Awarded contract

HCC Oct 2022 - The Provision of a Challenging Behaviour Service for Children with Learning Disabilities and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorder - Positive Behaviour, Autism, Learning Disability and Mental Health Service (PALMS)

  • Hertfordshire County Council

F15: Voluntary ex ante transparency notice

Notice reference: 2022/S 000-030083

Published 25 October 2022, 4:04pm



Section one: Contracting authority/entity

one.1) Name and addresses

Hertfordshire County Council

PEGS LANE

HERTFORD

SG138DQ

Contact

Hana Midgley

Email

strategic.procurement@hertfordshire.gov.uk

Telephone

+44 1992555121

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UKH23 - Hertfordshire

Justification for not providing organisation identifier

Not on any register

Internet address(es)

Main address

http://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk

Buyer's address

https://in-tendhost.co.uk/supplyhertfordshire/aspx/Home

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

HCC Oct 2022 - The Provision of a Challenging Behaviour Service for Children with Learning Disabilities and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorder - Positive Behaviour, Autism, Learning Disability and Mental Health Service (PALMS)

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 80400000 - Adult and other education services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

The Council is awarding a Contract for The Provision of a Challenging Behaviour Service for Children with Learning Disabilities and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorder - Positive Behaviour, Autism, Learning Disability and Mental Health Service (PALMS), without prior publication of a call for competition in the Find a Tender Service. Please see Annex D1, Section 2 for further information.

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: £11,104,224

two.2) Description

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 80500000 - Training services
  • 85140000 - Miscellaneous health services
  • 85320000 - Social services
  • 98000000 - Other community, social and personal services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKH23 - Hertfordshire

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Hertfordshire County Council is awarding a Contract for The Provision of a Challenging Behaviour Service for Children with Learning Disabilities and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorder - Positive Behaviour, Autism, Learning Disability and Mental Health Service (PALMS), without prior publication of a call for competition in the Find a Tender Service. Please see Annex D1, Section 2 for further information.

two.2.11) Information about options

Options: No


Section four. Procedure

four.1) Description

four.1.1) Type of procedure

Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the cases listed below

  • The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the regulations

Explanation:

The Positive Behaviour, Autism, Learning Disability and Mental Health Service (PALMS), delivered by Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT) is a countywide service that offers a specialist multi-disciplinary approach to children and young people (CYP) aged 0-18 who have a global Learning Disability (LD) and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

PALMS offer includes range of psychological interventions for challenging behaviour, mental health, sleeping, toileting, feeding and eating difficulties, and/or problematic sexualised behaviours for CYP with ASD and/or LD; crisis support to meet the needs of CYP through multi-agency response to crisis, including joint assessments, follow up & brief interventions. They host the Special School Mental Health Support Team (MHST) and provide consultation and training for other providers (health, social care and education) who support CYP and their families/carers, as well as providing clinical gatekeeping to out of County specialist mental health and challenging behaviour services.

The PALMS model of support has been in existence in Hertfordshire since end of 2014 and since then has adapted to meet the local needs of CYP and the local Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) system and is now well embedded and established, with a proven track record of improving outcomes for those children and young people who are unbale to access mainstream service due to their additional needs.

Commissioners from the Integrated Health and Care Commissioning Team (IHCCT), working on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) and Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (HWE ICB), have undertaken a market research exercise in 2021/22 to understand if there is a comparable provision to the PALMS service. Due to the specialist and comprehensive nature of the services offered by PALMS the market is very limited, and whilst a handful of providers, who could deliver elements of the service were identified, none were able to deliver the entire service offer that is currently delivered by PALMS.

As a Hertfordshire CAMHS system, it is important that we work together with partners (who also have obligations to provide health services) to provide mental health services for CYP with ASD and/or LD that are adaptive to meet their needs, as well as being responsive to the increasing demand, changing acuity and significant challenges with retention and recruitment of workforce. Such a partnership has been developed between HCC and HCT with the common objectives of this collaboration focusing on improving the health, wellbeing and Mental Health of Hertfordshire's Children and Young People, joint working to ensure local accountability for services and public expenditure and decision-making that is underpinned by transparency and the open sharing of information between partners and with the public.

In accordance with Regulation 12(7) of the Public Contracts Regulations - public contracts between entities within the public sector - the specific conditions are met by this collaboration working arrangement. Being guided by the key principles of the existing collaboration between the partners (HCC and HCT) we can ensure that both parties working towards common goals and objectives and act in the best public interest.

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

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes


Section five. Award of contract/concession

A contract/lot is awarded: Yes

five.2) Award of contract/concession

five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract

24 January 2022

five.2.2) Information about tenders

The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No

five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT)

Unit 1a Howard Court

Welwyn Garden City

AL7 1BW

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code
  • UKH23 - Hertfordshire
NHS Organisation Data Service

RY4

The contractor/concessionaire is an SME

No

five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)

Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £11,104,224


Section six. Complementary information

six.3) Additional information

Hertfordshire County Council is awarding a Contract for The Provision of a Challenging Behaviour Service for Children with Learning Disabilities and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorder - Positive Behaviour, Autism, Learning Disability and Mental Health Service (PALMS), without prior publication of a call for competition in the Find a Tender Service. Please see Annex D1, Section 2 for further information.

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

High Court, Royal Courts of Justice

The Strand

London

WC2A 2LL

Country

United Kingdom