Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings, 20, Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BT
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority
one.5) Main activity
Education
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Con_24070 Reducing Court Delays Delivery Partner FTS
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 79411000 - General management consultancy services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
DfE is seeking a Delivery Partner to deliver a new pilot from January 2024 to March 2025 aimed at reducing delays in the family justice (FJ) system by working with Local Authorities (LAs) in Designated Family Judge (DFJ) areas to develop and implement solutions to tackle the root causes of delay.
The FJ system is one of the most complex and cross-system policy areas in children’s services. DfE holds responsibility for public law, covering all vulnerable children in England who require LA intervention.
2.3. Unacceptable delays in the family courts have been a long-standing issue for over 10 years. In 2011, the average case duration (for cases when a social worker (SW) determines that a child is at significant risk, so applies for an order) was c55 weeks, with some cases taking more than two years to conclude. This results in poorer outcomes for children and huge additional costs to LAs and the taxpayer. The estimated costs of the FJ system is £1.2bn , which equates to over 10% of all direct expenditure on the children’s social care (CSC) system (2019/20) .
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £1,000,000
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
To achieve a whole system approach, and mitigate individual agencies working in silos, a Delivery Partner to deliver a new pilot from January 2024 to March 2025 aimed at reducing de-lays in the family justice (FJ) system by working with Local Authorities (LAs) in Designated Family Judge (DFJ) areas to develop and implement solutions to tackle the root causes of de-lay.
There has been an increase in issues resolution hearings (IRH), case management hearings (CMH) and further CMHs since 2017. Within the trailblazer pilot, we are specifically trying to reduce further case management hearings – additional hearings that are over and above the Public Law Outline (PLO) that create delays.
The pilot has the key aim to reduce delay in the number of hearings per case, as well as di-vert more cases from court; therefore, reducing costs across the FJ system and improving children’s outcomes. Research suggests that at a conservative estimate, a one-week reduction in average proceedings duration, which in turn would reduce costs associated with placements, legal costs, staffing and external assessments, could result in a financial benefit of £18.5 million across all English LAs’ children’s services budgets. The monetised benefits come from:
• Resolving a case outside of court, saving £57,629 per case.
• Reducing the length of proceedings, with a marginal cost of £1,146 per week.
• Reducing the number of further CMHs required, saving an estimated £3,589 per hearing.
• Reducing expert reports requested and produced. An expert report costs £844 on aver-age .
The pilot will be rolled out in five DFJ areas with an average demand of 1,825 cases per year. We estimate at least a 5% reduction in demand and that proceedings will be shortened by three weeks because of the pilot, resulting in total gross benefits of c£10.7m.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the cases listed below
- The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the regulations
Explanation:
Competitive call off from a CCS Framework - MCF3 Lot 7
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
Section five. Award of contract
Contract No
con_24070
Title
Con_24070 Reducing Court Delays Delivery Partner FTS
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
22 January 2024
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 2
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Mutual Ventures Ltd
2-6 Boundary Row, London, SE1 8HP
London
SE1 8HP
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UK - United Kingdom
The contractor is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £1,000,000
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BT
Country
United Kingdom