Day Centre and Temporary Winter Housing Provision

Day Centre and Temporary Winter Housing Provision

Swindon Borough Council invites expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced service providers for the provision of a day centre and a temporary winter housing provision for those who are street homeless or at risk of becoming street homeless.

Project Description
Day Centre and Temporary Winter Housing Provision
Following a bid to the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government’s Rough Sleeper Fund £194,000 was granted to Swindon to provide a range of services to help reduce numbers of rough sleepers in Swindon.
Following the success of the Temporary Winter Housing Provision (TWHP) which was set up from Dec 17 to Feb 18 Cabinet made a decision on 11th July 2018 to provide a facility over the winter months of 18/19.
The need for a day centre for homeless people in Swindon has been discussed over many years and is one of the priorities from the Homeless Organisations Stand Together Swindon (HOSTS) forums. The day centre will help ensure improved facilities and service for all homeless people or those at risk of becoming street homeless, volunteers and all agencies by providing :-
- a Hub for homelessness organisations to operate from to support the implementation of the Rough Sleepers Charter. Including the new Assertive Outreach team and all the voluntary sector groups who help support rough sleepers to come off the streets
- a first point of contact to prevent individuals from sleeping rough in Swindon, where a range of services can be accessed including access to mental health provision, health care and drug and alcohol services
- a centre for multi-agency advice to deliver a better join up of services and to avoid duplication of provision
- support to those recently rehoused suffering from isolation or coping with managing their tenancy, ensuring clients do not return to the street
The former Riverside School site (“the Building”) which has only recently been vacated has been identified as a suitable location. It’s within walking distance to the town centre where the majority of the client group regularly visit and it’s not within a residential setting.

The contract term will be a period of three years for the day centre. The temporary winter housing provision shall be delivered for an initial winter period only from 5 November 2018 to 31 March 2019 and kept under review by the Authority. If the temporary winter housing provision is to continue for an additional winter period November 2019 to March 2020 the Authority will notify the Contractor of the specific dates for required delivery prior to 24 October 2019 and if it is to continue for a further winter period November 2020 to March 2021 it will notify the Contractor prior to 24 October 2020. The period for delivery of the temporary winter housing provision is restricted to November to March unless the Authority has agreed to extend this period.
Estimated contract spend is £20,000 across the initial winter period contract term and £20,000 for 2nd winter period contract term, ringfenced to the Temporary Winter Housing Provision.

Full details relating to the Services are provided in the tender documents.

The relevant tender documents are included within this project webpage as attachments.

Tender clarifications to be submitted in writing via e-mail, including the project name clearly in the e-mail title, to Sarah Banting at sbanting@swindon.gov.uk by 1st October 2018, 15:00hrs UK Local time.

The Council’s responses to these clarification questions will be uploaded as attachments on the project webpage attachments section. Therefore it is the Contractor’s responsibility to check the site regularly for updates to clarifications, as you will not be advised when updates have been made.

Questionnaire Responses are required to be submitted no later than 07th October 2018, 2100 hrs UK Local time by e-mail to Arlene Griffin agriffin@swindon.gov.uk only.

In the event of difficulties downloading tender documents, please refer to the named contacts Sarah Banting - sbanting@swindon.gov.uk.

Please note that this project has been advertised on Contracts Finder/ other web portals, however, Supplying the South West Portal, www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk, is the only portal that includes all the relevant documents required to respond to this opportunity, bearing Project Id: DN365796

We would encourage you to click on the ‘Register interest’ button to help the Council monitor the level of interest in this opportunity.

No Tender submissions will be considered without completing the tender documents in full including attachments and returning them in alignment with the instructions within the tender documents.