Decision details

Provision of Social Care Temporary Agency Staff - AUG16/CMDN/48

Decision Maker: Cabinet Member for Resources

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

The Cabinet Member approved:

 

1.   The authorisation of the award of a Framework Agreement for the provision of Social Care Temporary Agency Workers for a period of three years, to run from 30 August 2016 until 30 August 2019 with an option to extend for a period of up to twelve months at the Council’s discretion.  The total value of the contract is estimated at £12 million, approximately £3 million per year.

 

2.   That Temporary Agency Workers will be provided by the following contractors in respect of the categories listed under the Framework Agreement:

 

CONTRACTOR

Category

Kent County Trading Limited (Trading As Connect2Staff)

Sanctuary Personnel Limited

HCL Social Care Limited

Eden Brown Limited (Trading As Eden Brown Synergy)

Liquid Personnel

Badenoch and Clark

iPeople Solutions Limited

Maxxima Limited

 

Lot 1

Social Care Specialists

 

BS Social Care

 

Lot 2

Children’s Residential Workers

 

Cardea Resourcing Limited

Caritas Recruitment Limited

Service  Care Solutions Limited

Medacs Healthcare Plc

 

Lot 3

Social Care Specialists and Children’s Residential Workers

 

 

 

Reasons for the decision:

The new framework will ensure a range of essential social care services can be delivered by the Council and benefits of the new framework agreement include:

 

i.              Standardisation of the pay rates in relation to the specialist social care categories and skills requirements.

ii.             Reduced cost having each category provider contracted to the framework.

iii.            Better control of spend and clearer management information from each contractor.

iv.           Provision of temporary resources that meets the council’s requirements and expectations first time every time, reducing the level of poor performance.

v.            Improved management information supplied by the framework contractors on a monthly basis enabling better contract management and identification of savings and service improvement.

vi.           A more efficient and responsive ordering and hiring process.  Call off from the framework will be subject to approval for each call-off contract. The process will comply with the Framework Agreement terms and current regulations.  The hiring managers must justify the use of temporary agency workers before any purchase orders can be raised.

vii.          The Council is not liable for a minimum order with any contractor on the framework.

 

            The successful tenderers have individually demonstrated their ability to support and deliver these benefits.

 

Alternative options considered:

To do nothing, however this was rejected on the basis that the Council is required to maintain the continuity of the service, for reasons outlined within this report.  Approval will enable the framework of contractors to provide capacity to meet the needs and requirements within the Communities Directorate for experienced and quality social care temporary agency workers and ensure the Council continues to be deliver and support key services.

 

            To call-off from an existing government framework agreement.  The Council could have called-off this requirement through other framework agreements, however those identified have not included the range of staffing roles needed by the Council and have also involved an additional fee to use the framework.  This did not include the suppliers fees and therefore this additional cost offered no added value and did not demonstrate value for money as the Council would still need to monitor and manage the contract usage.

 

Interests and Nature of Interests Declared:

None

Background Documents:

None

Publication date: 16/08/2016

Date of decision: 16/08/2016

Effective from: 20/08/2016

Accompanying Documents: