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Welcome to the NAG and SOPO newsletter for 26 June 2020. Feel free to circulate to your colleagues.
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Personal protective equipment – Portal Update
The guidance on the PPE portal has been updated to reflect that GPs and small social care providers can now place orders multiple times each week for personal protective equipment (PPE) within certain limits, instead of a single order. For small social care providers, they can order up to 200 IIR masks, 400 aprons and 800 gloves (400 pairs) a week.
We understand that some providers have been unsure of the authenticity of the portal, in particular the email invitation they received to join. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is aware of this and looking at ways to provide reassurance to providers.
Planning
The Government has announced a series of measures aimed to help the construction industry boost building and they include extending planning permission deadlines on expired applications. We have welcomed this measure which will enable construction activity to start again without the need to potentially have to start the planning process again. Measures will also be introduced to allow builders to agree more flexible construction site working hours with their local council for a temporary period. We have made clear that flexibility on hours needs to be negotiated on a site by site basis with councils so that the impact on local residents and businesses can be fully taken into account.
Construction industry - Procurement Pipeline 2020/21 – A response to COVID-19
Construction workers across the country have played a vital role in keeping the country running during the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of their work is important to everyday life – ranging from building hospitals, to maintaining crucial transport and utilities networks, and ensuring buildings are kept safe.
In response to COVID-19, and to provide short to medium-term certainty to the construction industry, the National Infrastructure and Construction Procurement Pipeline sets out contracts planned to be brought to market throughout 2020/21. This includes 340 contracts across over 260 projects, programmes and other investments. This has been published with the aim of promoting transparency around where infrastructure investment is being made, and by whom, with the aim to boost market confidence and help with business planning during this challenging period.
Takeovers of businesses – Changes to the Enterprise Act
Changes to the Enterprise Act 2020 were laid before Parliament and came into effect earlier in the week. The economic disruption caused by the pandemic may mean that some businesses with critical capabilities are more susceptible to takeovers. These new powers will enable the Government to intervene if a business that is directly involved in a pandemic response – for example, a vaccine research company or personal protective equipment manufacturer – finds itself the target of a takeover. The changes would mean combatting a public health emergency would be added to the list of specific public interest considerations that could permit the UK Government to intervene in a merger.
Care Home Support Plan Summary
The LGA and ADASS have published a summary of all the Care Home Support Plans that councils with adult social care responsibilities were required to submit to the Government by 29 May 2020. The slides illustrate the excellent work done by councils to support the care home sector and draw out some common themes from the plans. It also includes the key policy messages to Government on adult social care.
Schools
The Department for Education has published updated guidance for councils and schools on free school meals arrangements, as well as guidance on the COVID-19 summer food fund.
New assessment tool ‘Human Rights Due Diligence and Covid-19' for ICT hardware
Electronics Watch has just released the new assessment tool 'Human Rights Due Diligence and Covid-19 - Assessment of Public Buyers' ICT Supply Chains'. It supports public buyers in their efforts to ensure human rights due diligence in their supply chains in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The tool consists of questions public buyers can pose to their suppliers about occupational health and safety, labour rights, and other supply chain issues that Covid-19 impact.
Local Government Procurement Expo – Request for best practice and speakers
As a partner of the LGPE, LGA are looking for councils to get in touch and share their procurement success stories. If your organisation is doing something differently or leading the way in local government procurement best practice, then they would like to hear from you and share your story with the wider local government procurement community. To get involved email hello@localgovexpo.co.uk with a brief overview of your project, initiative or achievements.
Non COVID-19 stories
Mitie purchase of Interserve Facilities Management business
Mitie Group Plc, announced in the week that it has agreed to purchase the Facilities Management business of Interserve Group and will become the largest provider of FM services to the public sector. A large number of local authorities have existing facilities management contracts, in healthcare facilities and education facilities – these will all move over to Mitie. The rest of the Interserve Group who deliver services to local authorities, including education services and domiciliary care services will remain independent.
This transaction is a normal business process and we do not expect any disruption to the provision of public services. This is business as usual - you should continue to work with Interserve as per your contracts, including paying them on time.
Capita – H1 2020 Market Update
Capita published its H1 2020 Update which included the announcement that it intended to dispose of Education Software Services (“ESS”) during 2020. ESS provides software for the education sector, with a large market share in the UK - the full announcement can be found here.
Get inspired: a new good practice cases report on socially responsible public procurement has been published
The European Commission has just published a report collecting 71 good practice cases on how public buyers have implemented socially responsible public procurement (SRPP), in order to promote employment opportunities, decent work, social inclusion, accessibility, ethical trade, design for all and seeking to achieve wider compliance with social standards.
Webinars/e-Learning
LGA Annual Conference webinars – 30 June – 9 July 2020
LGA's virtual annual conference will feature a series of webinars with prominent keynote speakers from local and central government. Spread out over two weeks, these webinars will be an opportunity to discuss and debate how our local areas can support the country’s economic, cultural and environmental regeneration and recovery during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s a pick of some of the COVID related sessions:
Spotlight on Learning through Crisis
Spotlight on Green Reset
Spotlight on Sector-led Improvement
PASS Procurement COVID-19: Supplier Segmentation and Contract Management During the Pandemic | 2 July 2020
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