Community Voluntary Service Infrastructure

Tender description

The Council is seeking to commission provider(s) who will work in conjunction with external partners to facilitate, enable and support the development of the local Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS)the development of the local Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS). As part of the Council's preparatory work to inform the commissioning intentions for this project, we are holding an online Market Engagement event on the 18th July 2023 11:00am to 12:30pm. If you wish to attend, please book a maximum of two places per organisation by emailing strengthening.communities@essex.gov.uk Prospective bidders are advised that the Council will finalise the scope of the forthcoming procurement opportunity following the conclusion of the market engagement stage and reserves the right to amend the scope of this service accordingly. For the avoidance of any further doubt, please be advised that any dates for the proposed procurement opportunity are provided for indicative purposes only and the Council reserves the right to amend this information following confirmation of the procurement timetable for this project. Full details of the structure of this procurement and associated timetable will be detailed within the corresponding Contract Notice in due course. Lot 1: ECC is looking to commission provider(s) who can lead the delivery of an Essex wide, place focused, asset led model to support the work of the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) with a proposed contract commencement date of 1st April 2024. The contract value has been estimated as an indicative budget of £651,674 per annum over a five plus two year term, subject to governance but with an additional 15% allowance for unforeseen potential services to be added at a later date. We are seeking to identify provider(s) who can bring together the right partners with the expertise to deliver the outcomes focussed specification for this commission, to facilitate, grow and support the development of the VCS sector. Please be advised that the successful provider(s) are not due to directly deliver services. The key outcomes for the new offer will be to build capacity and develop resilience within the VCS, the facilitation and connection of local assets, delivery networks and partners, supporting place-based working, by ensuring local place-based representation. In addition, the new offer will act as an advocate for the VCS in the wider system, facilitating their voice at strategic conversations and promoting and co-creating a Local First approach. Utilising hubs of local insight the provider(s) will convene the right local delivery partners to collaboratively address societal challenges where necessary. Flexibly deploying resource to data-led geographies and cohorts of greatest need. Additional information: The main place of performance will be within the administrative boundaries of Essex In addition, this service will also be open to the following classification of users: NHS Healthcare (including local Integrated Care Systems) both within the administrative boundaries of Essex and cross-boundary organisations.