Legal services

Tender description

The LAA is inviting applicants to submit a tender for an exclusive schedule under a 2013 standard civil contract (as amended) (‘HPCDS contract or contract’) to deliver HPCDS services in specific courts until 30.9.2020. The LAA is offering up to 4 contracts in the following HPCDS Schemes: — Telford, — Taunton and Yeovil. These contracts will commence on 1.11.2019 or on the date on which applicants tender to deliver these services. The LAA is also inviting responses to its invitations to tender (‘ITTs’) for the delivery of publicly funded civil legal aid services from 1.11.2019 under a 2018 standard civil contract (also referred to in this document as a ‘Face to Face Contract’) in the housing and debt categories of Law in the following procurement areas: — Somerset, — Shropshire. The LAA is inviting applicants to submit a tender for an exclusive schedule under a 2013 standard civil contract (as amended) (‘HPCDS contract or contract’) to deliver HPCDS services in specific courts until 30.9.2020. The LAA is offering up to 4 contracts in the following HPCDS Schemes: — Telford, — Taunton and Yeovil. These contracts will commence on 1.11.2019 or on the date on which applicants tender to deliver these services. The LAA is seeking to award HPCDS contracts to applicants who: (a) are able to deliver HPCDS services through an office based in the corresponding housing and debt procurement area and either; (i) hold a 2018 standard civil contract with authorisation in the housing and debt categories of law; or (ii) apply through this procurement process and are subsequently awarded authorisation in the housing and debt categories of law under a 2018 standard civil contract; and (b) have relevant and recent experience of delivering HPCDS services; and (c) are able to deliver HPCDS services from the contract start date. Where the LAA is unable to secure HPCDS services from organisations able to meet all these requirements, it will consider tenders from applicants able to meet only some of them (see section 6). Where an applicant who does not currently hold a 2018 standard civil contract with authorisation to deliver housing and debt contract work successfully tenders for HPCDS contract, any HPCDS contract award is contingent on the applicant being awarded a 2018 standard civil contract with authorisation to deliver housing and debt contract work through this procurement process. For the avoidance of doubt, if an applicant’s tender to deliver housing and debt contract work is unsuccessful or verification is not completed, the LAA will withdraw the HPCDS contract offer. HPCDS will be scheduled through rotas. Successful applicants will be required to attend and deliver HPCDS services where requested by clients at all housing possession listings included in the relevant scheme during their allocated rota weeks (see paragraphs 1.4 – 1.5 of the IFA). The allocation of contract work to an applicant is dependent on the number of contracts awarded in a HPCDS. In submitting a tender, therefore, applicants must be willing to deliver a minimum of one week in 4 and a maximum of all weeks of a HPCDS rota (i.e. the entire HPCDS) in the scheme(s) they have tendered for. It is a condition of any award of an HPCDS contract that applicants must hold and comply with the 2018 standard civil contract and have and maintain an authorisation to undertake mainstream (i.e. non-HPCDS) contract work in the housing and debt categories of law. The HPCDS contract being awarded through this procurement process will maintain the current arrangements for HPCDS services. Those arrangements have been made to maintain HPCDS services on a contingency basis. The LAA is inviting applicants to submit a tender for an exclusive schedule under a 2013 standard civil contract (as amended) (‘HPCDS contract or contract’) to deliver HPCDS services in specific courts until 30.9.2020. The LAA is offering up to 4 contracts in the following HPCDS Schemes: — Telford, — Taunton and Yeovil. These contracts will commence on 1.11.2019 or on the date on which applicants tender to deliver these services. The LAA is seeking to award HPCDS contracts to applicants who: (a) are able to deliver HPCDS services through an office based in the corresponding housing and debt procurement area and either; (i) hold a 2018 standard civil contract with authorisation in the housing and debt categories of law; or (ii) apply through this procurement process and are subsequently awarded authorisation in the housing and debt categories of law under a 2018 standard civil contract; and (b) have relevant and recent experience of delivering HPCDS services; and (c) are able to deliver HPCDS services from the contract start date. Where the LAA is unable to secure HPCDS services from organisations able to meet all these requirements, it will consider tenders from applicants able to meet only some of them (see section 6). Where an applicant who does not currently hold a 2018 standard civil contract with authorisation to deliver housing and debt contract work successfully tenders for HPCDS contract, any HPCDS contract award is contingent on the applicant being awarded a 2018 standard civil contract with authorisation to deliver housing and debt contract work through this procurement process. For the avoidance of doubt, if