PCD 1662 Uplift to VRU Innovation Fund and the Grant Administration Services Contract

Executive Summary:  

This Decision requests to approve a funding uplift of £180,000 to Rocketscience to additionally fund, grant manage and provide capacity-building support for up to 15 organisations within the Innovation Fund which was approved in PCD1487 on 1st August 2023. 

As approved in PCD 1487 The VRU’s £1,500,000 Innovation Fund enabled community–led groups who are currently not accessing funding from the VRU, to test new approaches and ideas to support vulnerable Londoners who are at risk or have been involved in violence, applying for a grant up to £50,000. The Innovation Fund to date has funded 23 grassroots organisations, from across 15 boroughs, supporting 28,000 Londoners from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, offenders/ risk of offending and those with care experience. 

With Summer and winter half terms approaching and evidence highlighting that young people are more vulnerable during these periods, the VRU is keen on expanding the Innovation Fund to allow community-led groups to provide targeted diversionary provisions to keep young people away from exploitation and involvement in violence during these periods. In line with the new Mayoral commitment, Sadiq Khan highlighted within his manifesto that he would invest in youth clubs and help create 250,000 positive opportunities for young Londoners to help steer them away from gangs and crime.  

The variation to the Grant Management Contract will ensure there is continuity of grant management specialists and capacity-building support for new recipients of the Innovation Fund focusing on the summer and winter half terms of 2024. Rocketscience will receive £12,600 for the 6 months to provide additional grant management specialist and capacity building training until Dec 2024.  

The remaining £167,400 will be allocated to organisations on the programme to carry out delivery of their proposed intervention following the competitive tender process that has already taken place. 

Recommendation: 

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to: 

1. To approve and extend contract award to Rocketscience for grant management and capacity building services for the value of £12,600 for additional six months (31st June 2024- 31st December 2024) taking the total contract value from £347,090 to £359,690. 

2. To approve allocation of additional £167,400 to Rocketscience to distribute further grants across appointed organisations to carry out delivery of their proposed interventions with a specific focus for the summer period over six months (31st June 2024- 31st December 2024) (adding to what was approved as part of the PCD1487)taking the total grant award from £1,500,000 to £1,680,000. 

PART I - NON-CONFIDENTIAL FACTS AND ADVICE TO THE DMPC 

1. Introduction and background  

The VRU’s £1,500,000 Innovation Fund enabled community – led groups who are currently not accessing funding from the VRU, to test new approaches and ideas to support vulnerable Londoners who are at risk or have been involved in violence, applying for a grant up to £50,000. 

1. RocketScience Grant Management Contract services has worked in partnership with the VRU to fund four rounds of Innovation fund which has funded 23 grassroots organisation across 15 London boroughs The fund is supporting over 28,000 Londoners from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, offenders/ risk of offending and those with care experience. 614 targeted intervention have taken place since the inception of the fund in 2023.  

2. A total of £1,300,000 has been distributed to grassroots organisations such as Steel Warriors ,focused on supporting 120 young people between the ages of 14-18 across Lambeth, Tower Hamlets, Haringey and Islington. Using gym equipment made from melted down knives, cohorts of young people impacted by knife crime are engaged in two weekly calisthenic sessions.  

3. Also JAGS Connect an online resource supporting 500 children, young people, parents and carers across Wandsworth, Lambeth, Croydon, Southwark and Merton in providing a safe and secure space for families affected by violence to connect, access support services, and receive culturally appropriate trauma support.  

4. Round five of this fund is specifically for projects focusing on summer activities with the potential to support during the October half term. We recognize that the need to keep vulnerable young people safe during school holidays is paramount. Anecdotal statistics show that there are peaks in violence across the Summer months including September when schools go back and into October half term period.  

5. The VRU and wider City Hall focus on positive opportunities around this period and this year we are exploring wider opportunities to offer our communities via further investment. Organisations can bid for the Summer Innovation Fund to enhance their summer response strategy.  

6. The Innovative programmes to date have been delivered in areas such as Newham, Hackney, Haringey, Barnet, Bexley, and Islington.  As well as boosting more positive opportunities for young Londoners, the fund will also look to advocate for more opportunities focused on workplace, entrepreneurship, and sports/arts opportunity bids.  

7. As part of the Mayor's manifesto commitment, the Mayor set a target of creating more than 150,000 good jobs by 2028. This will help ensure that young Londoners, especially those from lower-income households, can secure high-quality, well-paid jobs.   

8. Over the summer of 2023 an additional 22,000 young Londoners aged 14-24 subscribed to the VRU-commissioned Local Village Network,  a youth mentoring and opportunities signposting app. This brings the total to over 2,500 opportunities and over 150,000 young people who have subscribed.   

9. By funding a dedicated delivery of activities and opportunities specifically during the Summer holidays, the VRU will contribute to improving the employment outcomes of young Londoners by amplifying the provisions delivered by grassroots organisations who specialise in career-ready provisions. 

