Following a procurement exercise completed in 2023 under the G-Cloud 13 Framework, it has been suggested to appoint Legend as the Leisure Management provider. As part of the Council's offering, a lessons and courses system operates alongside the primary system. This provides the Council with the lessons and courses software to manage attendance, monitor children's development, online joining, waiting lists and online parent’s portal.
Following the successful implementation and operation of the CoursePro system across the Council’s leisure facilities, we are extending the current contract with Fitronics (CoursePro) in line with the original agreement, which included an option to extend.
The CoursePro system continues to provide essential functionality for managing our lessons and courses programme, including swimming, gymnastics, trampolining, and holiday activities. It integrates seamlessly with our primary leisure management system (Legend), and no alternative software offers the same level of compatibility and integration, as such an exemption is also required.
The extension period will be for a period of 18 months and cost total of £26,671.51, split across financial years as detailed in the background letter attached.

a) Extend the contract for a period of 18 months in total with Fitronics (CoursePro) to provide the Sports Facilities' lessons and courses digital management system to all three leisure facilities at Clacton, Dovercourt and Walton on the Naze at a total cost of £26,671.51.
b) for the Head of Sport and Leisure to enter into a contract variation with Fitronics (CoursePro) under the terms set out in the existing agreement.
c) £7,654.23 will be allocated from the Management of Sports Facilities Budget revenue for Sports Facilities 25/26 to fund this contract, with an additional £19,017.28 allocated from the same budget for Sports Facilities 26/27.

Choosing not to proceed with the contract extension could be an option however, this would result in a return to a manual system, which is significantly less efficient and no longer fit for purpose. This shift would negatively impact:
• Service levels, due to increased administrative workload and reduced operational efficiency.
• Income generation, particularly through disruption to automated payment processes.
• Strategic alignment, as it would fail to support TDC’s Corporate Plan commitment to delivering a fully digital customer experience.
Additionally, the current system has become well-integrated into users’ routines and expectations. Removing it would represent a step backward; undermining progress made in reducing the subsidy and improving service delivery.