PCD 1706 Pan-London Sexual Violence Support Services Procurement Strategy

As outlined in the refreshed Mayor of London Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy 2022-2025, the Mayor is committed to reviewing how sexual violence support service provision can better serve victims and survivors in London.  

Since May 2023, MOPAC has commissioned Gate One Ltd, a specialist consultancy partner experienced in demand and capacity modelling and user-led service design, to work with victims-survivors and key partners to co-design MOPAC’s ‘core’ sexual violence service provision for London. This was in recognition of the need to reform the response to victims-survivors who have experienced rape and other sexual violence/abuse in London. Having designed a new operating model, Gate One Ltd have worked with MOPAC to develop proposals for the transition to and implementation of the proposed model.  

This decision is seeking approval for MOPAC to initiate a procurement process to identify providers to deliver its core specialist sexual violence services as part of an Alliance Partnership model for a period of 5 years (inclusive of up to a 6-month mobilisation period), with the option to extend for a further 2 years (1 + 1).  

This decision requests a total funding amount up to £45,401,039 across financial years 2025/26 to 2029/30 for the initial contract period. To allow for potential additional services that MOPAC may seek to include in this contract over their life, MOPAC will be advertising this bidding opportunity with a higher maximum potential contract value. This is to provide resilience and ensure MOPAC’s commercial arrangements are flexible enough should additional funding become available for this service. Any extensions or budget uplift will require further DMPC approval.  

Funding for this service will be provided by MOPAC, NHS England (NHSE) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). It includes £9,993,227 core funding per annum, plus an additional £255,000 in the initial year for the delivery of the transformation and change management required for this service. As the service is being co-commissioned with NHSE funding from their Health in the Justice System department, this decision is also seeking approval to accept the £1,084,336 per annum plus an additional £15,000 one-off payment in the first year for website development plus any indexation costs from NHSE for the full length of the contract.  

Finally, to secure a smooth and effective transition for victims-survivors from the existing service to the new alliance model, MOPAC is seeking approval to award a 6-month extension of grant funding to the current ‘core’ services for a total amount of £4,835,094.  

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:   

1. Approve the initiation of the procurement process for the pan-London Sexual Violence Support Service, for an initial 5-year period, from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2030, with an option to extend for 1 year to 31 March 2031 and an option to extend for a further 1 year to 31 March 2032, at a potential maximum cost of £65,387,492; 

2. Approve publishing the accompanying Pan-London Sexual Violence Service Inclusion Impact Assessment; 

3. Approve the allocation of up to £45,401,039 to the alliance across five financial years (FY) with possible extensions of 1+1 year. The indicative annual values of the contract are: £5,428,132 in 2025/26; this includes costings for a mobilisation period starting from April 2025 then the new service will ‘go live’ on 1st October 2025. The service will then receive £ 9,993,227 per annum from 2026/27 until 2032/33 if any extensions are granted.  

4. Approve the inclusion of £255,000 in FY 2025/26 to enable MOPAC to deliver the mobilisation and change management programme for the pan-London Sexual Violence Support Service alliance partnership, and approve the carry-forward of this funding from 2024/25 to 2025/26 to be utilised within year 1 of the contract. This £255,000 is included in the contract value breakdown listed in section 3.  

5. Approve the award of six-month grant extensions to the seven MOPAC commissioned sexual violence support services that are currently providing the ‘core’ sexual abuse support services. Funding would be extended from 1 April 2025 to 30 September 2025, for a combined total amount of £4,835,094. 

6. Approve MOPAC entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with NHSE for the Pan-London Sexual Violence Support Service. This will authorise the transfer of the NHSE funding contribution to extend the current NHSE commissioned services in scope for 6 months at a value of £542,168 and fund the new pan-London Sexual Violence Support Service for £557,168 in 2025/26, then £1,084,336 per annum for the remaining length of the contract. 

7. Note that the budget allocation from the MoJ is still subject to confirmation. If the level of funding assumed is not received, budget allocations for all affected services will be reduced accordingly.  

8. Note that any further contract extensions or uplifts above the initial five-year value of £45,401,039 are subject to DMPC approval and additional funding being identified.  

9. Delegate authority to sign and execute all related contracts and grant modifications to the Chief Financial Officer, in accordance with the general power of delegation in paragraph 1.7 of the MOPAC Scheme of Consent and Delegation.  

10. Approve that the award of the contract, following the procurement process, which would normally be a DMPC Decision in accordance with 4.15 of the Scheme of Delegation, be delegated to Director of Commissioning and Partnerships in accordance with 1.7 of the same. 

