Welcome to the NAG and SOPO newsletter for 29 May 2020. Feel free to circulate to your colleagues.
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Personal protective equipment
The Government has signed contracts to manufacture two billion items of PPE in the UK, as well as an additional 3.7 billion gloves.
To help increase the supply of PPE the Government has also signed deals with more than 100 new global suppliers. The NHS Supply Chain now delivers PPE to 58,000 settings including care homes, hospices and community organisations.
This progress of manufacturing PPE within the UK is welcome, as we know the supply of appropriate PPE is one of the biggest limitations to ensuring all relevant staff have access to the equipment, they need to safely undertake their jobs.
From this week, GPs and small residential and domiciliary social care services will be invited to register for the online PPE ordering system. A small residential social care provider is defined as one with 24 beds or fewer, while a small domiciliary care provider has 99 clients or fewer.
We have been calling for the online ordering system to be fully operational as soon as possible, as its delayed launch is impacting on councils and care providers’ ability to make sure critical protective equipment gets to the frontline where it is most needed. We are pleased to see small providers prioritised for the online portal, however the current plan will still take several weeks before all small residential social care providers are included. The online portal has been significantly delayed from its original planned launch of 6 April and we continue to lobby government to achieve a sustainable supply for all staff who require PPE, as set out in the latest guidance.
Join Social Care – recruitment platform
DHSC has launched a new recruitment platform, Join Social Care, to speed up adult social care recruitment. Join Social Care is intended to make it easier for care providers to reach people in their local area by allowing candidates to record a video interview and access free training supported by Skills for Care before starting employment.
Registered providers are then able to search for candidates in their local area, view their video interviews before starting DBS checks and training processes and make conditional offers making recruitment more streamlined during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Reopening workplaces
BEIS has released ‘COVID-19 secure’ guidelines to help UK employers reopen workplaces. In this article we share some of the key considerations from the guidance and examples of how we can help you take practical steps to return to your workplace safely.
Workplace cleaning
You may require a contractor to undertake a one-off deep clean or you may want to introduce a new routine cleaning service to meet your changing needs.
Crown Commercial Service have produced a step by step guide.
Safer Working Supplies
Crown Commercial Service have worked with suppliers to bring you quick and easy access to a wide range of products that you may need, with products ring-fenced for public and third sector customers. Find out what products are available and how to buy
Care Provider Alliance - Business continuity guidance and template plan
The Care Provider Alliance (CPA) has developed guidance to help care providers to develop their business continuity plan, as well as a template plan that they can use to either create or update your existing plans. The guidance is generic and not specifically about coronavirus – but it does link across to relevant information.
Infrastructure and construction – planned procurement information required
The construction sector is a major part of the UK economy, employing approximately 2.3 million people. The industry is being impacted by a slowdown in new contracts being let. In order to provide short-term certainty of future work, the Government is proposing to urgently publish a list of planned procurements through the financial year 2020/21. To ensure they have the most comprehensive view across all parts of government, for the first time the Infrastructure and Projects Authority are asking councils to contribute to the publication. Please email shehroze.junejo@ipa.gov.uk for more information about getting involved.
Modern Slavery in the Supply Chain – Research Request
TISCreport are seeking your help if you are an officer dealing with suppliers and carrying responsibility for compliance with the Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, concerning Transparency in Supply Chains.
Your responses will help develop a balanced understanding of the current practices and policies in relation to addressing Modern Slavery risks within Local Government supply chains, with a focus on challenges and obstacles. This is an opportunity for you to inform development of policies and practices to tackling modern slavery in Local Government supply chains
If you can spare a few minutes to take the TISC report survey Tackling Modern Slavery in Local Government Supply Chains. that would be great. Closing date for submissions is Wednesday 10 June.
Webinars/e-Learning
Social Value Portal – Contract Management - discuss how to contract manage social value offers and ensure successful outcomes – 4 June 2020
Procure to Pay Process Optimisation - Reducing Costs - 9 June 2020
CIPFA Complex Procurements – Future of Development Agreements, Framework Agreements & Contract Modifications Post COVID-19 - 16 June 2020 - Webinar
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