Health and social work services

Tender description

Hertfordshire County Council (the ‘Council’) is carrying out pre-procurement market engagement in relation to: Co-Ordinates and Advocates for Family conferencing Service; Project Background. — The Family Group Conference Service (FGCS) was initially set up in Hertfordshire in 2009 by the Council. To deliver the Family Group Conference (FGC) model of working with families. — The FGCS recognises the rights and responsibilities of families and communities to make decisions about their children and provides a framework for families to exercise this responsibility, the Family Group Conference (FGC). — The FGC offers the Council and the family a way off working together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. — At the FGC it is the family who makes the plan to meet the needs of the child/young person, after first being told what concerns and issues a plan will need to address, what resources are available and what will happen if the current situation does not change. — The role of the FGCS is to provide resources including coordinators to help the family develop their own plan. Other parts of the Council help with its implementation where possible, unless it continues to place a child at risk of significant harm. — FGC's recognise strengths within the family and it is a method of maximising the resources within that family. In maximising resources within the family, FGC's bring benefits to a child/young person who has the right to be cared for within the family environment where possible. For the Council there are obvious financial benefits in terms of the long term savings made in relation to resources saved. — The FGC Service significantly contributes to the statutory work of the Council's Children Services, FGC's are offered to families involved with Child Protection Conferences, Childcare Legal proceedings and other circumstances where there are concerns relating Children's welfare. Timescales. It is currently anticipated that the Council will commence a procurement process in May/June 2016, with the new service commencing in September 2016. The anticipated contract term is 2 years with the option of a 2-year extension renewable on an annual basis at the discretion of the Council. The purpose of the Council's pre-procurement market engagement process is to allow and enable potentially interested organisations with appropriate expertise and relevant experience to: — Outline and generate initial views/ideas around the outcomes, scope and the potential procurement strategy (i.e. with no commitment to themselves or the Council). — Engage with the Council to understand its challenges, intentions and desired outcomes. — Inform the Council of current market developments. — Enable the Council to understand how the Current Requirements could be shaped and delivered. — Explain the potential options available to the Council. The Council will consider the information and responses received to help inform the Council's options and further decision making. For the avoidance of doubt, this stage of the project is not part of a formal procurement process and the Council is not committing, at this stage, to carrying out such a process. Participation or non-participation in the pre-procurement market engagement process shall not prevent any supplier participating in a potential future procurement, nor is it intended that any information supplied as part of the pre-procurement process shall place any supplier at an advantage in a potential procurement process. Participation in the pre-procurement market engagement procurement process will be at each supplier's own cost. No expense in responding to this process will be reimbursed by the Council. The Council will not enter into a contract based solely on the responses to this PIN and no information contained in the documents or in any communication made between the Council and any contractor in connection with its pre-procurement market engagement shall be relied upon as constituting a contract, agreement or representation that any contract shall be awarded. This pre-procurement market engagement process will comprise: Seeking expressions of interest and submission of the Supplier Questionnaire (please see Appendix A — of the pre-procurement market engagement documentation) following the instructions detailed in Section V1.2) below. Supplier Questionnaires must be received by 12:00 on Wednesday 6.4.2016. Estimated cost excluding VAT: 880 000 GBP.