Award

SOSCARE Support and Maintenance

  • Business Services Organisation

UK5: Transparency notice - Procurement Act 2023 - view information about notice types

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-007779

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-04e935 (view related notices)

Published 4 March 2025, 10:50am



Scope

Reference

DAC20002

Description

We require the Social Services Client Administration and Retrieval Environment (SOSCARE) application to continue to be supported until 2029. The SOSCARE system provides the ability to record clients and related referrals and assessments, and deploy and manage Social Work resources to provide appropriate services to these clients. These clients come from areas including Children's Services, Vulnerable Adults, Residential Care, Home Care, and Meals on Wheels, and the services provided include Fostering/Home Care (including payments), and Occupational Therapy (OT) and Hospital Social Work (SW) Referrals. The Children's Services include areas such as Child Protection, Looked After Children [LAC], Childminders/Playgroups, Adoption and Foster Carer's. Departmental Statutory Reporting for key areas is also provided.

£1,125,599.11 has been previously directed awarded to BRM for SOSCARE support and maintenance from April 2021 . It is our intention to complete a further Direct Award to the value of £1,500,000.


Contract 1. Soscare support and maintenance Contract

Supplier

Contract value

  • £2,625,599.11 excluding VAT
  • £3,150,718.93 including VAT

Above the relevant threshold

Earliest date the contract will be signed

31 March 2025

Contract dates (estimated)

  • 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026
  • Possible extension to 31 December 2029
  • 4 years, 9 months

Description of possible extension:

The Encompass Programme will replace the Children's social care services currently offered by SOSCARE in 2027. The Encompass Programme will also be replacing the payment functions in 2028. We will assess the Contract annually and decide whether we need to enter into each of the extensions.

Main procurement category

Services

CPV classifications

  • 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Contract locations

  • UKN - Northern Ireland

Other information

Conflicts assessment prepared/revised

Yes


Procedure

Procedure type

Direct award

Direct award justification

Single supplier - intellectual property or exclusive rights

Crucially, over the 20 years, BRM have built up extensive business knowledge across all programmes of social care. They have an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the intricate rules and associated inter-dependencies that apply to the planning and delivery of the social work service. They are acutely aware of the reliance trust staff place on the system and have grown the capability to accurately and quickly design and deliver system enhancements as well as quickly and accurately resolve incidents as and when they arise. (This has been particularly valuable during the COVID-19 period when enhancements were requested for delivery in a very short timeframe)

Given the technology and the bespoke nature of the application, it would not be possible to find a replacement supplier capable of providing the required services. Further, to build the required level of expertise and knowledge into a replacement supplier would be an extremely long process and would require substantial input from BRM, as the main source, over a long period of time.


Supplier

BRM SYSTEMS LTD

  • Companies House: NI045617
  • Public Procurement Organisation Number: PNVR-5921-RTTR

The Office Dock Unit 2, Channel Wharf, 21 Old Channel Road

Belfast

BT3 9DE

United Kingdom

Region: UKN06 - Belfast

Small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): Yes

Voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE): No

Contract 1. Soscare support and maintenance Contract


Contracting authority

Business Services Organisation

  • Public Procurement Organisation Number: PCQH-8657-NGMT

2 Franklin Street

Belfast

BT2 8DQ

United Kingdom

Region: UKN06 - Belfast

Organisation type: Public authority - central government

Devolved regulations that apply: Northern Ireland