Northamptonshire County Council Brighter Futures Commissioning and Contract Framework

Northamptonshire County Council is Procuring a framework using 2 lots in order to create the provision of Lot 1 Services for highly vulnerable autistic Adults and Lot 2 Services for highly vulnerable autistic children and young people aged 14 years and over.

This framework is for individuals who have complex needs and have been assessed by any and all of the Key Partners as having care and support needs that meet statutory eligibility thresholds and who are deemed to be the responsibility of the Partner Commissioning Body. The key partners are defined as: Northamptonshire Adult Social Services (NASS), NHS Northamptonshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Northamptonshire Children’s Trust.

The Health and Social Care System in Northamptonshire is resolute in driving through stepped change in improving the service and community offers available and accessible to autistic individuals and their families who often experience extreme barriers to participating in community and family life.

The Light Touch Regime (LTR) applies to the Services under this Framework Agreement, as per Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Potential Providers are asked to note the following in relation to this Contract Opportunity:

Local government services in Northamptonshire are currently provided by Northamptonshire County Council and seven District/Borough Councils.

On 14th May 2019, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government issued a written statement confirming that, under Local Government Reform, all the existing councils in Northamptonshire will be abolished and replaced with two new unitary councils, one for the North and one for the West of the county, with effect from April 2021.

A new Children’s Trust will also be formed to serve both unitary councils and as such will cover the whole county. Plans to develop the Children’s Trust for Northamptonshire were announced by the government in May 2019 to drive improvement and sustainable change in children’s services in the county, moving to serve the two new unitary authorities when they come into being next year. Preparations will continue towards setting up the new countywide Children’s Trust on or before 1 April 2021 next year, with the timescale dependent on the ongoing pandemic response.

Our expectation is that, as in past local government reorganisations, the Secretary of State would make legal orders to novate (transfer) existing contracts to the two successor councils and/ or the Children’s Trust.