an applicant’s tender to deliver housing and debt contract work is unsuccessful or verification is not completed, the LAA will withdraw the HPCDS contract offer. HPCDS will be scheduled through rotas. Successful applicants will be required to attend and deliver HPCDS services where requested by clients at all housing possession listings included in the relevant scheme during their allocated rota weeks (see paragraphs 1.4 – 1.5 of the IFA). The allocation of contract work to an applicant is dependent on the number of contracts awarded in a HPCDS. In submitting a tender, therefore, applicants must be willing to deliver a minimum of one week in 4 and a maximum of all weeks of a HPCDS rota (i.e. the entire HPCDS) in the Scheme(s) they have tendered for. It is a condition of any award of an HPCDS contract that applicants must hold and comply with the 2018 standard civil contract and have and maintain an authorisation to undertake mainstream (i.e. non-HPCDS) contract work in the housing and debt categories of Law. The HPCDS contract being awarded through this procurement process will maintain the current arrangements for HPCDS services. Those arrangements have been made to maintain HPCDS services on a contingency basis. The LAA will award face to face contracts to deliver face to face legal advice and representation in the housing and debt categories of Law from 1.11.2019 in the following procurement areas: — Somerset, — Shropshire. Applicants should refer to the Category Definitions 2018 for detail on the scope of work included in the housing and debt categories of law. There is no limit to the number of face to face contracts that may be awarded. Organisations that meet the LAA’s minimum requirements to hold a face to face contract (the SQ requirements) and who can meet the relevant general and category-specific requirements set out in this IFA will be awarded a face to face contract. Any organisation who meets the minimum contract requirements may tender to deliver HPCDS and/or housing and debt face to face services. For the housing and debt categories, the LAA will give preference to any organisation who meets the minimum contract requirements. The minimum requirements are that: — the applicant employs at least one FTE Supervisor who meets the Housing and debt supervisor standard and meets the one supervisor to 4 caseworkers ratio at each Office from which it is tendering to deliver housing and debt contract work, — each office in the procurement area from which the applicant is tendering to deliver housing and debt contract work must be a permanent presence; and — the applicant employs at least one PTE Authorised Litigator with experience of delivering housing and debt work. Where applicants do not meet these requirements but wish to submit a tender on the basis of meeting the part time presence requirements or by delivering outreach services within the relevant procurement area, they may do so. The LAA will consider individual bids made on that basis only in the circumstances where it does not receive any individual bids which meet the permanent presence requirements. The LAA will not accept subcontracting or consortia arrangements although the use of agents is permitted for HPCDS, as set out at paragraphs 1.26 – 1.28 of the IFA. The LAA will award face to face contracts to deliver face to face legal advice and representation in the housing and debt categories of Law from 1.11.2019 in the following procurement areas: — Somerset, — Shropshire. Applicants should refer to the Category Definitions 2018 for detail on the scope of work included in the housing and debt categories of law. There is no limit to the number of face to face contracts that may be awarded. Organisations that meet the LAA’s minimum requirements to hold a face to face contract (the SQ requirements) and who can meet the relevant general and category-specific requirements set out in this IFA will be awarded a face to face contract. Any organisation who meets the minimum contract requirements may tender to deliver HPCDS and/or housing and debt face to face services. For the housing and debt categories, the LAA will give preference to any organisation who meets the minimum contract requirements. The minimum requirements are that: — the applicant employs at least one FTE supervisor who meets the housing and debt supervisor standard and meets the one supervisor to 4 caseworkers ratio at each office from which it is tendering to deliver housing and debt contract work, — each office in the procurement area from which the applicant is tendering to deliver housing and debt contract work must be a permanent presence; and — the applicant employs at least one PTE authorised litigator with experience of delivering housing and debt work. Where applicants do not meet these requirements but wish to submit a tender on the basis of meeting the part time presence requirements or by delivering outreach services within the relevant procurement area, they may do so. The LAA will consider individual bids made on that basis only in the circumstances where it does not receive any Individual Bids which meet the permanent presence requirements. The LAA will not accept subcontracting or consortia arrangements although the use of agents is permitted for HPCDS, as set out at paragraphs 1.26 – 1.28 of the IFA.