17-002 People who use personal budgets as a Direct Payment to employ a Personal Assistant

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC) are inviting bids from a number of organisations who might be able to provide Direct Payment Support Service(s) that meet RMBC’s current needs to support people who use their personal budget as a Direct Payment. Associated guidance states that local authorities should provide support to people who are considering the use of direct payments, including adequate support to those people who wish to use their direct payment to employ their own support staff. The guidance identifies that most people find it more successful if this support is provided by an independent organisation who can offer impartial, specialist advice, peer support and services to support the delivery of safe and effective direct payments. In commissioning this service Rotherham MBC is taking steps to provide support and advice to direct payment holders and to people interested in receiving direct payments.
The estimated value of the service is £109,000 however this does not carry any guarantee of turnover and any estimated volumes of business are indicative and may vary upwards or downwards depending on actual future needs. The agreement will be in place for duration of 33 months from 1 July 2017 until 31 March 2020.
To increase the number of small specialist local services this is a service agreement divided into Lots which include the following:
• Combined Direct Payment Support Service (Payroll, Recruitment, Managed Account) – Lot 1
• Direct Payment Support Service providing Payroll only – Lot 2
• Direct Payment Support Service providing Recruitment (HR) only – Lot 3
• Direct Payment Support Service providing Managed Accounts only – Lot 4.
TUPE :
The current providers of this service considers that the European Community Acquired Rights Directive (77/187/EEC, as amended by Directive 98/50EC and consolidated in Directive 2001/23/EC) and the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006” as amended by the “Collective Redundancies and Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 apply to the contract.
Tenderers are therefore advised to seek independent professional advice on the implications of the Directive and the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 for their company should they be awarded the contract.
Details of the staff entitled to transfer are included with this invitation to tender.
In letting this contract and in accordance with the Code of Practice on Workforce Matters contained in ODPM Circular 03/2003, the current provider and the Council will apply the principles set out in the Cabinet Office Statement of Practice on Staff Transfers in the Public Sector, including the annex to it, ‘A Fair Deal for Staff Pensions’.
Full details outlining the staff involved are included in ‘Appendix 2 – TUPE Information’ this document is an attachment via the Yortender system.
Bidders and other recipients of this ITT are reminded that the issue of this ITT in no way commits RMBC to award any contract pursuant to the tender process and that neither RMBC, nor any of their advisers, shall be liable for any expenses incurred by Bidders or such recipients in connection with the tender process
The details set out in this ITT are given in good faith and believed to be correct. However, RMBC does not warrant the accuracy of those details and each Tenderer should make its own appropriate enquiries.