The contract for RBWM’s current Stop Smoking Service ends on 31March 2024.  The RBWM Public Health went out to tender for a new Stop Smoking Service on Friday 15 September 2022 to appoint a new provider to deliver the Stop Smoking Service from the 1st April 2024, the total contract price was £480k (£120k per annum) for an initial 2-year period, with the option of a possible extension of 1+1 years.

On 4 October 2023 the government announced that it is investing an additional £70 million per year to support local authority-led stop smoking services.  For RBWM, this will result in receiving an indicative £128k per annum between 2024/25 -2028/29. And so, the financial envelope of the RBWM Stop Smoking Service may be increased up to £248k per annum. Due to this announcement, it was also decided to increase the duration of the contract by a further year, meaning that the contract term will now be 2+1+1+1. The minimum contract value of the Stop Smoking services will now exceed £600k (excluding the indicative funding from the government), therefore meeting the relevant threshold to now be considered as a Key Decision.

Public Health are now seeking approval from Cabinet to approve delegated decision-making authority to be granted to the Executive Director of Adult Services and Health and the Cabinet Member for Adults Services, Health and Housing, to approve the outcome of the current Stop Smoking Procurement.