Interim contract for the delivery of 16+ supported accommodation service in the South of the County

Description

The Council's current contract for the provision of 16+ Supported Accommodation service operating in the Locality (as defined below) expired on 31 July 2022. The Council has awarded new contracts for the provision of 16+ Supported Accommodation service in the Locality which commenced on the 1 August 2022, but the Council was unable to award all contracts during the original procurement exercise and a second procurement exercise commenced in February 2022 and resulted in the award of contracts for all but one of the services. However, the acquisition or development of accommodation to fulfil the requirements of the specification will take some time and as a result an interim contract was required to avoid a gap in provision for looked after children and care leavers in the south of the County (Gedling, Broxtowe and Rushcliffe) and Ashfield. The Council intends to create additional capacity to fill the gap in service between 1 August 2022 and the new service commencement date, through the development of an interim solution whilst the implementation phase of the new service is completed. Framework Housing Association (FHA) is currently awarded an interim contract (due to expire 31st March 2026) to deliver 16+ supported accommodation service in the South of the County whilst the successful provider sources appropriate accommodation. There have been ongoing delays in the building of the new accommodation meaning that it will now not be ready until summer 2027. Therefore to ensure continuity of support for looked after children and care leavers and to ensure the County Council is meeting its statutory duties we are looking to provide FHA with a further direct award (1st April 2026 to 31st July 2027) to carry on this interim provision.