Opportunity

Advice Services

  • Oxfordshire County Council

F21: Social and other specific services – public contracts (prior information notice with call for competition)

Notice reference: 2024/S 000-009719

Published 25 March 2024, 5:22pm



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

Oxfordshire County Council

3rd Floor, County Hall

Oxford

OX1 1ND

Contact

Mr Alex White

Email

Alex.White@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Telephone

+44 7554339176

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UKJ14 - Oxfordshire

Internet address(es)

Main address

http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk

Buyer's address

http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk

one.3) Communication

The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at

https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=e408ae73-90ea-ee11-8127-005056b64545

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via

https://sebp.due-north.com/

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

Advice Services

Reference number

DN716803

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 85312310 - Guidance services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

The subject matter of this process relates to the delivery of services which are listed in Schedule 3 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015.

Oxfordshire County Council is looking to commission an advice service to give specialist advice to Oxfordshire residents. The aim of the service is to support people to live their lives as independently, successfully and safely as possible within the community, to enhance well-being and improve people’s choices.

The service will achieve this by providing free, independent and impartial advice to assist people with benefits, debt, budgeting and other financial and welfare issues, thereby addressing underlying issues and health inequalities and maximising incomes, helping people to make the best use of the money available to them.

The service will provide a preventative offer to people in the community, providing pro-active training and advice for people to enable them to develop good budgeting skills and money management before they reach a crisis point.

The service will provide ‘subject matter expert’ consultancy to support colleagues in local government, health and voluntary and community organisations who are working with people who need specialist money advice. The service will also provide training support to other information and advice services across the county to develop and maintain key knowledge and skills around benefits and entitlements.

The service will take a whole person approach to addressing people’s needs in order to tackle health inequalities and improve health and wellbeing. The Service Provider will have an in-depth knowledge of the issues faced by Oxfordshire residents and will be well connected to the many sources of support in the county to allow for seamless cross referrals and signposting e.g. social prescribing and/or connection to referrals from the NHS.

The service will be available and accessible in all parts of the county through the remote access. The Service Provider will have a particular focus on ensuring that the Service is promoted to and accessible to people living in the Lower Super Output Areas (LSOA’s) in the county which are classified within the 20% most deprived nationally according to the IMD 2019 and most likely to experience inequalities, and to people with protected characteristics.

The contract period is anticipated to commence on 1 November 2024. The contract term is anticipated to be 3 years, with an option for the Council to extend by up to a further 2 years.

Full details relating to this procurement, including the service specification are available through the Council's e-tendering portal at https://sebp.due-north.com/ (ref DN667483).

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

two.2) Description

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 85312400 - Welfare services not delivered through residential institutions
  • 98000000 - Other community, social and personal services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKJ14 - Oxfordshire

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

The subject matter of this process relates to the delivery of services which are listed in Schedule 3 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015.

Oxfordshire County Council is looking to commission an advice service to give specialist advice to Oxfordshire residents. The aim of the service is to support people to live their lives as independently, successfully and safely as possible within the community, to enhance well-being and improve people’s choices.

The service will achieve this by providing free, independent and impartial advice to assist people with benefits, debt, budgeting and other financial and welfare issues, thereby addressing underlying issues and health inequalities and maximising incomes, helping people to make the best use of the money available to them.

The service will provide a preventative offer to people in the community, providing pro-active training and advice for people to enable them to develop good budgeting skills and money management before they reach a crisis point.

The service will provide ‘subject matter expert’ consultancy to support colleagues in local government, health and voluntary and community organisations who are working with people who need specialist money advice. The service will also provide training support to other information and advice services across the county to develop and maintain key knowledge and skills around benefits and entitlements.

The service will take a whole person approach to addressing people’s needs in order to tackle health inequalities and improve health and wellbeing. The Service Provider will have an in-depth knowledge of the issues faced by Oxfordshire residents and will be well connected to the many sources of support in the county to allow for seamless cross referrals and signposting e.g. social prescribing and/or connection to referrals from the NHS.

The service will be available and accessible in all parts of the county through the remote access. The Service Provider will have a particular focus on ensuring that the Service is promoted to and accessible to people living in the Lower Super Output Areas (LSOA’s) in the county which are classified within the 20% most deprived nationally according to the IMD 2019 and most likely to experience inequalities, and to people with protected characteristics.

The contract period is anticipated to commence on 1 November 2024. The contract term is anticipated to be 3 years, with an option for the Council to extend by up to a further 2 years.

Full details relating to this procurement, including the service specification are available through the Council's e-tendering portal at https://sebp.due-north.com/ (ref DN667483).

two.2.6) Estimated value

Value excluding VAT: £2,700,000

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) Form of procedure

Open procedure

four.2) Administrative information

four.2.2) Time limit for receipt of expressions of interest

Date

3 May 2024

Local time

11:00am

four.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted

English


Section six. Complementary information

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

High Court of England and Wales

Royal Courts of Justice

London

WC1A 2LL

Country

United Kingdom