PCD 1842 Procurement of Grant Administration Services (MOPAC and VRU)

Executive Summary:  

As outlined in the Mayor's new Police and Crime Plan 2025-29, the safety of Londoners is his first priority. Building on progress made, he is determined to reduce violence and criminal exploitation, with victims remaining at the heart of everything he and the City Hall family does. 

As part of this commitment, both London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) commission and procure a range of projects, programmes, and services that support achieving the Mayor’s ambitions and objectives. This includes through the mechanisms of designing and delivering various Grant programmes that meet the needs of Londoners affected by crime, including violence and exploitation. 

To effectively develop, deliver, distribute, and manage these Grant programmes, the VRU and MOPAC both have ongoing requirements for grant administration services, which will be commissioned from the Provider on a call-off basis over the life of the contract.   

These services are required to be in place from October 2025, for the immediate needs of the VRU’s Stronger Futures Programme 3.0. Stronger Futures is the VRU's flagship after-school programme, supporting young Londoners aged 8-18 years old to access after school provision between 3pm and 10pm, weekends, and school holiday activities when risk of violence is heightened. 

This Decision therefore requests the approval of the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime for this procurement strategy for a supplier to provide grant administration services to the VRU and MOPAC. Any and all future use of services under this contract will be subject to further formal approval and decisions.  

Recommendation: 

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to: 

1. Approve proceeding to procurement for grant administration services for VRU and MOPAC up to a value of £29,370,000 (including the value of the funds themselves) for a period of up to 5 years. Each use of the contract will be subject to a contract variation in accordance with MOPAC’s Scheme of Consent and Delegation.  

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

1. Introduction and background  

1. MOPAC and VRU have set out a collaborative procurement strategy for future grant administration services. Grant programmes will include the VRU Stronger Futures programme and other grants MOPAC identify over the 5-year duration of the contract.  

2. By aggregating future grant administration services, the intention is to achieve best value for money and use resources efficiently in running a single procurement process. 

VRU Stronger Futures Programme 

3. VRU’s Stronger Futures 3.0 after school and holiday programme with the strategic aim of keeping young Londoners safe after school between the hours from 3pm-10pm, a period when the risk of violence is heightened.  

4. We know that ensuring more equitable outcomes for all young Londoners requires an explicit and targeted approach to those young people who are most in need. Stronger Futures 2.0 has reached over 14,352 young people and a further 1,109 parents.  

5. The Stronger Futures programme has potential to support the delivery of Prevention Partnerships. London’s VRU has responsibility for establishing and overseeing the Government’s Young Futures Prevention Partnerships, a key delivery programme for its broader Safer Streets mission.  Being established across the capital, they will involve local multi-agency partnership working to ensure the right support is available to children and young adults at risk of being drawn into crime; ensuring the right referral routes and the latest evidence on risk factors for young people are being used; and addressing local systemic challenges.  

Holiday Hope Programme 

6. The Holiday Hope programme will be integrated into Stronger Futures, providing an ambitious response from the Mayor to this issue and will connect and strengthen high-quality holiday activity across London. The Holiday Hope programme which directly contributes towards the Mayor’s overarching ambition that 250,000 young people will have access to positive opportunities by 2028. Holiday Hope connects City Hall holiday provision with key partner delivery offering to increase young people’s access to youth spaces and positive opportunities, with food available, during the challenging holiday periods.    

7. The 2025/6 funding will go towards the current Stronger Futures 2.0 programme and further two years funding for 2026/8 to go into grantees of the Stronger Futures 3.0 programme delivering holiday activities.  

MOPAC requirements 

8. MOPAC have designed and launched several grants programmes focusing on smaller, By and For, and/or Grassroots organisations supporting victims of crime and/or those experiencing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). Current grant programmes being managed under its existing Grant Administration Services contract include the Mayor’s second VAWG Grassroots Fund and the Ministry of Justice Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Fund.  

9. These current grant programmes are due to end by 31 March 2026. Any decisions taken on potential future grants programmes by MOPAC will be made as part of its strategic planning, following the publication of the Mayor’s new PCP and impending refreshed Tackling VAWG Strategy 2025-29. Any use of this new call-off Grant Administration Services contract will be subject to further formal approval and decisions. 

10.    Issues for consideration 

1. The grant administration services contract will provide the option of an end-to-end grant administration service, from grant promotion, assessment, award, grant management, grant finance management and capacity building, or a selection of these tailored services on a case-by-case basis.  

2. MOPAC and the VRU are keen to engage with organisations, including grassroots organisations, and to support them during the application and grant management process. The grant administration organisation will provide much needed support and will deliver capacity building support to guide organisations in the project development and delivery process, as well as wider organisational support. 

