Tender

Procurement of Housing and Debt Services and HPCDS Services from Autumn 2022

  • The Legal Aid Agency

F02: Contract notice

Notice identifier: 2022/S 000-020521

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-0356a2

Published 27 July 2022, 4:19pm



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

The Legal Aid Agency

1

London

1

Email

civiltenders@justice.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UKI32 - Westminster

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/legal-aid-agency

one.3) Communication

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

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-tender-activity-2022

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via

https://legalaid.bravosolution.co.uk

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted to the above-mentioned address

one.4) Type of the contracting authority

Ministry or any other national or federal authority

one.5) Main activity

Other activity

Other Publically Funded Services


Section two: Object

two.1) Scope of the procurement

two.1.1) Title

Procurement of Housing and Debt Services and HPCDS Services from Autumn 2022

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 79100000 - Legal services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

The Legal Aid Agency (“LAA”) has identified the need to increase access to legal aid Housing and Debt Services in specific Housing and Debt Procurement areas and for specific Housing Possession Court Duty Schemes (“HPCDS”). Accordingly, it is inviting Applicants to submit a Tender to deliver:

a) Housing and Debt services in:

• City of Kingston upon Hull

• Cheshire

• Shropshire

• South East Wales

• South Tyneside

• Staffordshire

• Wigan

b) The following HPCDS:

• Crewe

• Hull

• Stafford

• Walsall

• Wigan

Applicants may bid for Housing and Debt Contract Work and/or HPCDS Contract Work through this procurement process. They are not obliged to bid for both Housing and Debt and HPCDS, although they should note that to be eligible to bid for an HPCDS Contract organisations must hold, or successfully bid for as part of this procurement process, a 2018 Standard Civil Contract with authorisation in the Housing and Debt Categories of Law.

Due to the urgent need for contracts to be in place to allow services to commence, the timescale from launch to the deadline for submission of tenders has been set at 21 days.

The Deadline for submitting Tenders is 5pm on 17 August 2022 (“Deadline”)

All Tenders must be completed and submitted using the eTendering system. This can be accessed either through a link on the tender pages of the LAA website or directly at www.legalaid.bravosolution.co.uk.

Late submissions will not be considered under any circumstances. It is the Applicant’s sole responsibility to ensure that the LAA receives its Tender before the Deadline.

For Housing and Debt The LAA is looking for Applicants who can start delivering Contact Work as quickly as possible. Applicants will be required to state in their Tender when they can start delivering Contract Work from each Office from which they are bidding. Contracts will run until 31 August 2023 (subject to the LAA’s rights of early termination).

Other than Wigan, each HPCDS will commence on 12 September (or the date on which Applicants bid to commence the delivery) and run until 30 September 2022. Wigan will commence on 1 October 2022 (or the date on which Applicants bid to commence the delivery) and run until 30 September 2023 (subject to the LAA’s rights of early termination).

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

two.2) Description

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 79100000 - Legal services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKC14 - Durham CC
  • UKD35 - Greater Manchester South East
  • UKD36 - Greater Manchester North West
  • UKD6 - Cheshire
  • UKE11 - Kingston upon Hull, City of
  • UKG2 - Shropshire and Staffordshire
  • UKG38 - Walsall
  • UKH12 - Cambridgeshire CC
  • UKJ31 - Portsmouth
  • UKJ34 - Isle of Wight
  • UKJ35 - South Hampshire
  • UKJ36 - Central Hampshire
  • UKJ37 - North Hampshire
  • UKL - Wales

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

The Legal Aid Agency (“LAA”) has identified the need to increase access to legal aid Housing and Debt Services in specific Housing and Debt Procurement areas and for specific Housing Possession Court Duty Schemes (“HPCDS”). Accordingly, it is inviting Applicants to submit a Tender to deliver:

a) Housing and Debt services in:

• City of Kingston upon Hull

• Cheshire

• Shropshire

• South East Wales

• South Tyneside

• Staffordshire

• Wigan

b) The following HPCDS:

• Crewe

• Hull

• Stafford

• Walsall

• Wigan

Applicants may bid for Housing and Debt Contract Work and/or HPCDS Contract Work through this procurement process. They are not obliged to bid for both Housing and Debt and HPCDS, although they should note that to be eligible to bid for an HPCDS Contract organisations must hold, or successfully bid for as part of this procurement process, a 2018 Standard Civil Contract with authorisation in the Housing and Debt Categories of Law.

Due to the urgent need for contracts to be in place to allow services to commence, the timescale from launch to the deadline for submission of tenders has been set at 21 days.

The Deadline for submitting Tenders is 5pm on 17 August 2022 (“Deadline”)

All Tenders must be completed and submitted using the eTendering system. This can be accessed either through a link on the tender pages of the LAA website or directly at www.legalaid.bravosolution.co.uk.

Late submissions will not be considered under any circumstances. It is the Applicant’s sole responsibility to ensure that the LAA receives its Tender before the Deadline.

For Housing and Debt The LAA is looking for Applicants who can start delivering Contact Work as quickly as possible. Applicants will be required to state in their Tender when they can start delivering Contract Work from each Office from which they are bidding. Contracts will run until 31 August 2023 (subject to the LAA’s rights of early termination).

Other than Wigan, each HPCDS will commence on 12 September (or the date on which Applicants bid to commence the delivery) and run until 30 September 2022. Wigan will commence on 1 October 2022 (or the date on which Applicants bid to commence the delivery) and run until 30 September 2023 (subject to the LAA’s rights of early termination).

two.2.5) Award criteria

Quality criterion - Name: Quality / Weighting: 100

Cost criterion - Name: Pricing / Weighting: 0

two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system

Start date

12 September 2022

End date

30 September 2023

This contract is subject to renewal

No

two.2.10) Information about variants

Variants will be accepted: No

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

two.2.14) Additional information

Organisations should note that:

- the estimated contract value for Housing and Debt is £115,311. This is based on the maximum possible length of the contract.

- the estimated contract value for HPCDS is £69, 968. This is based on the maximum possible length of the contract.


Section four. Procedure

four.1) Description

four.1.1) Type of procedure

Open procedure

four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes

four.2) Administrative information

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

Date

17 August 2022

Local time

5:00pm

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

English

four.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders

Date

17 August 2022

Local time

5:01pm


Section six. Complementary information

six.1) Information about recurrence

This is a recurrent procurement: No

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

Legal Aid Agency

102 Petty France

London

SW1H 9AJ

Country

United Kingdom

six.4.2) Body responsible for mediation procedures

Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR)

70 Fleet Street

London

EC4Y 1EU

Country

United Kingdom