ASC0251 - Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIA...

Leicester City Council (the “Authority”) invites Tenders for the provision of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) and Choice Advice Service (CAS).

The aim of the SENDIASS is to support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families to make informed decisions about the young person’s education, health and care requirements. Children, young people and their families, will be provided with easily accessible information regarding the support that is available to them, where to go for that support and what actions they can take in response to any queries or disagreements. Children and young people with SEND will also be provided with easily accessible information about their condition/s, needs and what is available to them. This will assist them to be better able to make their own choices regarding their future.

The aim of Choice Advice Service is to support families with making an informed application for a place at a mainstream school. Families will be provided with easy to understand information on schools in the area, the likelihood of gaining a place, the admission process and their right of appeal.

The proposed Contract will be for an initial period of 3 years (36months) to commence on 1st October 2019 until 30th September 2022 with an option to extend, subject to satisfactory performance outcomes and agreement by the Authority, for a further period or periods of up to a total of 24 months i.e. potentially 5 years if the extension options are exercised.

The proposed service is based on current and known funding allocations. These could alter through the life of the contract in light of changes in future local and central government funding. The contract value assigned to this service is £160,000 per annum (£115,000 per annum for SENDIASS and £45,000 per annum for Choice Advice Service) (£800,000 for the full 60 months contract period (36 months plus the option to extend for a further period or periods of up to 24 months). Inflationary uplift is not to be applied to this contract by the Authority during the life of the contract (the initial period or extension period/s if exercised).

It is the Authority’s preliminary view that TUPE is likely to apply in respect of this Contract.

The procurement process being undertaken is based upon the ‘open’ tendering procedure as defined by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. This procurement process falls under the Light Touch Regime as defined by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, Regulation 74 – 77.