Issue - meetings

Gateway 1 Procurement Commencement: Special Educational Needs Transport Contracts 2013-2014

 

 

Meeting: 11/06/2013 - Cabinet (Item 8)

8 Gateway 1 Procurement Commencement: Special Education Needs Transport Contracts 2013-14 pdf icon PDF 57 KB

Minutes:

Background:

 

This report sought permission to commence a new commissioning strategy for the procurement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) Transport contracts. The report included a review of current service provision and it was proposed that procurement for this contract be through an area based contract procurement.

 

The Gateway 1 report had been approved for submission to Cabinet after review and discussion at Corporate Management Team. The Procurement Board had also considered this report on 22 May 2013 and supported the recommendations.

 

An exempt appendix contained key information in respect of finance and whole life costings.

 

The exempt appendix also included details of a number of contracts ending in July 2013 it was proposed to extend.

 

Decision number:

Decision:

100/2013

The Cabinet agreed the proposed procurement strategy at option 3.10.2 in the report and the commencement of the proposed process for recommissioning this service.

101/2013

The Cabinet agreed to delegate authority to the Assistant Director Legal and Corporate Services, in consultation with  the Portfolio Holders for Children’s Services and Front Line Services and appropriate officers in SEN and Integrated Transport, for the extension of relevant existing SEN transport contracts concluding in July 2013.

 

Reasons:

 

The commissioning strategy provides an opportunity to increase both the quality of service provision and the cost efficiency of service for SEN home to school transport. One specific transport operator for each school site, or geographic grouping of smaller school sites, will allow for a more consistent and informed service. The decision will also improve the communication and relationship between school sites, their operators, and the Council’s SEN and Transport teams. A renewed commissioning strategy provides an opportunity to review and rework the SEN transport service specification, incorporating current service requirements such as required length of journey for specific passengers (wheelchair and non-wheelchair), with improved specification conditions.

 

In addition, it is anticipated that an operator will be able to provide better overall service value when undertaking all transport to a specific school site as opposed to smaller individual route contracts as currently.