A report of the Interim Director of Social Services reminded Members that on 1 September 2011 the Cabinet had approved the outcome of a tendering exercise for the provision of an assistive technology assessment service and telecare installation, monitoring, maintenance and response service (Minute No. 107 refers).

During the standstill period following the Cabinet, a challenge had been received from one of the unsuccessful providers that suggested the tender documents did not adequately promote fairness and in turn could result in further challenge under the Remedies Directive (2009) which could be subject to financial penalty.

No formal contract discussions had taken place and providers who had submitted a tender had been advised that the Council would not be proceeding any further with this tender.

The current contract had expired on 30 September 2011.  Therefore, it would be necessary to extend the current contract until 31 March 2012 whilst re-tendering took place.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)  the developments relating to the original tender for the provision of an assistive technology assessment service and telecare installation, monitoring, maintenance and response service, in particular not progressing further with the award of the new contract be noted;

(2)  re-tendering (using an OJEU accelerated procedure) for the provision of an assistive technology assessment service and telecare installation, monitoring, maintenance and response service be approved following suitable revisions to the specification and documents that would provide continuity of service for vulnerable people and promotion of fair competition and value for money from the process; and

(3)  the extension of the existing contract to 31 March 2012 which will allow for the re-tendering exercise to be completed and provide for a suitable handover period, be approved.

A report by the Interim Director of Social Services outlined the recent tendering exercise for the provision of an Assistive Technology assessment service and Telecare installation, monitoring, maintenance and response service.  Based on the outcomes of this tendering exercise, the report included a recommendation for the provider of this service and sought approval from the Cabinet to proceed to implementing the contract.

Members noted that Assistive Technology, which included Telecare, frequently used simple and discreet technology to help individuals live safely and independently in their own home, whilst also providing carer support.  An individual’s needs were assessed, resulting in a personalised support package, consisting of tailored equipment and a detailed plan of what action to take should an alert be triggered.  Assistance was available to individuals 24 hours a day, 365 days a year via connection to a monitoring/response centre.

The Director reported that as from July 2011, there were over 3,800 people in Wirral being supported by this service, with this figure projected to rise to over 4,000 by October 2011 and over 4,600 by April 2012. The vast majority of these individuals were older people.

Wirral Assistive Technology service provision was via a contract with Seniorlink Eldercare.  The contract had commenced in April 2008 and was due to continue until October 2011.  The contract had been significantly varied since 2008 to reflect continued development of this innovative service.  Due to such developments, the advice from the Council’s Legal Services was that these variations were so significant, in terms of scope and value of resultant activity, that it was necessary to re-tender the service.

Details of the evaluation for the tenders received, including identification of the provider which evaluated highest overall was contained within exempt Appendix 1 (Minute No. 111 refers).  This information was exempt under paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) as the information was considered to be commercially sensitive as it would be likely to prejudice the commercial interest of the successful tenderer and the public interest in not disclosing the information outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.

The budget for this service for 2011/2012 was £1,530,300 (including costs of equipment).  This included £174,000 from NHS Wirral (£84,500 yet to be confirmed from October 2011).

The Director informed that existing costs for the elements of the service of assessment, installation, maintenance of equipment, review, monitoring and response (excluding cost of equipment), had been compared to the proposed costs provided within this procurement exercise, and in almost all aspects there had been a notable reduction.  Overall, the costs for the new contract could be seen to represent significantly improved value for money compared to current costs for the same levels of activity.  However, it was noted that the original contract had been awarded in 2008, following a tendering exercise, when it was identified as the most economically advantageous at that time.  The current tariff reflected the growth of this market and the increase in competition.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 107