DD2623 London Business Hub website contract 2023-24

1.1.    The London Business Hub (LBH) website (www.businesshub.london) has been supporting London’s micro businesses and small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) since its inception in March 2015. 

1.2.    The website helps businesses access support programmes, advisers, and networking opportunities.  It provides the entry point to two of the Mayor’s business support programmes, Business Advisers (known internally as Hub & Spoke) and the Wayfinder. 

1.3.    The website’s content and infrastructure has been maintained by Browser London Ltd, in consortium with Cobweb Information Limited, for the past four years under contract ICT13085 (Lot 1 & 2). This contract covers server hosting, website maintenance and support, content curation and maintenance as well as optional ‘call off’ website development. It allows the website to function efficiently and within the constraints of internal resource and capacity. It also allows the team to respond actively to changing user needs and to ensure continuous improvement of the website. The contract is due to end on 31 March 2023. 

1.4.    Following the GLA’s recent review of business support services, the London Business Hub website and related services are being rescoped, but this exercise will not complete before the current contract ends and GLA officers have therefore sought advice from TfL procurement on a compliant process to source the services required from Browser and Cobweb during the interim period. 
 

2.1     Following discussions with TfL Procurement, the GLA will source the services required for the new website contract from TfL’s Reseller Framework.  The Reseller Framework was procured via a competitive, advertised procurement process. Following this procurement process five suppliers were appointed to the framework.   The Reseller Framework allows the GLA to run a mini-competition procurement process, following which a call-off contract will be awarded to the winning reseller.  That reseller will then enter into a subcontract with Browser.

2.2.   The Reseller Framework process allows us to continue working with Browser and Cobweb via the successful reseller, to provide stability, consistency, and continuation of services during the transition period; and maintain the same SLAs and services as currently supplied by Browser. The new contract will cover six months but we will build in an optional additional six months extension, allowing in total for up to 12 months of service delivery. 

2.3    During the initial six-month contract term GLA officers will assess progress with the rescoping activities to determine whether an additional 6 months will be required. If required, this extension will be processed via a Change Control Note (CCN) with support from TfL. 
 

3.1.    The LBH website ensures that all relevant London based business support schemes are included on the website. This includes specific information and events for women, BAME, and other underrepresented groups with to satisfy the GLA’s Public Sector Equality Duty, namely through addressing underrepresentation of women, disabled people and businesses run by ethnic entrepreneurs. 

3.2.    The LBH website also ensures that the highest standards of website accessibility are met and/ or incorporated, which meet the latest industry standards (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 AA)
 

4.1.    This project is aligned to the Mayor’s commitment to support new and growing businesses and develop London’s offer to SMEs and the self-employed by creating a single front door so business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs can easily access the right advice and support to help them start, sustain and grow. The London Business Hub is the platform by which the Mayor can promote his wider work to support the capital’s SME community.

4.2.    This project hosts content for the Mayor’s Cost of Doing Business activity, alongside supporting digital resources and information for businesses impacted by the cost of living crisis.

4.3.    The key risks associated with this project are as follows: 

4.4.    There are no conflicts to note from any of those involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision form.

5.1    Approval is being sought for expenditure up to the value of £140,000 for a maximum 12-month contract for London Business Hub website as detailed within this report. All expenditure will be incurred by 31st March 2024.

5.2     The funding of this new contract will be financed by London’s allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) funding sources in 2023-24 (approved under Mayoral Decision MD3058).

5.3    Based on current contract costs the anticipated the breakdown of the initial six-month and potential additional six-month extension is as follows: 

Power to undertake the requested decision

6.1    The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decision requested of the director concerns the exercise of the Authority’s general powers and fall within the Authority’s statutory power to do such things considered to further or which are facilitative of, conducive or incidental to the promotion of economic development and wealth creation, social development and improvement of the environment in Greater London and in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers have complied with the Authority’s related statutory duties to:

•    pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people
•    consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom
•    consult with appropriate bodies.    

6.2    In taking the decisions requested, the director must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty; namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, and to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation) and persons who do not share it and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the director should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.

Procurement

6.3    The officers must ensure that they comply with the rules of TfL’s Reseller Framework, when they undertake the proposed mini-competition to procure a reseller.  Furthermore, the officers must ensure that a call-off contract be put in place between the Authority and the successful reseller, before the services commence.