Planning

Children’s Residential Care and Education Services including Short Breaks

  • Scotland Excel

F21: Social and other specific services – public contracts (prior information notice without call for competition)

Notice identifier: 2021/S 000-025795

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-02ec30

Published 15 October 2021, 9:55am



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

Scotland Excel

Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street

Paisley

PA1 1AR

Email

socialcare@scotland-excel.org.uk

Telephone

+44 1414888230

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UKM83 - Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire

Internet address(es)

Main address

http://www.scotland-excel.org.uk

Buyer's address

https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA10383

one.2) Information about joint procurement

The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body

one.3) Communication

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address

one.4) Type of the contracting authority

Body governed by public law

one.5) Main activity

General public services


Section two: Object

two.1) Scope of the procurement

two.1.1) Title

Children’s Residential Care and Education Services including Short Breaks

Reference number

05-17

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 85311300 - Welfare services for children and young people

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

This is a Prior Information Notice (PIN) relating only to the engagement with providers of Children's Residential Services. This is not a procurement process at this stage.

Scotland Excel manage the national Children’s Residential Care and Education, including Short Breaks, framework on behalf of the 32 Scottish Local Authorities.

As framework owners, we are aware of the significant changes taking place in respect of policy and strategic change, including The Promise, and the potential influences these bring on the future of residential care and education services in Scotland. We would like to understand, from the perspective of Providers delivering these services (whether currently providing services under the framework or not), what impacts or changes you are experiencing or foreseeing in the sector at this time. We have included a link to a survey (attached below) to enable providers to feedback to us on this.

This Prior Information Notice is for market research purposes only at this time to inform potential future commissioning activity. Please disregard the "Estimated date of publication of contract notice date".

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

two.2) Description

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 85311300 - Welfare services for children and young people
  • 85300000 - Social work and related services
  • 85310000 - Social work services
  • 85311000 - Social work services with accommodation
  • 85320000 - Social services
  • 85000000 - Health and social work services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UK - United Kingdom

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Background Information

Scotland Excel has managed a national Children’s Residential Care framework since 2014. As framework owners, we are aware of the significant changes taking place in respect of policy and strategic change, including The Promise, and the potential influences these bring on the future of residential care and education services in Scotland. We would like to understand, from the perspective of Providers delivering these services (whether currently providing services under the framework or not), what impacts or changes you are experiencing or foreseeing in the sector at this time.

Spend through the framework and the number of placements commissioned has increased since the launch of the current framework in 2018. However, there is some indication that this increase in both spend and number of placements has slowed in recent quarters. For both spend and the number of placements, the initial growth may be attributed to contract coverage and/or framework utilisation.

Policy Change

Scotland Excel have been engaging with Local Authorities to understand how The Promise may affect the purchasing and design of residential care for children and young people in coming years.

Several local authorities reported having plans in place, or in development, to promote:

- Early intervention and prevention;

- Specialist resources to address specific risk factors in children and young people;

- Community based alternatives to care – including intensive support services; or

- Supports focussed on preventing the need for, or returning children from, residential care.

Survey Details

We have included a link to a survey (attached below) to enable providers to feedback to us. Link to Survey can be found here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/HTTAX6/

The survey should take between 15 - 30 minutes to complete. The survey will remain open until Monday 1st November. The questions contained within the survey are to assist Scotland Excel in understanding, from the perspective of providers, this data and how these current trends and influences have or could affect service provision. The survey also contains information on further engagement.

Responses which are provided will be anonymised, collated and reviewed and may be used by Scotland Excel in a variety of different ways including, but not limited to, the following:

- To inform decision making and next steps in respect of Scotland Excel’s framework agreements;

- To help inform a view on current influences on the provision of these services nationally;

- Form analysis which is provided to stakeholders, including Councils, in feedback sessions which may be used to assist with their involvement in the development of any future procurement exercise; and

- May inform aspects in the engagement for future commissioning activity conducted by Scotland Excel.

Scotland Excel may follow up directly with those submitting responses to request further information on their views. This is the first stage in the provider engagement that we intend to conduct, and will give us a basis with which to develop our later engagement.

We thank you in advance for providing us with this information.

Please disregard the date within the "Estimated date of publication of contract notice" section.

two.2.14) Additional information

Survey Details

Link to Survey can be found here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/HTTAX6/

two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice

1 April 2022


Section six. Complementary information

six.3) Additional information

This is a Prior Information Notice (PIN) relating only to the engagement with providers of Children's Residential Services. This is not a procurement process at this stage. Please find further information about the market engagement within the body of the notice. Please disregard the date within the "Estimated date of publication of contract notice date" section.

Link to survey: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/HTTAX6/

NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Public Contracts Scotland Web Site at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=669158.

(SC Ref:669158)