Temporary Accommodation & Associated Services Flexible Purchasing System - Category 4

Tender description

The City of Edinburgh Council established a flexible purchasing system for temporary accommodation in March 2022. This was a long-term opportunity with the aim to increase Edinburgh’s capacity for temporary accommodation. The Council require accommodation and associated services which are tailored to resident’s needs, can adapt by flexing capacity whilst having a focus on value for money and allows continued change and improvement. The Council are re-opening applications to the flexible purchasing system for Category 4 - Temporary Accommodation Support Services for new bidders. This is ahead of mini-competitions to re-tender replacement contracts for the following services which will be run via the flexible purchasing system: Housing First and Complex Needs Visiting Housing Support Street Based Outreach and Support Hub Locality Visiting Housing Support and Preventative Support Young Person Visiting Housing Support, Young Person Groupwork and Youth Emergency Support The Council will be using the PCS-Tender online portal to run and manage the opportunity, and as such strongly encourage interested potential providers to attend training on the operation of the purchasing system and PCS-T. The Council are re-opening applications to the flexible purchasing system for Category 4, Temporary Accommodation Associated Services. following re-opening, a mini competition will be run to all those successful on the framework for the provision of Support Services for those who have found themselves homeless. All Service Providers shall work with people who are at risk of becoming homeless, who are homeless or have recently experienced homelessness. The scope of the contract is to provide support to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to get or keep a home and who meet the eligibility criteria set out in the individual services as indicated in the attached draft specification. Preventing homelessness in the first place Supporting people to access settled accommodation as quickly as possible Reducing the number of people sleeping rough The contract will compromise 4 Lots, which combine or replace a number of existing services delivered by the City of Edinburgh Council: Housing First and Complex Needs Visiting Housing Support; Street Based Outreach and Support Hub; Locality Visiting Housing Support and Preventative Support; Young Person Visiting Housing Support, Young Person Groupwork and Youth Emergency Support. Draft Specifications for potential future mini-competitions run through category 4 are attached to this Contract Notice. Please see individual specifications for more information. Lot 1: Temporary Accommodation with Access to Visiting Support Providers will be required to provide accommodation and property management only. Which should allow access to visiting support services if required by residents. This category is designed to provide accommodation, through various types of accommodation to households who are assessed as homeless. Sub-Categories will be used to further detail the requirements for the specific types of accommodation. Temporary Accommodation which the Council has an immediate need for (please see individual specifications for more information); - Private Rented Accommodation - Home Share - Shared House (preferred Shared House Accommodation would be self-contained flats within a block). There may be further sub-categories added at a later date, this will be clearly communicated and operated in line with the Council's requirements and preferred forms of accommodation. Lot 2: Temporary Accommodation with Residential Support This category is designed to provide accommodation with access to residential support. The level of support required may vary per sub-category. Sub-Categories will be used to further detail the accommodation and support requirements for each method of delivery. Temporary Accommodation which the Council has an immediate need for (please see individual specifications for more information); - Supported Lodgings - Shared House inclusive of Support Accommodation with Residential Support will be appropriate for the general homeless population, however some requirements may also require highly specialised support, for specific groups of service users such as; - age specific - sex specific - substance misuse - domestic abuse experienced - providers may stipulate if offering a specialised service, which will only be agreed by the Council if required. There may be further sub-categories added in future, this will be clearly communicated and operated in line with the Council's requirements and preferred forms of accommodation. Lot 3: Emergency Accommodation with Access to Visiting Support Where possible, preferred temporary accommodation is self contained for each household or if in shared accommodation has access to facilities such as laundry and kitchen. If there is not enough accommodation to meet demand in Category 1 or Category 2, the Council will seek to procure emergency accommodation. This would be suitable for B+Bs, Guest Houses and Hotels who are able to make a number of rooms or their whole property available for a period of time or on an ad hoc basis as agreed with the Council. Due to the nature of this requirement, providers must have a property identified in order to apply for this Category. Lot 4: Housing Support, Advice and Support Services This will encompass a range of support services to those currently residing in Temporary Accommodation or threatened by homelessness. The requirement is mainly for support and advice services however may include elements of accommodation. Future opportunities may include but are not limited to: - Homelessness Prevention - Visiting Housing Support - Advice and Information - Support and Advocacy Support will be appropriate for the general homeless population, however some future requirements may also require highly specialised support for specific groups of service users, such as: - Domestic Abuse experienced residents - Adults - Children - substance misuse - those of BAME backgrounds