Decision Maker: Officer Decision
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
The Shared Revenues Partnership have a perpetual licence to use Victoria Forms Software which provides a suite of electronic forms and a Benefit Calculator. These services together allow customers to determine their likely entitlement to benefit, make an informed claim, undergo a localised verification process, receive a documented list of evidence required and upload that evidence to support their claim. This service has provided significant efficiencies to the Shared Revenues Partnership whilst providing customers with an improved 24/7 claim/advice service.
The comprehensive process is externally hosted, has been developed and refined over a period of years and support and maintenance would not be available from any other supplier.
The provision of support and maintenance for the e-form suite, the server, the Benefit Calculator, the XML export and provision of the Local Verification Framework for the three partner authorities is undertaken for an annual support and maintenance fee of £19,342+VAT.
There would be an impact to performance if SRP were to not continue with this service. The products have been developed over time and allow for service area efficiencies in post opening, scanning and indexing, claim handling, information gathering and significantly reduce demand upon Customer Services.
To exempt the contract from the market testing requirement of Contract Standing Orders for the financial year 2024/25. The award is to Victoria Forms for £19,342+VAT.
Reason:
This bespoke form is available only as proprietary or patented articles from one supplier, and for which there is no reasonable satisfactory alternative.
Publication date: 12/02/2024
Date of decision: 01/02/2024
Accompanying Documents: