Advocacy Sub-Contracting Forum Opportunity

Tender description

The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is currently engaging with the market to shape the commissioning and procurement plans of the Advocacy Service. As part of the ongoing engagement strategy, the council is hosting a forum through which organisations interested in participating in the procurement process are given the opportunity to further engage with the council, and each other This forum will provide organisations interested in sub-contracting for parts of the Advocacy Service an environment to engage in initial discussions. The Council is particularly interested in facilitating the opportunity for organisations interested in bidding for this tender to develop and forge links with the voluntary sector. This is an opportunity is also open for organisations, who have as yet not worked in Richmond, to start developing local partnerships in anticipation of the tender. Further details are set out in the attached engagement report. Current Advocacy Services Advocacy services within the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames aim to meet the Council’s commissioning responsibility around wellbeing and prevention. Current services, provided by three organisations, are: • Independent Advocacy • Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA) • Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) • Independent NHS Complaints Advocacy • Appropriate Adult service Commissioning Intentions The Council’s priority is to commission a service that meets the care and support needs of the entire population, so independent advocacy will be looked at in conjunction with the both the statutory and non-statutory advocacy provision. The Council intends to commission Independent Advocacy, IMCA, IMHA, NHS Complaints Advocacy and Appropriate Adult as single service with a Lead Provider, with a Single Entry Point of Access, that will coordinate, oversee and provide all elements of advocacy. This commissioning option will help the Council have a better overview of the whole advocacy provision whilst improving accessibility for people using the service. It is the intention that this model is an inclusive model whereby anyone can receive support for advocacy without having to navigate several organisations for support. The LBRuT Advocacy Service model may be delivered via a single provider model or a network, alliance or consortium model Procurement Timetable ACTION DATE Issue Contract Notice and release of Invitation to tender (ITT) May 2016 Contract Award (Alcatel Period) August 2016 Mobilisation September – October 2016 Contract Commencement November 2016 Keywords: Advice, Mental Health, care, Advocacy, support