The Executive Office (TEO) Capacity Building Programme in the North Down CIT Area

Tender description

TEO is seeking to appoint a Contractor for the provision of a Capacity Building programme in the North Down CIT Area (this relates to Kilcooley and Rathgill and, Annex A of the Specification provides a map of the designated CIT area) that will facilitate building a resilient community through an asset-based approach, advocating collaboration with statutory, community and voluntary bodies in the area. The programme must be able to support individuals and groups within the community to get more involved in community life through providing a means for them to improve their skills and confidence and enhance their opportunities to work together for the benefit of the area where they live. This tender is linked to the Communities in Transition (CIT) Project which had been due to end in June 2021, however the Executive made a commitment within ‘New Decade New Approach’ to continue its delivery with a renewed focus and additional funding up to 31 March 2024. The CIT Project is therefore being delivered in two phases, with Phase 1 to be completed by 30 June 2021 and Phase 2 to be completed by 31 March 2024. Phase 1 of the Project provided a firm foundation for continuing to address the issues that allow Paramilitarism, criminality and coercive control to persist within communities. Phase 2 presents an opportunity to further refine the work as we move forward. This Contract falls under Phase 2 and will support the Department in its overall delivery of the CIT Project. The Contractor’s Capacity Building programme will include the active participation of individuals / organisations / groups already recruited to the programme through the Phase 1 intervention and, the recruitment of additional individuals / organisations / groups to elements of the programme as described in the Specification. This programme will therefore seek to build upon the experience and learning of the intervention delivered through Phase 1 of the CIT Project, helping to meet the identified needs of the area and taking positive action to address barriers impacting on the community’s access to appropriate support, which can be accessed beyond the life of CIT supported intervention. The Contractor’s Capacity Building programme will incorporate and deliver a number of programme activities, described at paragraph 6.5 of the Specification. Full details of all the requirements for this Contract are provided for within the Specification of Requirements Schedule. The core purpose of this programme is multi-fold: • Increase community capacity and encourage sustainable wider community participation for the betterment of the community • Improve voice, access and agency of the community • Provide opportunity for and develop more coherent relationships between the community and service providers • Increase individual and community resilience against paramilitary control • Reduce the number of people vulnerable to paramilitary influence and control. All activities which the Contractor proposes to carry out must clearly link to the objectives listed above. The Contractor must not be delivering general community development activities as part of this programme, activities must be clearly linked to tackling paramilitary activity, criminality and organised crime issues. The Contractor will be expected to start delivering the Contract in July 2021 for a period of one year.