SS15 109 - Family Support Service

Tender description

Kent County Council (the Council) is the largest local authority in England covering an area of 3,500 square kilometres. It has an annual expenditure of over £1bn on goods and services and a population of 1.3m. The Council provides a wide range of personal and strategic services on behalf of its residents, operating in partnership with 12 district councils and 289 parish/town councils. The Family Support Service will form part of the Council's wider Early Help and Preventative Services offer. The role of Early Help and Preventative Services is to deliver effective early help and prevention to achieve improved outcomes for vulnerable children and families and reduce demand for social care services. Kent's Troubled Families Programme aims to transform the lives of families with multiple problems, and by doing so helps to give children in these families the chance of a better life. This whole family approach will ensure continued success and support for families that can be sustained into the future and beyond the life of the programme. The Family Support service will support the most vulnerable families. The service will deliver a flexible, innovative and holistic family approach through a professional workforce of practitioners, trainers and mentors within the family home and local community that makes significant progress to achieving outcomes that support the Troubled Families Programme. The contract is anticipated to commence upon 1st December 2016 and will continue for a period of 36 months with an option to extend for a further period of 24 months unless terminated in accordance with the Conditions of Contract on the Kent Business Portal. The estimated value of the contract is not more than £2,100,000 per annum divided across the 2 Lots as outlined below, but no guarantee is given as to the actual value of the contract. Lots The Family Support Service is split into 2 Lots, which will result in 2 different providers that will divide the County: Lot 1 - South (Ashford, Dover and Shepway) & East (Canterbury, Swale and Thanet) Kent (£1,240,000); And Lot 2 - North (Dartford, Gravesham and Sevenoaks) & West (Maidstone, Tonbridge & Malling and Tunbridge Wells) Kent (£860,400). As part of the tender submission, Tenderers must quote their preference in Appendix A - Mandatory Selection Criteria of either Lot 1 or Lot 2 (South & East or North & West). Tenderers can bid for both Lots but will not be awarded more than 1 Lot. In the circumstance, a Tenderer wins both Lots they will be awarded the Lot of their preference and the other Lot will be awarded to the Tenderer that scored second. In the event of a tied bid, the Tenderer with the lowest price will be awarded the Lot using the same methodology.