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

1. Introduction and background  

1. The Mayor of London’s Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy 2022-2025 includes a commitment for MOPAC to “continue to work with partners, including the VAWG sector, to review how sexual violence service provision can better serve victims and survivors from all backgrounds and with diverse experiences; and how it can reflect learning from the thematic reviews conducted by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), the government’s Rape Review, Operation Soteria Bluestone and London’s Victims’ Commissioner’s Rape Review.” 

2. Since May 2023, MOPAC has commissioned Gate One Ltd, a specialist consultancy partner experienced in demand and capacity modelling and user-led service design, to work with victims-survivors and key partners to co-design MOPAC’s ‘core’ sexual violence service provision for London.  

3. Between May 2023 and August 2024, MOPAC and Gate One consulted with victim-survivors, VAWG sector organisations, key service providers and specialist ‘By and For’ organisations to develop recommendations for the new service. To test how different recommendations could increase the capacity of services, MOPAC and Gate One created a Demand and Capacity model. This has directly informed the service MOPAC is seeking to procure and its strategy in doing so.  

4. Similarly, key to the development of the procurement strategy has been the alignment to external and/or interdependent strategic partnership activity such as Operation Soteria Bluestone, London’s Sexual Assault Referral Centres, the Sexual Abuse Pathway for Children and Young People, and the NHSE Enhanced Mental Health Pathfinder for individuals with complex mental health needs.    

5. MOPAC are also preparing for the impending Duty to Collaborate set out in the Victims and Prisoners Act which introduces a statutory framework to bring commissioners together to strategically coordinate support services for sexual abuse victims. Co-commissioning with NHSE supports this collaborative and coordinated approach, ensuring maximum efficiency of resources and value for money for Londoners.  

6. The commissioning of sexual violence services is part of the Mayor’s focus on tackling VAWG and supports the recommendations from Baroness Casey’s review into the standards of behaviour and internal culture of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to improve women’s trust and confidence in the MPS. 

2. Issues for consideration  

1. Having co-designed a new service model and developed its service specification, MOPAC are now seeking to initiate the procurement process to identify providers to deliver its core specialist sexual violence services. MOPAC are seeking an Alliance Partnership model (herein referred to as ‘the Alliance’) to deliver this pan-London service for a period of 5 years (inclusive of an up to 6-month mobilisation period), with the option to extend for a further 2 years (1 + 1).  

2. Utilising funding from MOPAC, NHS England (NHSE) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) this decision requests a total funding amount up to £45,401,039 across financial years 2025/26 to 2029/30 for the initial contract period. Any contract extensions or budget uplift beyond this amount will require further DMPC approval.  

3. This includes £9,993,227 core funding per annum plus an additional £255,000 for the delivery of the transformation and change management required for this service, which must be utilised within the first FY. As a responsible commissioner, MOPAC is committed to supporting an effective transition to the new service. To achieve this, MOPAC is seeking approval to assist the appointed Alliance with mobilisation and transition to the new service via utilisation of this £255,000.  

4. This funding will enable the Alliance to deliver the mobilisation and change management programme for the pan-London Sexual Violence Support Service. This funding may be utilised to improve the digital capability of the service, provision of specialist training such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) training for counsellors, change management leadership programme or any other identified relevant activity. The funding will be spent within the first twelve months of the contract.   

5. As the service is being co-commissioned with NHSE funding from their Health in the Justice System department, this decision is also seeking approval to accept the £1,084,336 per annum. A £15,000 one-off payment is included in the first 6 months for website development plus any indexation costs from NHSE for the full length of the contract, including any extensions. MOPAC will enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NHSE to receive this funding, for the duration of the contract.   

6. To allow for potential additional services that MOPAC may seek to include in these contracts over their life, MOPAC will be advertising these bidding opportunities with a higher maximum potential contract value. This is to provide resilience and ensure MOPAC’s commercial arrangements are flexible enough should additional funding become available for these services.   

7. The maximum initial budget for these services is £45,401,039. The services will have an option to extend by up to a further two years at a value of £19,986,453. It is proposed to publish tenders with a total maximum value across the full 7 year period of £65,387,492. Any extension or uplift above the initial budget of £45,401,039 will require further DMPC approval.  

8. The contract for the new services will include appropriate terms to allow for future variations that would enable MOPAC to increase their value should additional funding for these services become available. They will also include terms to allow MOPAC to reduce the value of any of the individual contracts and vary their service specifications as required to ensure that MOPAC can mitigate the risk of any potential future reductions in funding beyond the end of the current funding settlement with MoJ. 

9. Finally, to secure a smooth and effective transition for victims-survivors from the existing service to the new alliance model, MOPAC is seeking approval to award a 6-month extension of grant funding to the current ‘core’ services for a total amount of £4,835,094. 

