/ MEMO / Corporate Performance Group

Room 3020
Chief Executive’s Department
Town Hall Extension
Manchester
M60 2LA
Tel: 0161 234 5000
Fax: 0161 234 1828

To Howard Bernstein

From Geoff Little, Assistant Chief Executive

Date 5 November 2007

Subject Request for approval for exemption to competitive procurement process

Following advice from the Corporate Procurement Team, I am requesting your approval to allow the Manchester strand of the AGMAPreventing Violent Extremism Initiative (PVE) to procure services (for a total of £125,000) from Peacemaker (voluntary organisation) to deliver three projects without following the standard procurement process of goods/services under the exceptions allowed within the current Financial Regulations.

Background

In February 2007, the Government invited bids from 50 priority Local Authorities for funding under the Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund, from which £5 million would be available in 2007/08. The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) submitted an application for funding to the Government, which represented a coordinated response from the ten Greater Manchester local authorities. The application set out a framework for future years in the context of the four strategic national objectives for the Pathfinder Fund along with a set of sub regional objectives for Greater Manchester. These are as follow: -

  • Support and build the capacity of communities to identify, challenge and respond to violent extremism
  • Understand the makeup of communities across Greater Manchester, plan and provide services that reflect that diversity
  • Improve the capacity and capability of Greater Manchester Police, together with Local Authorities and other statutory partners, to respond to violent extremism
  • Improve our knowledge of emotional, behavioural and group pressures that motivate individuals to engage in violent extremism

From the 2007/08 AGMA allocation of PVE funding, Manchester has been allocated £125,000 to develop projects focussed around the objectives set out above and where possible undertake joint working with Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council.

Peacemaker

Originally a voluntary organisation formed by a range of local people who wanted to develop work that challenged racism, PeaceMaker was established in 1997 by some of its current Directors who were, at the time, young people themselves. The organisation was founded to help overcome the fear, prejudice and segregation prevalent across Oldham. This division was apparent through the segregation between communities and the lack of services encouraging positive cross-community engagement.

Although PeaceMaker’s work was originally targeted at children and young people they soon learned that in order to successfully build cohesive communities, work must take place across all age groups and Peacemakers current portfolio of work now reflects this. Over time PeaceMaker has grown substantially and its work is now recognised at a Government level to be at the forefront of anti-racist work across the country.

For over 5 years PeaceMaker has helped develop the challenging extremism agenda supporting institutions ranging from The Home Affairs Committee to The Muslim Council of Great Britain in developing initiatives that ensure that this does not become an exclusive Muslim issue but rather one that promotes and fosters a climate of responsibility across all communities. During this time Peacemaker has consulted directly with both Muslim and non-Muslim communities and used this to shape both government strategy and develop and deliver initiatives at a local level.

Specifications

Peacemaker are asked to undertake the following work: -

Establishing a needs analysis profile

The first project will focus on developing a comprehensive understanding about Muslim communities and the manner through which effective engagement with Muslim communities is undertaken in Cheetham, Moss Side and Whalley Range (and parts of Trafford, if additional funding can be sourced).

This process will also identify key experiences, perceptions and priorities from the perspective of Muslim communities and also from organisations that have actually delivered services within these communities. This systematic mapping exercise will support the development of resources that will equip organisations to: -

  • Identify the critical processes for effective engagement with Muslim communities and share this with organisations to aid in developing improved practice.
  • Improve the understanding by officers in organisations of the diversity of Muslim communities in their area, including their culture and faith.

Develop ‘new’ leadership within Muslim communities

Project two will focus on the creation of an environment where trust, confidence and positive relationships are built through a process of sustained interaction. It will also build on the information gathered from project one. The project will: -

  • Identify individuals from within Muslim communities that include representation from young people, women & existing Muslim leaders.
  • Create a specific working group entitled ‘Sage Futures Group’drawn up of representatives from key public, private and voluntary sector organisations included established Muslim leaders, that are willing to take an active mentoring role with target communities.
  • Support 24 young people, aged between 14 -25 years of age (18 in total from the three priority wards in Manchester plus 6 from Trafford) from within Muslim communities that will take part in a mentoring relationship with the above representatives. These young people will be from across different ethnic groups and genders, brought together through careful consideration of cultural sensitivities. Support work on developing positive relationships and instigating positive social change within the identified wards.
  • Support each young person to engage in representative opportunities within the engagement structures of public, private and voluntary sector organisations.

