Health and social work services

Tender description

The purchase and implementation of a new integrated digital assistive technology solution. The purpose of this will primarily be to support clients in Kent County Council (KCC) Adult Social Care and Health (ASCH) in response to the current Coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis. However, the products utilised within this project will also help inform the strategy on how the authority delivers services to the users within ASCH in the future through better use of digital services and technology. The purchase and implementation of a new integrated digital assistive technology solution. The purpose of this will primarily be to support clients in Kent County Council (KCC) Adult Social Care and Health (ASCH) in response to the current Coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis. However, the products utilised within this project will also help inform the strategy on how the authority delivers services to the users within ASCH in the future through better use of digital services and technology. In order to achieve this in the timescales provided the Digital Marketplace G-Cloud 11 framework was be used to procure the products required. A Procurement Policy Note (PPN 01/20), Responding to COVID-19 was released in March 2020 setting out information and associated guidance on the public procurement regulations and responding to the current coronavirus, Covid-19, outbreak. Under section 6 of the PPN it states: This PPN and associated guidance covers options that may be considered in relation to procurements under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (for the current financial thresholds, see PPN 06/19): • direct award due to extreme urgency (regulation 32(2)(c); • direct award due to absence of competition or protection of exclusive rights; • call off from an existing framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system; • call for competition using a standard procedure with accelerated timescales; • extending or modifying a contract during its term. As this procurement directly relates to the Covid-19 situation, we are using the following in line with Regulation 32(2)(c): • direct award due to extreme urgency (regulation 32(2)(c); • call off from an existing framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system; COVID-19 is serious and its consequences pose a risk to life. Regulation 32(2)(c) of the PCRs is designed to deal with this sort of situation. The regulation states that: in responding to Covid-19, contracting authorities may enter into contracts without competing or advertising the requirement so long as they are able to demonstrate the following tests have all been met: 1) There are genuine reasons for extreme urgency, e.g: you need to respond to the Covid-19 consequences immediately because of public health risks, loss of existing provision at short notice, etc; • you are reacting to a current situation that is a genuine emergency - not planning for one. 2) The events that have led to the need for extreme urgency were unforeseeable, e.g: • the Covid-19 situation is so novel that the consequences are not something you should have predicted. 3) It is impossible to comply with the usual timescales in the PCRs, e.g: • there is no time to run an accelerated procurement under the open or restricted procedures or competitive procedures with negotiation; • there is no time to place a call off contract under an existing commercial agreement such as a framework or dynamic purchasing system. 4) The situation is not attributable to the contracting authority, e.g: • you have not done anything to cause or contribute to the need for extreme urgency.