Decision details

13/03/23/NYCC - A waiver of contract procedure rules was signed by Barry Khan and Gary Fielding that started a seamless contract award was possible to ensure the continuation of an inactive individuals support programme through Better Connect.

The recommendation was to award a contract to Better Connect for a period of 12 months only to provide the management and coordination of the Action Towards Inclusion VCS partnership of providers to ensure this service and VCS delivery organisations is not at risk from the withdrawal of ESF funding and can continue delivering key worker and wrap around employability support to inactive individuals across North Yorkshire.

This decision has allowed for the continuation of the programme to ensure client and sub-providers were able to continue with their service and support - continue with excellent outcome result and performance.

Better Connect were awarded the contract on the understanding that the existing 20 providers through which the work was sub-contracted and delivered, would continue/develop their work for existing and new clients over the course of the 12 months (23/24).

Better Connect’s (through an agreed and fixed fee) role has expanded to include:
- Acting as the accountable body for the programme
- Partnership profiling and development
- Grant criteria, monitoring form and evaluation development
- Delivery of partner training workshops
- Ongoing partner support and performance management
- Programme marketing and promotion
- Monitoring and financial paperwork verification
- Financial claims processing
- Partner payment calculations
- Internal and external audit management
- Programme storage and archive
- Strategic liaison with funders and stakeholders
The value of the contract with Better Connect is: £210,068

To enable Better Connect to continue with a seamless delivery of the Action Towards Inclusion VCS Partnership and the programme of projects previously funded through the European Social Fund programme (funding ended March 23). This reflects the waiver signed by Barry Khan and Gary Fielding in March 23.

• Full procurement of the contract would have resulted in a number of sub-providers (including our preferred and existing managing agent) having a loss of service to the end-user.
• Loss of highly trained staff would have put the swift continuation of service at risk.
• Risk of procuring a service without thorough/rigorous evaluation of existing provision of the out-going ESF provision.