Working with Muslim communities toolkit

The third and final project will build on the findings and learning from projects one and two and will be used to develop a toolkit, which will help to practically improve understanding and identify good practice on engaging with Muslim communities.

Costs
Project 1
Establishing a profile of Muslim Communities living in Cheetham, Moss Side and Whalley Range / £50,000
Project 2
Developing new leadership within Muslim communities in Cheetham, Moss Side and Whalley Range (including parts of Trafford) / £50, 000
Project 3
Working with Muslim communities - Good practice toolkit / £25, 000
Total
/ £125, 000

MCC Guidelines

The current procurement process within the Financial Regulations of the City Council for goods/services valued over £50,000 is as follows.

£50k - EC threshold limits. This process has three options, i.e. to choose an open, restricted or select list procedure. There is a need to advertise and allow 14 days for expressions of interest to be declared. In an open procedure all those expressing an interest should be invited to tender, in a restricted procedure only the predetermined number will be invited to tender. Restricted procedures will require you set criteria in which to judge and choose the most appropriate companies to tender. Acceptance, being within the authority of the Chief Officer, providing the bid is the lowest submitted and there is sufficient revenue and capital budgets. Bids that are not the lowest must be submitted to the City Treasurer and Chief Executive for approval before acceptance.

There are allowable exceptions to the procurement of goods without following the standard procurement procedures, and in the case of this request it qualifies via two exceptions, these being:

  • ‘Only one contactor can provide the goods, services or works required and there is no reasonable alternative contractor’
  • ‘the needs for the goods, services and works is so urgent that the time needed for tendering would be prejudical to the Council’s interests’

Exemptions Applicable to this Request

The main reason for requesting an exemption is that Peacemaker has been involved and engaged in national, regional and local discussions around the preventing violent extremism agenda and also understands the approach that AGMA has developed on this agenda. In addition to this, Peacemaker has an in-depth understanding about the diverse communities living in the city and has effective engagement mechanisms beyond the ‘usual suspects’ within and across Muslim communities. Therefore, the benefits of Peacemaker having such local intelligence and existing engagement links / mechanisms strengthens the case for using them.

The AGMA PVE Team based at Chester House also collated information about potential suppliers and their strengths on issues such as community cohesion, building effective engagement with ‘hard to reach’ groups, conflict resolution, PVE etc. and Peacemaker was identified as one of the most experienced and recommended bodies in the region. Peacemaker also has experience in developing and managing projects and application and evaluation.

This request also qualifies under the exemption - ‘the needs for the goods, services and works is so urgent that the time needed for tendering would be prejudicial to the Council’s interests’. The Government requires all three PVE projects to have been delivered by the end of this financial year – 31 March 2008. With only five months remaining of this financial year and the limited level of expertise locally and regionally to deliver the projects, it would be most cost effective and timely to use Peacemaker. If this were not possible then the tendering process would need to go out nationally and thus impact on delivery time.

Based on the specialist nature of the consultancy/services and the time constraints that the services have to be procured under, approval is requested that the service is obtained under the exception process.

Advice has been sought from Karen Lock of the Corporate Procurement Team and where the value of the contract is £20,000 or more and the Chief Officer the Chief Executive and the City Treasurer must agree that the exemption applies.

If you are prepared to agree to this request, please sign below and return a copy to Samiya Butt (234 3770), Service Improvement and Inclusion Team, Room 3015 of the Town Hall Extension.

Regards,

Geoff Little

Assistant Chief Executive

______

Chief Executive and City Treasurer Approval

We have read the above and agree that the procurement of Peacemaker can take place without entering into a competitive procurement process under the stated exemptions.

Signed ______Date______

Chief Executive

Signed ______Date______

City Treasurer

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