Issue - meetings

Matthew Cole, Director of Public Health, presented the report on the commissioning of comprehensive open-access, accessible and confidential contraceptive and sexually transmitted infections testing and treatment services for all age groups.  A tri-borough procurement for the services for the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge and Havering, had been commenced in January 2014 but this was abandoned as the two bids received were substantially beyond the respective budget of the three councils.  The subsequent tri borough negotiated procedure also had to be discontinued as all parties could not reach agreement on financial grounds.  The three boroughs then agreed to negotiate individually a new contract with the current providers and to issue separate borough-based contracts for the provision of the services, the details of which were set out in the report.

The Board discussed the difficulties of tendering when there was a limited market of providers, the learning that had been obtained from the process and the difference between the Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) and Terrence Higgins Trust Services.  The Board also noted that initially it had been intended to include the Chlamydia Screening Coordination Services, however, BHRUT had indicated that it did not wish to provide the services and Chlamydia Screening Coordination Services would now be part of the Primary Care public health services procurement.

The Board:

(i)  Waived the requirement to tender, in accordance with the Council’s Contract Rules; and

(ii)  Delegated authority to the Corporate Director for Adult and Community Services, in consultation with the Director of Public Health, Chief Finance Officer and the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, to approve:

(a)  The direct award of a one year contract, for the period 1 October 2015 to 30 September 2016, with the option to extend for a further two year period on an annual basis, to Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust for the provision of an Integrated Sexual Health Service; and

(b)  A six month contract extension to Terrence Higgins Trust, for the period 1 October 2015 to 31 March 2016, to cover the notice period for the provision of the Chlamydia Screening Coordination Service, in accordance with the strategy set out in the report.