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
General public services
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
con_23980 - Delivery Partner Support Contract (Early Years and Wraparound Childcare)
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The purpose of this procurement is to provide the requirements for a contract to provide specialist support for local authorities (LAs) to enable them to deliver:
a) their Early Years (EY) and wraparound childcare sufficiency duties;
b) the expansion to the EY entitlements announced at the 2023 Spring Budget; and
c) the wraparound childcare programme announced at the 2023 Spring Budget.
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: £6,814,923
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 75100000 - Administration services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
LAs are integral to the delivery of these programmes but require additional support to ensure they are in the best possible position to provide flexible and appropriate childcare in their areas. This tender seeks innovative bids from Potential Suppliers able to provide LAs with the advice, guidance and support they need to implement the reforms in their areas and overcome any challenges that could hinder implementation.
The successful Supplier will support 153 LAs (Unitary, Metropolitan Boroughs, London Boroughs, and County Councils). The contract covers England only.
The Supplier will provide expert support for LAs to support them to increase their capacity and expertise to deliver, supporting LAs to meet delivery milestones. This support will sit alongside support and guidance provided by DfE, to ensure LAs are able to meet their sufficiency duties for the expanded EY entitlements and deliver the wraparound childcare programme. All support provided through this contract should enable LAs to sustain activity beyond the life of this contract (i.e., beyond March 2026).
This support contract sits across both EY and the wraparound programme to ensure LAs receive joined-up support across both areas where required, to better enable authorities and DfE to realise synergies across the programmes, and to mitigate potential workload impacts for LAs. Where possible, and where this will support LAs most effectively, the requirements outlined in this section should be delivered jointly between both programmes.
While most requirements across the two programmes are broadly aligned, they differ with regard to the national monitoring of delivery. The wraparound programme requires a national delivery monitoring function involving the regular collection of LAs’ delivery plans. This is because wraparound is a novel programme requiring potentially new activity for LAs, and regular delivery plan submissions are a condition of their grant funding. However, the related EY requirement differs because DfE already collects significant amounts of data about EY delivery and will therefore monitor national readiness and sufficiency in-house, with support and input from the Supplier.
We welcome innovative bids that go beyond the requirements outlined in this specification where that can more effectively support LAs and have developed our scoring criteria with this in mind.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion - Name: Technical Evaluation / Weighting: 75%
Cost criterion - Name: Commercial Evaluation / Weighting: 25%
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
Optional extension period of up to 12 months.
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
Open procedure
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number: 2023/S 000-030170
four.2.9) Information about termination of call for competition in the form of a prior information notice
The contracting authority will not award any further contracts based on the above prior information notice
Section five. Award of contract
Contract No
con_23980
Title
Delivery Partner Support Contract (Early Years and Wraparound Childcare)
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
23 January 2024
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 2
Number of tenders received by electronic means: 2
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Mott MacDonald Limited
Mott MacDonald House, 8-10 Sydenham Road
Croydon
CR0 2EE
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UK - United Kingdom
The contractor is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £6,814,923
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
The Royal Courts of Justice
Strand
London
Country
United Kingdom