Decision details

Buckinghamshire Council have taken the decision to utilise the 1 year allowable extension option in the contract for the provision of Integrated Sensory Services for Children and Adults. The Director of Children’s Services and Corporate Director for Adults, Health and Housing, Buckinghamshire Council AGREED the extension as outlined below:
•Extension of contract for provision of Buckinghamshire Integrated Sensory Services (BISS) provided by Action on Hearing Loss (AOHL) for the allowable 1 year extension from December 2020 to December 2021.

The decision was taken following discussion of the performance and quality of the current service and a review of alternative options and in consideration of the demands created by the COVID19 pandemic. It was agreed that utilising the allowable 1 year extension would support the continued delivery of a service whilst providers and officers are engaged in responding to the pandemic.

A decision could have been taken not to extend the contract and to recommission services. However, it was not considered an appropriate use of resources to engage providers in a tender process during the COVID-19 pandemic