3. The VRU and MOPAC recognises the life-changing work that community led organisations do to support young people who are at risk of violence. Community-led organisations can generate creative, engaging, and empowering ways of doing things which we want to encourage and support. The stronger futures programme has been informed by discussions and feedback from consultation with youth sectors practitioners, VCS organisations and most importantly young people themselves.   

4. The grant administration organisation will receive a fee linked to the level of service provided. A tiered approach will be applied, and the fee structure will be established as part of the tendering process.  

3. Financial Comments  

1. The overall value of the contract at £29.370m includes flexibility to vary the contract for any future grant programmes arising at MOPAC and VRU, subject to DMPC approval. 

2. The contract includes costs for grant management fees and the grant funds to distribute: 

3. MOPACs grant management fees will be funded from C&P BAU budget. This is built into the 2025/26 budget and Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP). The £20,000,000 element of the contract for all MOPAC grant programmes over the 5-year period is an indicative value based on previous year’s grant programmes, but any allocation of future grant funding and corresponding contract variation will be subject to further DMPC approval.  

4. VRU grant management fees are up to £0.278m for 2025/26 and 2026/27 and up to £0.139m for the extension year which would be subject to a separate decision.  

5. The contract includes £2.780m for VRU’s Stronger Futures 3.0 programme as set out in the table above for 2025/26 and 2026/27. The 2025/26 expenditure will be funded from VRU Mayoral funding and aligns to the approved 2025/26 budget. The 2026/27 expenditure is funded by £0.300m from the GLA for Holiday Hope as approved in MD3771 and £1.653m from VRU budgets. The VRU approved Medium-Term Plan for 2026/27 assumes of the £1.653m budget £1.453m is Mayoral Funded and £0.200m Home Office funded. Home Office funding hasn’t been confirmed for 2026/27 and therefore if Home Office funding in 2026/27 is less than assumed the difference would need to be funded from VRU Mayoral budgets.  

6. The Stronger Futures 3.0 2027/28 extension value of £1.390m (including £0.300m for Holiday Hope) will not be exercised until the VRU has sought DMPC approval for the additional extension period. 

7. The VRU grant fees of £0.420m and grant funds of £3.780m element of the contract for possible additional VRU grant programmes over the 5-year period is an indicative value, but any allocation of future grant funding and corresponding contract variation will be subject to further DMPC approval.  

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. MOPAC is a Contracting Authority as defined in the Procurement Act 2023, All awards of public contracts for goods and services will be procured in accordance with the regulations. 

4. Officers can confirm that the DMPC has the legal authority to agree this decision in Accordance with the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation. 

5. Commercial Issues  

1. This decision is seeking approval to procure grant administration services for VRU and MOPAC up to a value of £23,780,000 for a period of 2 years plus a 3-year extension in yearly increments. The services will be procured by running a further competition on the Crown Commercial Services- Fund Administration and Disbursement Services DPS, or another suitable arrangement. 

2. Bidders will be required to submit a list of fees for MOPACs grant administration services. The fees will be dependent on the level of support required for each programme.  

3. In accordance with 4.13 of MOPAC’s Scheme of Delegation, the DMPC can approve the procurement strategy for all revenue and capital contracts of a total value of £500,000 or above, such determination to include decisions on the criteria and methodology to be adopted in the tendering process, any exemptions from procurement requirements, and any necessary contract extensions.  

4. For VRU, Research, monitoring, evaluation and learning (RMEL): Grant Management company will need to ensure grantees are using effective data tools, while providing additional support through capacity is to improve the use of MEL systems for reflective learning, impact demonstration, and sustainability.  Grant management company to work with VRU RMEL in setting up standard monitoring forms across all grantees with grant management to ensure all forms are completed and quarterly deadlines are met, alongside agreed KPIs and that impact is measured. 

5. The actions proposed can be taken in compliance with procurement legislation and MOPAC’s Contract Regulations. 

6. Public Health Approach 

1. The public health approach model is built around using evidence, insight, data and listening to London’s diverse communities to build on what works to reduce violence. The VRU and MOPAC will continue to develop and adopt this approach to contribute to sustainable reductions in violence in the capital, centred on three strategic objectives:  

• A city in which children and young adults both feel safe and are safe. 

• Taking a partnership approach to delivering solutions. 

• Stabilising and reducing violence through prevention and enabling positive opportunities. 

2. Violence is complex, with evidence showing links with poverty, deprivation and lack of opportunity. Austerity, the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis has cumulatively impacted young adults, families and communities. 

3. The public health approach now includes London to be a city safe for every woman and girl. 

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. The VRU and MOPAC are required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires the VRU and 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. As part of the performance monitoring of all this contract and subsequent Grant programmes, the VRU and MOPAC will collect demographics information, which helps us to understand who is benefitting from these services and identify how any barriers to accessing them may be overcome.  

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 as part of this programme of activity.