10. MOPAC conducted a Pan-London Sexual Violence Service Inclusion Impact Assessment (IIA) to inform the development of the specification. The service will be required to have specialist sexual violence support capability, to work with women, men, non-binary people, LGBT+ people, disabled and neuro-diverse people, aged over 11 years. To ensure these needs are met, the Alliance will be able to sub-contract, if required.  

3. Financial Comments  

1. This decision seeks DMPC approval for the award of six-month grant extensions to the seven MOPAC commissioned sexual violence support services that are currently providing the ‘core’ sexual abuse support services. Funding would be extended from 1 April 2025 to 30 September 2025, for a combined total amount of £4,835,094. 

2. This decision seeks DMPC approval to procure the new service for a budget of up £45,401,039 over the course of the initial 5-year contract from 2025/26 to 2029/30, plus the option to extend for a further two years (£9,993,227 per annum) at a total contract cost of £65,387,492. Any extension would be subject to further DMPC approval.  

3. In the first FY, both the current ‘core’ services and the new pan-London Sexual Abuse Support Service will be jointly funded by MOPAC, NHSE and the MoJ. This is to allow mobilisation of the new service and ensure minimal disruption to victim/survivors and staff. Below is the breakdown of funding between the two services for 2025/26: 

4. The new service will be jointly funded by MOPAC, NHSE and the MoJ. Below is the breakdown of funding sources and amounts for the original contract length:  

5. In the first FY of the service there is £255,000 included in the contract value, subject to approval of carry forward of this funding from 2024/25 to 2025/26 plus a one-off £15,000 from NHSE which will need to be used within the first FY for website development. 

6. The NHSE funding has been confirmed for a minimum of five years, a maximum of seven years. MOPAC funding has been estimated to continue for the duration of the contract, based on previous commitments made.  

7. There is no confirmation of MoJ funding beyond 2024/25, and future funding allocations are subject to the Comprehensive Spending Review.  

8. In the event NHSE or MoJ funding is reduced, budget allocations will be reduced accordingly. The contracts will include terms that allow MOPAC to reduce the value of any of the individual contracts to offset the impact of any potential future reduction in external funding. 

9. To allow for potential additional services that MOPAC may seek to include in this contract over their life, MOPAC will be advertising this bidding opportunity with a higher maximum potential contract value. This will be up to a maximum total value of £22,700,520 across financial years 2025/26 to 2032/33. This is to provide resilience and ensure MOPAC’s commercial arrangements are flexible enough should additional funding become available for this service. Any extensions or budget uplift will require further DMPC approval.  

10. Any further contract extensions or uplifts above the initial five year value of                           £45,401,039 are subject to DMPC approval and additional funding being identified.  

4. Legal Comments  

1. MOPAC’s general powers are set out in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). Section 3(6) of the 2011 Act provides that MOPAC must “secure the maintenance of the metropolitan police service and secure that the metropolitan police service is efficient and effective.” Under Schedule 3, paragraph 7 MOPAC has wide incidental powers to “do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of the Office.” Paragraph 7(2) (a) provides that this includes entering into contracts and other agreements. 

2. Section 143 (1) (b) of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides an express power for MOPAC, as a local policing body, to provide or commission services “intended by the local policing body to help victims or witnesses of, or other persons affected by, offences and anti-social behaviour.” 

3. 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. 

4. 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. 

5. Paragraph 4.8 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) has delegated authority to approve all the award of all individual grants whether to secure or contribute to securing crime reduction in London or for other purposes.  

6. Paragraph 4.6 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides the DMPC authority to delegate those functions which are reserved for the DMPC.  

7. These recommendations are in line with the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent. 

8. Officers must ensure the Financial Regulations and Contract Regulations are complied with.  

9. Officers should ensure that contracts are put in place with and executed by MOPAC and the provider(s) before any commitment to fund is made.  

10. Officers confirm that sufficient assurance has been carried out to this Decision to determine that the DMPC has legal authority to agree the recommendations.  

5. Commercial Issues  

1. This decision is requesting approval of the pan-London Sexual Violence Support Service alliance partnership procurement strategy and is seeking approval to publish the Invitation to Tender. The procurement strategy has been approved by the MOPAC Commercial Assurance Group. 

2. Recommendation 3 refers to a request for approval to proceed to procurement. Due to the estimated contract value and the classification of the contract as a Light Touch Services contract, the procurement process shall comply with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 for an above threshold procurement process. 

3. The intention to publish the ITT is in compliance with procurement legislation and MOPAC’s Contract Regulations. 

4. In accordance with 4.13 of MOPAC’s Scheme of Delegation, the DMPC can approve proceeding to procurement for contracts with a value exceeding £500,000. 

