Decision details

A decision taken on agreements between Lancashire Child and Youth Justice Service (CYJS) and Lancashire South Cumbria Foundation Trust (LSCFT) and Blackpool Teaching Hospitals (BTH) for the provision of speech and language support.

Lancashire Child and Youth Justice Service (CYJS) is a multi-agency partnership incorporating statutory partners from the Local Authority (including education), police, health, and probation. As part of this, CYJS procure the services of Speech and Language Therapists, contracted for a set number of hours, to provide expedient pathways into speech and language support for children open to the service.

A decision has been taken, following advice from procurement and commissioning services in LCC, to procure a directly awarded purchase order with two providers: Lancashire South Cumbria Foundation Trust (LSCFT – for the South Central and East areas of Lancashire) and Blackpool Teaching Hospitals (BTH – for the North areas of Lancashire).

This decision was taken due to:

·  Current service operating well

·  It is a specialist health service with interconnection with other related health services.

·  Low value

·  Few/if any suppliers in the market

·  Ongoing review which could cause potential disruption to current provision.

·  Would be a short-term contract resulting in potential lower attraction to wider market.

·  Possibility of a break in service between the contract end date at present and the time taken to continue with a 3-quote process, potential to be detrimental to delivery of services.

Louise Anderson, Director of Children's Social Care, took the decision to approve the agreement for services to be procured by way of a directly awarded purchase order.