LD Tender Market Information Event

Supported Living for LD and/or Autism – Market Information Event

Blackpool Council currently contracts with a number of providers to deliver Supported Living for people with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism. The arrangements have been in place for a number of years and are due to be refreshed in order to maintain delivery of the service the Council requires. Some of these contracts were issued via a competitive tender process, but the majority are legacy contracts, inherited by the Council.
We now need to bring the specification up to date by implementing a Supported Living model which will deliver good quality, value for money support to service users. To achieve this we also need to ensure we have providers who are suitably experienced and capable to deliver the service in line with the new specification.
In order to develop a model which will be successful for existing and future service users we will need to include the following key features:
• Maintain flexibility in the model to allow new providers to contract with the Council at any time
• Ensure continuity of service delivery for service users through longer term agreements
• Allow some of the terms to be set at call off stage
• Provision to carry out a direct award.
As Supported Living falls within the scope of the Light Touch Regime (Public Contract Regulations 2015; 74 – 77), we have the flexibility to use any process or procedure to run the procurement, as long as the award procedures are sufficient to ensure compliance with the principles of equal treatment and transparency.
In order to include the key features identified above the Council will establish a Pseudo Dynamic Purchasing System (PDPS). The PDPS will be run as a completely electronic process using the restricted procedure.
Blackpool Council would like to invite interested providers to attend an event to provide information on:
• The purpose of the PDPS
• The procurement process (including indicative timescales)
• The operation of the PDPS.
The event will be held on 16 December 2016, at 10.30am, at a venue (tbc) in Blackpool.
If you would like to attend, please contact Jenna Douthwaite via email at contracts.team@blackpool.gov.uk.
Please note:
• This exercise is for information only.
• Places limited to 2 per organisation
• Any organisation who participates (or non-participates) in this event will neither be advantaged nor disadvantaged in the upcoming procurement process.