Provision of Mediation Sevices for MOD

Location

Hertfordshire

Description

Mediation services for MOD personnel

Total Quantity or Scope

Amendment to existing contract to extend from an original expiry date of 14.9.21 to 13.6.22

Award Detail

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 79630000 - Personnel services except placement and supply services

Legal Justification

The Authority placed a Contract in September 2016 for the outsourcing of Mediation services for personal in disagreement with MOD. The Contract was let with a value of £600K with an expiry date of September 2020 and was amended to expire on 13th September 2021. Due to a number of pressing priorities, the MOD has been unable to support a new competitive procurement exercise intended to have a new contract in place by 14th September 2021 and is only now able to consider procurement activity for a new contract. However, a gap in the provision of this service cannot be accommodated and therefore the current contract requires to be extended for a further 9 months until end of June 2022. It is considered that this further amendment can be accommodated through Regulation 32 on the basis that competition is absent for technical reasons. The current Contract is with Conflict Management to deliver mediation services and training, to MOD, and is due to expire in Sep 21. The D&I Directorate requires more time to fully scope it’s future requirement with a view to conducting a competitive procurement exercise and letting a new contract with a broader remit. It believes therefore that an extension to the existing Contract is required until June 2022 at a value of £150K is required to facilitate this scoping exercise and continue to deliver the service until a new, competitively tendered, Contract can be let. In the event, this extension was not made, this would impact the lived experience of all personnel requiring the mediation service, at a potentially particularly vulnerable moment for them. Mediation is integral to early resolution of grievances. It is most impactful by using the assistance of trained, independent mediators is encouraged and set out in Policy (JSP 763 and BHDV). Mediation empowers people to work together to resolve issues; it can be less stressful and have a reduced negative impact on morale as well as being time and cost efficient. In addition, MOD, needs to build’s its capability in effectively deploying and using Mediation at the earliest point to mitigate lengthy and costly complaints much earlier where appropriate. The effective use of Mediation has been proven to resolve interpersonal disputes more successful that, relying on complaints procedures which can take up to 105 weeks to be completed with many in the Services taking much longer. The original intention had been to tender for a new contract to be in place for Sept 21. However, due to a number of other Defence priorities, this timescale was not able to be met.

Other Information

** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. ** The Authority placed a Contract in September 2016 for the outsourcing of Mediation services for personal in disagreement with MOD. The Contract was let with a value of £600K with an expiry date of September 2020 and was amended to expire on 13th September 2021. Due to a number of pressing priorities, the MOD has been unable to support a new competitive procurement exercise intended to have a new contract in place by 14th September 2021 and is only now able to consider procurement activity for a new contract. However, a gap in the provision of this service cannot be accommodated and therefore the current contract requires to be extended for a further 9 months until end of June 2022. It is considered that this further amendment can be accommodated through Regulation 32 on the basis that competition is absent for technical reasons.