2.      Issues for Consideration  

1. The VRU committed to the Mayor of London that we will respond to the asks the office receives from community groups who request access to opportunities to apply for short term, small funding, to lead and deliver interventions in their community that contribute to the reduction of violence  

2. This uplift of the Innovation Fund will ensure that across the summer period grassroots organisation will focus on providing young Londoners an environment to address and educate the root cause of violence whilst providing activities to build confidence, self-esteem, peer relationships, networks and to ultimately provide more positive aspirations for the future.   

3. Financial Comments  

1. The paper is seeking approval to award an additional £12,600 to Rocketscience for a six months extension from 31st June 2024- 31st December 2024 for grant management and capacity building fee for this programme, Increasing the total contract value from £347,090 to £359,690. 

2. The paper is also seeking permission to authorise the variation for the Innovation Fund managed by Rocketscience for the amount of £167,400 increasing the total contract value from £1,500,000 to £1,680,000. 

3. The additional £180,000 is to be funded from within existing VRU Mayoral funding 2024/25 budgets. 

4. Previous Approvals - Allocation of funding for the Innovation Fund was agreed in PCD 1487:  

1. PCD 1487 - To approve and extend the current contract awarded to Rocketscience by a further £110,000 over two-year 2023/2024 and 2024/25 for grant management and capacity building fee for this programme. 

2. To approve allocation of £1,390,000 to Rocketscience to distribute across appointed organisations to carry out delivery of their proposed interventions over the two-year 2023/2024 and 2024/25. 

4. Legal Comments  

1. The Mayor's Office for Policing Crime is a contracting authority as defined in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ("the Regulations"). All awards of public contracts for goods and/or services valued at £181,302 or above will be procured in accordance with the Regulations. 

2. Paragraph 4.13 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) has delegated authority to approve all requests to go out to tender for contracts of £500,000 or above. 

3. Officers can confirm that the DMPC has the legal authority to agree this decision in Accordance with the legal framework. 

5. Commercial Issues  

1. This decision is seeking an approval for a variation of £180,000 to Rocketscience. Increasing the contract value from £1,500,000 to £1,680,000, for additional six months from 31st June 2024 - 31st December 2024, this is additional to what has already been requested in (PCD1487). Please see the breakdown of request; 

2. An additional £167,400 to Rocketscience to distribute further grants across appointed organisations for additional six months from 31st June 2024- 31st December 2024. 

3. Approve and extend contract award to Rocketscience for grant management and capacity building services for the value of £12,600 for additional six months from 31st June 2024- 31st December 2024. 

4. Section 6. (1) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 states: 

5. The calculation of the estimated value of a procurement shall be based on the total amount payable, net of VAT, as estimated by the contracting authority, including any form of option and any renewals of the contracts as explicitly set out in the procurement documents.” 

6. Section 72.1 of The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 state; Contracts and framework agreements may be modified without a new procurement procedure in accordance with this Part in any of the following cases: provided that any increase in price does not exceed 50% of the value of the original contract. 

7. The above price variation does exceed 50% of the value of the original contract. Officers can confirm that the DMPC has the legal authority to agree this decision in Accordance with the legal framework. 

8. Regulation 72 of The Procurement Contract Regulations 2015 provides the conditions that must be met to modify a contract, based on the following justifications the variation to the VRU Innovation Fund and an Uplift to the Grant Administration Services Contract:  

9. The original contract term was included in the ITT documentation. An option to extend was not included as the expectation was all the services would be delivered within the contract term and the overall nature of the contracts has not changed. The Supplier will be delivering the same service during the extension period focusing on the summer 2024 period and the modification does not in any way alter the overall nature of the contract. 

10. Running a procurement exercise and appointing a new Grant Manager for the innovation fund will come at an additional cost, there would not be no value for money in doing so, although the increase does exceed the 50% of the original value as it just over the 50%, the chances of this being challenged is very low. 

11. Updated transparency notice will be published to adhere to The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 

12. The increase in price is 52% of the value of the original contract which is demonstrated as follows: 

13. The original contract value for (Rocket Science) grant management and capacity building services was £237,090.50; with the requested extension the total value is £359,690 which is 52% of the original contract.There will be no further extension to this contract and any future needs will only be done via completing a competitive tender process.  

6. Public Health Approach  

1. The VRU operate within a public health approach which means taking a whole-systems approach to reducing violence, working with all partners and across the early intervention space. The public health approach is applied in terms of tackling the root causes of violence by giving young people a sense of agency (built on information, trauma-informed decision-making and practical skills), targeting support to children who may be at higher risk of exclusion or violence due to disproportionality & systemic discrimination. This piece of work has been informed by discussions and feedback from stakeholders including the use of data to evidence and inform our approach to investment. 

7. GDPR and Data Privacy  

1. MOPAC will adhere to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and ensure that any organisations who are commissioned to do work with or on behalf of MOPAC are fully compliant with the policy and understand their GDPR responsibilities.   

8. Equality Comments  

1. Through the Innovation Fund proposals were required to demonstrate their plans to ensure they would deliver a service embedded with equality, diversity and inclusion. This included ensuring their service incorporated inclusive practices to support all gender identities who are victims/ perpetrators of violence as well as cultural sensitivity. The VRU will ensure this is factored into the monitoring of the contract and delivery 

9. Background/supporting papers 

1. Allocation of funding for the Innovation Fund was agreed in PCD 1487.