Professional Consultancy Services - Planning

Location

Description

Provision of specialist consultancy services to support the ongoing delivery of Council projects and operational workstreams, including strategic advice, project and programme support, stakeholder management, governance support, performance monitoring, reporting and related consultancy activities. The services require detailed knowledge of existing projects, established governance arrangements, key stakeholder relationships and Council-specific processes to ensure continuity of delivery and the achievement of project outcomes.

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• None found

Legal Justification

This Transparency Notice is issued in accordance with Section 44 of the Procurement Act 2023 and Regulation 26 of the Procurement Regulations 2024. The Council intends to enter into a direct award contract with Yimby Ltd for the continued provision of specialist consultancy services. The direct award is made pursuant to Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 and the justification set out in Schedule 5 concerning the absence of competition for technical reasons. The Council has determined that the continuation of the existing consultant's services is necessary to maintain continuity of delivery across ongoing projects and workstreams. Through the current engagement, the consultant has developed detailed knowledge of the Council's requirements, project objectives, governance arrangements, key stakeholders and operational processes, together with specialist expertise that is highly important to the effective and timely delivery of the services. This knowledge and expertise cannot be replicated within a reasonable timeframe without adversely impacting service delivery. The Council has considered the availability of alternative suppliers and concluded that introducing a replacement provider at this stage would result in material disruption to ongoing activities and a disproportionate loss of project-specific knowledge and expertise. The Council considers that introducing an alternative supplier would require a significant period of knowledge transfer and familiarisation, resulting in duplication of work, delays to project delivery, additional cost and an increased risk to the achievement of project outcomes. The Council is therefore satisfied that the direct award is justified on technical grounds and is necessary to ensure continuity of service and the retention of specialist expertise required for the ongoing delivery of the Council's objectives. The proposed contract will commence upon expiry of the current arrangement and continue for an initial period of 12 months, with the option to extend for a further 12 months. This period will provide service continuity whilst allowing the Council sufficient time to assess future requirements and determine the most appropriate procurement strategy in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023.

Other Information

** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. **