assistant Director Housing Services has
decided to award the contract for Direct Contract Award -Floating
Support for Vulnerable Households to the Whitechapel Centre by way
of a direct award for an 8 month term with a contract value of
£179,102.66

Reasons for the decision

‘Floating support’ Services are
visiting support services provided to people in the community. The
support is not linked to a specific building or type of
accommodation and is not normally provided by someone’s
landlord.
Floating support services are for people who need support to live
in their own community-based accommodation. Frequently, floating
support is provided to people who have previously been homeless and
lived in supported accommodation such as a hostel and who will be
moving in to their own flat or house within the community.
Floating support helps people to remain living independently in
their own home. It often helps to prevent people becoming homeless
by either resolving a housing crisis; or ensuring that one
doesn’t develop.
Following a competitive procurement exercise undertaken in 2022,
The Whitechapel Centre is the currently commissioned provider of
the Floating Support Service The current contract is due to expire
on 31st August 2024.
The service provides support to up to 150 people at any one
time.
The direct award of a further 8-month contract to The Whitechapel
Centre will:
•Ensure that vulnerable people, whose accommodation may be in
jeopardy, are able to access appropriate housing-related support
thereby enabling them to sustain their housing and reducing the
volume of homeless presentations;
•Allow for a review of the current delivery model of floating
support; and
•Allow for the undertaking of both appropriate market testing
and a competitive procurement exercise, informed by the review
mentioned above.
The new contract will commence from 1st September 2024, and will
end on 1st May 2025. The value of this contract is
£179,102.66.

Alternative options considered

The alternatives to directly awarding a
8-month contract to The Whitechapel Centre are:
1.Allow the current contract to naturally expire and not
recommission. This is discounted as this would leave the council
without a key contributing resource in reducing levels of homeless
presentations.
2.Begin a competitive procurement exercise immediately without
completing a soft-market test or concluding the review of the
Floating Support Delivery Model. This is discounted as the
conclusion of the Review will ensure that all future commissioning
activity is strategically relevant and based on a robust assessment
of future need.