Tender

NAC-5141 - Provision of a Counselling Service for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse to North and East Ayrshire Council

  • North Ayrshire Council
  • East Ayrshire Council

F21: Social and other specific services – public contracts (contract notice)

Notice identifier: 2023/S 000-017869

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-03dbd9

Published 23 June 2023, 9:10am



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

North Ayrshire Council

Cunninghame House, Friars Croft

Irvine

KA12 8EE

Email

AndrewKerr@north-ayrshire.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UKM93 - East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire mainland

Internet address(es)

Main address

http://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk

Buyer's address

http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA00337

one.1) Name and addresses

East Ayrshire Council

Corporate Procurement Team, London Road HQ

Kilmarnock

KA3 7BU

Email

procurement@east-ayrshire.gov.uk

Telephone

+44 1563576000

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UKM93 - East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire mainland

Internet address(es)

Main address

http://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk

Buyer's address

https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA00223

one.2) Information about joint procurement

The contract involves joint procurement

one.3) Communication

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

https://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via

https://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk

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

NAC-5141 - Provision of a Counselling Service for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse to North and East Ayrshire Council

Reference number

NAC-5141

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 85312320 - Counselling services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

North Ayrshire Council, on behalf of North and East Ayrshire Councils, seeks to appoint a service provider to provide counselling services for individuals from 18 years of age who are survivors of sexual abuse. The service is jointly funded and delivered as a collaboration between North and East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnerships. North Ayrshire Council is the lead commissioner and is responsible for procuring the service on behalf of both contracting authorities.

The contract will start on 01/04/2024 to 31/03/2027 with an option to extend for 24 months.

The contract will be let under North Ayrshire Council’s Terms and Conditions of Contract for Health and Social Care Services

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

two.2) Description

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 85312320 - Counselling services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKM93 - East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire mainland

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

The tender will appoint a single provider to provide professional counselling services to survivors of childhood sexual abuse across North Ayrshire and East Ayrshire. The service will be delivered by appropriately qualified counsellors who comply with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy or equivalent. The service will support users from age 18 upwards, including adults

two.2.6) Estimated value

Value excluding VAT: £677,206

two.2.7) Duration of the contract or the framework agreement

Start date

1 April 2024

End date

31 March 2027

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 three. Legal, economic, financial and technical information

three.1) Conditions for participation

three.1.4) Objective rules and criteria for participation

List and brief description of rules and criteria

Bidders may be excluded if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. Bidders must have a minimum yearly “specific” turnover of GBP 230,760 for the last 3 years in the business area covered by the contract. NAC reserve the right to review the bidder's financial information using company watch at tender stage and throughout the contract. If the bidder’s financial health score is 25 or less, further information will be requested to ensure the equivalent economic and financial standing is adhered too. If this is not satisfactory, the bidder will be excluded from the process. Bidders who can't meet the required level of turnover will be excluded from the process. Where turnover information is not available, the bidder must state the date which they were set up or started trading.

three.2) Conditions related to the contract

three.2.1) Information about a particular profession

Execution of the service is reserved to a particular profession

Reference to the relevant law, regulation or administrative provision

Bidders must be registered with the Care Inspectorate or equivalent.

It is a requirement of this contract that bidders hold, or can commit to obtain prior to the commence of any subsequently awarded contract,

the types and levels of insurance indicated below:

Employer’s (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = 5,000,000 GBP in respect of any one event

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse40.pdf

Public Liability Insurance 10,000,000 GBP in respect of any one event

Professional Indemnity Insurance 2,000,000 GBP in the aggregate

Third-Party Motor Vehicle Insurance

A valid motor vehicle certificate must be held in the company name or (where there is no fleet but rather the company permits its

employees to use their personal vehicles for business purposes), a letter signed by a person of appropriate authority - confirming that the

company has ongoing arrangements in place to ensure their employees' vehicles are appropriately insured and maintained.


Section four. Procedure

four.1) Description

four.1.1) Form of procedure

Open procedure

four.1.10) Identification of the national rules applicable to the procedure

Information about national procedures is available at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Government/Procurement

four.1.11) Main features of the award procedure

This procurement is based on the most economically advantageous tender ("MEAT") on the basis of best price and quality ratio, where price is 20% and quality is 80%. Please see PCS-Tender for further information.

four.2) Administrative information

four.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate

Date

24 July 2023

Local time

12:00pm

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

English


Section six. Complementary information

six.2) Information about electronic workflows

Electronic ordering will be used

Electronic invoicing will be accepted

Electronic payment will be used

six.3) Additional information

Bidders are required to provide 2 examples of services carried out in the past 3 years that demonstrates they have the relevant experience to

deliver the services described in the Contract Notice. The services must be of a similar value, size and scope. Unsatisfactory experience

will result in exclusion from the tender process.

Bidders must also provide 2 satisfactory references for the same 2 contracts on the reference templates provided. References should be

completed and signed by previous customers for contracts of a similar value, size and scope. If any of the referees score the bidder less than

2 the bidder will be excluded from the tender process.

Completed experience and reference templates must be zipped and uploaded at question 4C.1 of the qualification envelope.

Bidders who intend to use a supply chain to deliver the requirements detailed in the Contract Notice, must confirm they have (or have

access to) the relevant supply chain management and tracking systems to ensure a resilient and sustainable supply chain. This will include

confirmation that they have the systems in place to pay subcontractors through the supply chain promptly and effectively, and provide

evidence when requested of:

a) their standard payment terms.

b) ≥95% of all supply chain invoices being paid on time (in accordance with the terms of contract) in the last financial year.

Bidders unable to confirm (b) must provide an improvement plan, signed by their Director, which improves payment performance.

Bidders are required to confirm the *supplier itself/supplier's staff* have the following relevant educational and professional qualifications:

Clinical staff should be professionally qualified Psychotherapists and be active members of one of the registered professional authorities i.e

- British Associations for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

All counsellors must be qualified to at least diploma level and have a minimum of 2 years post-qualifying experience of working as a

counsellor.

Bidders are required to confirm whether they intend to subcontract and, if so, for what proportion of the contract.

Bidders who intend to subcontract more than 25% to any individual organisation must ensure the SPD (Scotland) - Subcontractors Supplier

Response is completed and uploaded at question 2C.1.

Lots are not being used for this tender for the reason stated below:

Nature of the contract not suitable for lots

Requires additional contract management resource which is not available

Quality Management Procedures

1. The bidder must hold a UKAS (or equivalent) accredited independent third-party certificate of compliance in accordance with BS EN

ISO 9001 (or equivalent) or a documented policy regarding quality management, see attachment at SPD question 4D.1.

The buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this ITT exercise. The Project code is 24385. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343

A sub-contract clause has been included in this contract. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2363

Community benefits are included in this requirement. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-procurement/

A summary of the expected community benefits has been provided as follows:

Community benefits will be required on a voluntary basis.

(SC Ref:736073)

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

Kilmarnock Sheriff Court

Sheriff Court House, St Marnock Street

Kilmarnock

KA1 1ED

Telephone

+44 1563550024

Country

United Kingdom

Internet address

https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/