5. Recommendation 5 refers to the variation of MOPAC’s existing grant with the seven MOPAC commissioned sexual violence support services that are currently providing the ‘core’ sexual abuse support services. Recommendation 4 refers to a modification to multiple grant modifications to existing grants held with: 

• The four London Rape Crisis Centres, covering North, South, East and West London; 

• London Survivors Gateway, a partnership providing services for survivors of sexual violence; 

• Survivors UK, specialist support for male victims of rape and sexual abuse; 

• Galop, specialist support for LGBTQI+ victims of rape and sexual abuse. 

6. Grant modifications can be approved the DMPC in accordance with 4.8 of MOPAC’s Scheme of Delegation.  

6. Public Health Approach  

1. Violence against women and girls is a public health issue. The refreshed Mayor’s VAWG Strategy 2022-2025 has adopted a public health approach to VAWG. The key principles guiding this approach are: we base our decisions on data and evidence; we prioritise early intervention and prevention; we place communities at the heart of change; we develop long-term solutions with partners; and we evaluate our activities to understand what works. 

2. The public health approach to violence prevention is being led by London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), which supports MOPAC’s work through preventative programmes supporting young people. 

3. The service(s) included in this decision will support people who have already been impacted by violence and exploitation or are at high risk of being impacted, intervening to ensure ongoing issues are well managed to avoid further crises and reduce the harmful consequences of the issues already faced. 

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. MOPAC is required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires MOPAC to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. 

2. An Inclusion Impact Assessment (IIA) has been completed which determine impacts of the new pan-London Sexual Violence Service on groups of people based on different and intersecting characteristics. This highlighted any potential adverse impacts and allowed for actions to be identified to remove or mitigate them.  

3. Given the findings of institutional racism, misogyny and homophobia in the Casey review there should be enhanced assurance that the recommendations incorporate actions to address this. MOPAC will adopt an intersectional and culturally sensitive approach to the development, implementation and delivery of the pan-London Sexual Violence Support Service. 

4. This commissioning programme was informed by a Strategic Needs Assessment (SNA) for Victims in London (SNA) - the biggest ever review of victim’s services in London. The SNA found there are a number of barriers that prevent people from ethnic minority backgrounds, LGBTQ+ and disabled victims from accessing support and engaging with the criminal justice system. The report also highlighted that African/Caribbean and South Asian people are consistently overrepresented among victims of sexual offences. MOPAC recognises that ‘by and for’ provision is most effective in reaching and supporting victims from marginalised communities. That is why MOPAC has continued to invest in programmes like the VAWG Grassroots Fund to grow and develop these services. Through the alliance model and enabling sub-contracts, MOPAC will be incentivising bidders to form partnerships with smaller specialist providers to deliver the services resulting from these procurement processes. 

5. The SNA also found that demographic data could be better recorded by existing services. MOPAC will be setting common minimum requirements across services with a specific focus on improving demographic data. 

6. Providers continue to navigate the post pandemic climate, facing increased austerity, comparative reductions in funding due to inflation and recruitment and retention issues. These challenges have become increasingly difficult to manage as sexual violence has reported increases over recent years. Public campaigns and several high-profile misconduct cases have shone a spotlight on VAWG which in turn has seen a positive drive for those wishing to access support and report abuse. However, services have struggled to manage the increased demand within existing resources. 

7. Pressure on resources is exacerbated by the delays many victims face in accessing justice. Already too slow, London’s CJS is struggling to bounce back from the postponement of jury trials and social distancing practices during the pandemic and subsequent strikes from the Criminal Bar Association throughout 2022. A combination of these factors has led to a significant backlog of cases in London’s Crown Courts. These delays are significantly above the national average and represent the longest recorded waiting times since records began. Support services work especially hard through this period to keep victims supported and engaged in the justice process. 

8. MOPAC and the alliance will play a role in the delivery of the MPS Commissioner’s Plan “A New Met for London”. In addition to maintaining an inward facing focus to identify and respond to disproportionality that arise through the course of delivering these services, the alliance will also play an important outward facing role in supporting and challenging MOPAC and other statutory agencies to follow through on their commitment to address disproportionality and discrimination. 

9. Background/supporting papers 

• Pan-London Sexual Violence Support Service Inclusion Impact Assessment (IIA) 

• Draft Memorandum of Understanding between MOPAC and NHS England  

• SV New Service Funding  

• Pan- London Sexual Violence Support Service Procurement Strategy  

• CEOD 12-2022 Sexual Violence Services Redesign Tender 

• CEOD 38-2023 Sexual Violence Redesign – Uplift and variation to Gate One Contract 

• CEOD 42-2023 Sexual Violence Redesign Transition and Implementation Tender 

• CEOD 21-2024 SV Redesign Contract Variation