Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Nottinghamshire County Council
County Hall, West Bridgford
Nottingham
NG2 7QP
Contact
Catherine Flint
catherine.flint@nottscc.gov.uk
Telephone
+44 1159772009
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKF1 - Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire
Internet address(es)
Main address
http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk
Buyer's address
http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk
one.1) Name and addresses
Nottingham City Council
Nottingham
Contact
Melody Hinds
melody.hinds@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKF1 - Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.2) Information about joint procurement
The contract involves joint procurement
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
Provision of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Assessment Services
Reference number
DN643052
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 85000000 - Health and social work services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
Nottinghamshire County Council sought a suitably experienced single provider to deliver
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Assessment Services using a Framework
Agreement.
The Framework Agreement will replace an existing Framework Agreement which has expired
and will be available for use by the following Customers:
- Nottinghamshire County Council
- Nottingham City Council
The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) provide a legal framework for the deprivation
of liberty for people who lack mental capacity to make decisions about their care
arrangements themselves. They apply to people who are in hospital or residential/nursing
care and who are subject to restrictions and restraints in their lives, for example, not being
free to leave or requiring continual supervision. Local Authorities are required to arrange an
Assessment of their circumstances to determine whether the care provided is in their best
interests to protect them from harm, whether it is proportionate and to determine if there is
a less restrictive alternative.
The Provider may be asked to complete all six elements of the Best Interests Assessment or
specific elements depending on the requirements. The six elements in scope are:
• Age Assessment
• No refusals Assessment
• Mental capacity Assessment
• Mental health Assessment
• Eligibility Assessment
• Best Interests Assessment
Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS) - The Government has set out plans to replace
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards with Liberty Protection Safeguards, although the finalised
Code of Practice and timetable for implementation are still awaited. The framework
specification has therefore been developed to maintain arrangements for the provision of assessment in respect DoLS until such time as Liberty Protection Safeguards are
implemented. The purpose of Liberty Protection Safeguards are consistent with those of
DoLS and there will be a preference to utilise this Framework Agreement to continue to meet
the Customers’ statutory requirements for safeguarding people whose liberty is being
restricted. Once the future requirements of LPS are clear, this Framework Agreement will be
reviewed and consideration given to whether delivery of the new requirements within this
Framework Agreement is permissible and, if so, what amendments to the specification would need to be made.
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: £15,000,000
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKF1 - Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The purpose of this single provider Framework Agreement is to define a strong working
relationship between the Customers (Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City
Council) and the selected Provider, and to enable these Customers to Call Off, against the
Framework Agreement, Assessment capacity, which will support the Customers to meet
DoLS duties, through the delivery of:
• a managed, ‘end-to-end’ service for DoLS Assessments
• a flexible approach to deliver different elements of the DoLS requirements
• a responsive approach to meet the numbers of Assessments required by the Customers
• a robust approach to quality
The Provider may be asked to complete all six elements of the Best Interests Assessment or
specific elements depending on the requirements. The six elements in scope are:
• Age Assessment – confirming whether the Relevant Person is 18 or over.
• No refusals Assessment – establishing whether an authorisation would conflict with other
existing authority for decision-making for that person, such as an advance decision to refuse treatment under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
• Mental capacity Assessment – establishing whether the Relevant Person lacks capacity to
decide whether or not they should be accommodated in the relevant hospital or care home
to be given care.
• Mental health Assessment – determining whether the Relevant Person has a mental
disorder within the meaning of the Mental Health Act 1983. This is not an Assessment to
determine whether the person requires mental health treatment – the objective is to ensure
that the Relevant Person is medically diagnosed as being of “unsound mind”.
• Eligibility Assessment – relating specifically to the Relevant Person’s status, or potential
status, under the Mental Health Act 1983. A Relevant Person is eligible unless they are:
• Detained under the Mental Health Act 1983
• Subject to an obligation placed on them under the
Mental Health Act 1983, such as a guardianship order
requiring them to live somewhere else.
Or
• If the proposed authorisation relates to a deprivation of liberty in a hospital wholly or partly
for the purpose of treatment of a mental disorder, the Relevant Person will be eligible unless:
They object to being admitted to hospital, or to some or all the treatment, and They meet the
criteria for an application for admission under section 2 or section 3 of the Mental Health Act
1983.
Call-offs
In order to use the Framework a Customer (Nottinghamshire County Council or Nottingham
City Council) will Call Off Services by placing a Call Off Order for a block value of
Assessment activity. Should the value of that Call Off Order be exhausted within the Call Off
period, further Call Off Orders can be placed.
Best Interests Assessors completing Assessments under this Framework Agreement must
have at least two years’ post qualification experience and must have twelve months’ post
BIA qualification experience working as a BIA.
The Provider’s quality assurance lead will have at least two years’ post qualification
experience and will have at least two years’ post BIA qualification experience working as a
BIA.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion - Name: Quality / Weighting: 50
Price - Weighting: 50
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
Open procedure
four.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system
The procurement involves the establishment of a framework agreement
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number: 2022/S 000-036631
Section five. Award of contract
Contract No
DN643052
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
31 March 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 6
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
ID Medical Group Limited
Milton Keynes
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKF1 - Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire
The contractor is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £15,000,000
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
The Royal Courts of Justice
Strand
London
WC2A 2LL
Country
United Kingdom