Oldham Advice Services

To enter into a contract with CA SORT as the incumbent provider of the Oldham Advice Service following the satisfactory completion of Direct Award Process pursuant to Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023, with CA SORT being the only supplier with the requisite qualifications. Oldham Council currently provides and grant-funds several financial inclusion services supporting multiple levels of need from low level issues to complex advice and guidance.

Moving forwards and supported by the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) provided by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) from 1 April 2026, we will improve and consolidate the offer to residents, making it easier to access timely and resident-focused support and advice with a one front door approach wherever possible. Citizens Advice Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale and Trafford (CA SORT) have been grant funded for a number of years to provide legal and advice services to residents in Oldham.

This arrangement has been renewed on an annual basis and has been funded from a variety of core and external funding sources during this time. It is recognised that this is not a sustainable approach to funding the service, and it does not support CA SORT to plan strategically or operate effectively as a key strategic partner within the borough.

CA SORT are currently jointly contracted by Rochdale, Trafford and Stockport for a period of five years to deliver a similar range of services. Deliver impartial legal and advice services.

This ranges from general advice and information, supporting basic form filling to complex and specialist advice and representation of clients. The offer covers a wide range of areas including debt, welfare benefits, housing, employment, energy, immigration, and asylum.

The offer includes online; telephony and an in-person offer in each of Oldham's districts to meet the needs and preferences of residents in accessing support and services. This offer sits alongside the Council's Helpline service.

The Helpline was set up at the start of the Covid 19 pandemic and evolved into a cost-of-living support offer. The Helpline has been grant-funded throughout and is not part of revenue budgets.

Duplication has been identified following a service review. There is an opportunity to consolidate and strengthen the offer through the expertise of a reputable, trusted and commissioned partner with expertise at all levels of financial support and debt advice and therefore improving the experience and quality of support for residents.

Moving forwards, a sustainable financial inclusion and support offer will be established with resident focus at the core of an approach. The Helpline, Warm Homes service and CA SORT will be consolidated into a single front door known as the Oldham Advice Service.

Expert and multi-complexity support will be available to residents to support them to navigate and resolve financial issues wherever possible and to access the various support available nationally, regionally and locally. Moving forwards, it is preferable to move from annual grant funding agreements to a commissioned partner model.

This provides a longer-term funding commitment providing stability for both the Council, residents, and the provider. It also brings the Council in line with other authorities and means that service quality and performance can be robustly defined and managed through an established contract, service specification, and performance framework.

The commissioned service offer will include all levels of financial advice including personal budgeting and income maximisation, debt advice and energy and consumer advice. They will also continue to provide legal and advice services across a range of other issues such as housing, employment, family and immigration.

The provider will also fulfil a role to quality assure and provide training and guidance across the borough to ensure a consistency of advice across the public and Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise sectors. Lastly, they will also work with the Council to establish, maintain and nurture a financial inclusion offer that is well communicated and significantly easier for residents, elected members, services and partners to navigate.

The Council will retain the design and delivery of crisis schemes and grant funding. A Pre-Market Engagement (PME) exercise was undertaken in March 2026.

This entailed a PME questionnaire to be reviewed alongside a service specification for the Oldham Advice Service. Three responses were received, including the incumbent grant funded provider, CA SORT.

Two other potential providers expressed their interest and provided a response to the PME questionnaire. Both parties do not currently hold the requisite certifications and to ensure robust and quality advice services.

The established accreditations for delivery of the service are as follows: Advice Quality Standard (AQS) Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) Debt Quality Framework Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Authorisation Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) Registration Data Security and Information Governance: All accreditations held by CA Sort as 1 organisation and not supported through 3rd parties. The accreditations reflect that the service will be working with vulnerable residents.

As commissioners, we should evidence and be assured of robust and quality delivery including: • Accurate and good quality advice across the service including immigration, financial support and debt management. • Specifics around the FCA and MaPS given the sensitivity of the subject and potential or money to be written off. • Data and information security best practice and compliance. It is proposed that the new contract term for the Oldham Advice Service is 2 years and 9 months commencing on 1 July 2026 and expiring on 31 March 2029. The contract value will be £750,000 per year (£2,062,500 lifetime value).