Health and social work services

Tender description

Due to the success of the Council’s first casework support project, a further commitment was made by Councillors on 19.6.2018 to extend the programme and bring an additional 30 refugees into the Borough. This was on the basis that each family could be housed in appropriate accommodation acquired by the Council in the private rented sector. The Council has sourced and secured the accommodation and intends to procure a specialist provider to deliver a Support Service (the Service). This will consist of 12 months of intensive casework for each new family and a further programme of stepped down support up to a period of 5 years for settled households. The duration of this service is not based on the financial year, but is based on the month of arrival of each family. For instance if a family arrives on 1.4.2020 and the last family arrives early 2021, support will still be in place in 2026 for the last family, albeit on a scaled down level for their final year. The service subject of this tender fall within Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and as such are subject to the ‘light touch’ procurement regime. As the value of the contract falls above the relevant threshold set out in Regulation 5, the procurement will follow the requirements set out in Regulation 75-77 of the 2015 Regulations. This will include the publication of a contract notice and an award notice (Regulation 75) and applying the principles set out in Regulation 77. On 5.1.2016, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council (the Council) committed to settle 10-12 refugees. In 2016, 2 families, comprising of 3 and 6 individuals arrived in Southend-on-Sea. Casework support was provided by both Council Officers and through an existing Floating Support contract. Due to the success of the Council’s first casework support project, a further commitment was made by Councillors on 19.6.2018 to extend the programme and bring an additional 30 refugees into the Borough. This was on the basis that each family could be housed in appropriate accommodation acquired by the Council in the private rented sector. The make-up of these households and their specific needs will not be known until the Home Office provides the Council with their assessments during the ‘matching’ process in early 2020. Therefore as funding is awarded per individual the exact contract value will not be known until this time. The Council has sourced and secured the accommodation and intends to procure a specialist provider to deliver a Support Service (the Service). This will consist of 12 months of intensive casework for each new family and a further programme of stepped down support up to a period of 5 years for settled households. This support will include the families that previously settled in 2016 and will require support at a less intensive level up to 2021. The duration of this service is not based on the financial year, but is based on the month of arrival of each family. For instance if a family arrives on 1.4.2020 and the last family arrives early 2021, support will still be in place in 2026 for the last family, albeit on a scaled down level for their final year.