Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Norfolk County Council
County Hall, Martineau Lane
Norwich
NR1 2DH
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKH15 - Norwich and East Norfolk
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
https://in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc/aspx/Home
one.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Regional or local authority
one.5) Main activity
General public services
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Mediation and Disagreement Resolution
Reference number
NCCT43111
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 85000000 - Health and social work services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
Norfolk County Council’s (NCC) contract for the provision of SEND Mediation and Disagreement Resolution is due to end on 31st August 2025. The Council is currently scoping its requirements for a new contract to commence on 1st September 2025.
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: £600,000
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 85000000 - Health and social work services
- 85300000 - Social work and related services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKH17 - Breckland and South Norfolk
- UKH16 - North and West Norfolk
- UKH15 - Norwich and East Norfolk
Main site or place of performance
Across Norfolk (Breckland, Broadland, Great Yarmouth, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, North Norfolk, Norwich, South Norfolk)
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Children and Families Act 2014 requires Mediation and Disagreement Resolution (MDR) services to be put in place by Local Authorities and health commissioners. Norfolk’s MDR service is jointly commissioned between Norfolk County Council and NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB).Disagreement Resolution and Mediation is a voluntary, private and confidential process. The aim is to bring people together in a facilitated way to find solutions to their disagreements.It can save time and pressure for all involved and it can help re-build relationships that have broken down. Early resolution of disagreements benefits children, young people, parents, carers, institutions, and professionals’ party to the disagreement. • Mediation focuses on elements of an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in education, social care, or health. It is used at various stages of the process and is specifically linked to decisions about EHCP needs assessments and plans. • Disagreement Resolution focuses on any element of SEND provision, not just those who are being assessed for (or have) an EHCP.
two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice
28 March 2025
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
Before we finalise the tender documentation, we would like to invite interested parties to meet with us individually to share your views on a few topic areas that will help to shape the service specification and our performance management framework.Our areas of interest are:• Participation in mediation and disagreement resolution of school-age children and for young people post-16 years.• Pricing mechanisms for the service• Meeting the volume of demand for the service• Key performance indicators for this type of serviceMeeting slots are available via MS Teams on:Thursday 20th February 2025 at 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am, 2.00pm and 3.00pm.Additional slots may be available on Tuesday 25th February in the morning.Interested parties will need to register their interest on In-Tend and a separate invite will be sent. This procurement will be managed electronically via the Council's e-procurement system. To participate in this procurement, applicants must first be registered on https://in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc (https://in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc) Full instructions for registration and use of the system can be found at https://in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc/aspx/BuyerProfiles (https://in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc/aspx/BuyerProfile). Once registered you will be able to see the procurement project under 'tenders' section and 'express an interest' to view the documentation. If you encounter any difficulties whilst using the system you can contact the In-tend support team by phoning +448442728810 or emailing support@in-tend.co.uk