Information & Advice Service

Tender description

TENDER OPPORTUNITY The London Borough of Sutton (Sutton Council) is seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified organisations for the provision of Information and Advice Services. Sutton’s current Information and Advice offer covers a large range of services that are both internally delivered and externally provided. There are currently more than 20 contracts in place, not all have Information and Advice as a primary function. Some of these arrangements are long standing and have not been reviewed through the lens of a commissioning council and others have been recommissioned but not with sufficient consideration given to our longer term financial challenges. We are bringing together Information and Advice services wherever possible and recommissioning an offer that meets our statutory obligations and the needs of our residents but drives out savings through better targeting, reduced duplication and more innovative practice. The contract will initially be for a period of three year commencing on 1st April 2016 with the option to extend the contract for a further two years, in 12-monthly intervals, at the discretion of the Council. The Council is tendering this contract through the London Tenders e-tendering portal, our method of advertising and managing contract opportunities. Prospective Tenderers are advised to register their interest by going to https://www.londontenders.org/procontract/supplier.nsf Social Value is the added benefit to the community following a commissioning/procurement process over and above the direct purchasing of goods, services and outcomes. It shall be a requirement for organisations to work with the Council in delivering and measuring Social Value throughout the lifetime of this agreement. Sutton Council currently contracts with a diverse group of voluntary, statutory and private sector providers and encourages a range of organisations, regardless of size, to apply for this provision. We are committed to creating jobs and training opportunities through our supply chain. A pre-qualification questionnaire is available on the portal which the Council shall evaluate to identify the shortlisted suppliers to be invited to tender. It is the opinion of the London Borough of Sutton that TUPE may apply to this Contract. The Council shall not be bound to accept the lowest cost or any tender, and reserves the right to accept all or part of your tender. The award of contract shall be based on the most economically advantageous tender submitted. We have considered breaking this contract down into lots, but following extensive market testing, we have decided that the best solution for us and potential providers would be a single contract. Deadline for expressions of interest and submission of a completed pre-qualification questionnaire is 10am on 5th October 2015. Please note that the Terms & Conditions for this contract are attached in draft form. We are currently reviewing our Terms & Conditions and an updated version will be posted shortly. Keywords: information, advice, welfare, support, community, service