Decision details

The County Council commissions a range of different accommodation options as part of preparing Young People aged 16 years and over who are looked after for living independently. Accommodation is also provided for other eligible 16+ Young People, such as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. These accommodation services are currently accessed via a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), a mechanism that enables the Council to match a Young Person’s needs with a suitable accommodation provider. The current DPS for 16+ services will expire on 31st March 2022.

In March 2021 the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People approved  the commencement of a procurement process to establish a new  Open Framework (under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 “light touch” regime)  to replace the DPS as the mechanism for sourcing these services; Decision CYP03(20/21) refers.

A competitive procurement exercise has been undertaken in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulation 2015 under the Light Touch Regime. The Council is now in a position to award the places onto the Framework to successful providers.

The Executive Director of Children, Young People and Learning has:-

(1)  Approved the award of places on the West Sussex County Council Framework for Accommodation and Support for Older Looked After Young People and Care Leavers to providers that meet the criteria and standards required, listed in paragraph 2.1 of the report, for an initial period of five (5) years commencing 1^st September 2021. There is an option to extend the Framework for a further two (2) years should the delivery and performance of the Framework be satisfactory. 

None