Social work and related services

Tender description

Hertfordshire County Council (the ‘Council’) is carrying out pre-procurement market engagement in relation to community dementia support — specifically, the provision of group-based activities, of expert 1:1 support (post-diagnosis and longer term), and of specialist dementia carer nurses. The aim of this county-wide service is to provide long term support to people with dementia, mild cognitive impairment and their families and their carers — helping them to live well and preventing unnecessary health or social care intervention. Services will be flexible to meet local need, and accessible to a diverse range of people, with clear and measurable outcomes. The minimum annual budget is 1 400 000 GBP, split over 3 lots. Time-scales: It is currently anticipated that the Council will commence a procurement process in August 2016, with the new service commencing in February 2017. It is proposed that the Council will run a 1 stage procurement process, containing 3 lots. The anticipated contract term is 3 years with the option of a 2 year extension. The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) will apply. 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 feedback 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 VI.2) below. Supplier Questionnaires must be received by 12:00 on Friday, 22.7.2016; and; — A supplier event held on Tuesday, 19.7.2016 at Oxlease House, Travellers Lane, Hatfield, AL10 8TJ.