Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings, 20, Great Smith Street
London
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Local Authority Childcare Sufficiency Support Contract
Reference number
con_19123
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 80110000 - Pre-school education services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.2) Description
two.2.1) Title
Local Authority Childcare Sufficiency Support Contract
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement at the time of conclusion of the contract:
This contract is for the provision of expert professional services (including peer support) to support local authorities (LAs) in fulfilling their statutory sufficiency duties. The support will be delivered in the Financial Years 2022-25 and will relate to supporting the delivery of sufficient childcare and early education places across local areas to meet parental demand for the early years entitlements and to ensure that there are sufficient places for children aged 0-14 (or up to 18 for disabled children) to enable parents to work or participate in education or training for employment.
The contractor will offer support to LAs in restoring or improving childcare sufficiency in their local areas through a mixed package of tailored support to diagnose sufficiency issues and assist LAs in implementing and embedding sustainable improvements. This will be delivered by:
1. Providing reactive support and challenge to LAs identified as failing (or at imminent risk of failing) in their duty to secure sufficient childcare for parents to work or participate in education or training, and for children eligible for the early education entitlements.
2. Providing proactive preventative and improvement support and challenge to LAs to facilitate the maintenance or improvement of local childcare sufficiency.
3. Where appropriate, administering discrete projeejct funding to support LAs to implement recommendations made during the reactive or proactive support activity at 1 and 2 above where available finances are evidencable as a barrier to achieving the desired outcome.
4. Providing an overarching project management function to enable 1, 2 and 3 above. This will include organisation of contract management activity including reporting and engaging with DfE, and evaluating support activity and funding outcomes.
two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement, dynamic purchasing system or concession
End date
31 March 2024
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.2) Administrative information
four.2.1) Contract award notice concerning this contract
Notice number: 2023/S 000-006612
Section five. Award of contract/concession
Contract No
con_19123
Title
Local Authority Childcare Sufficiency Support Contract
five.2) Award of contract/concession
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract/concession award decision:
7 March 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract/concession has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire
Hempsall Consultancies Limited
Phoenix Square, Studio 2 15 Morledge Street
Leicester
LE1 1TA
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UK - United Kingdom
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of the contract/lot/concession (at the time of conclusion of the contract;excluding VAT)
Total value of the procurement: £825,000
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
National Audit Office
London
Country
United Kingdom
Section seven: Modifications to the contract/concession
seven.1) Description of the procurement after the modifications
seven.1.1) Main CPV code
- 80110000 - Pre-school education services
seven.1.3) Place of performance
NUTS code
- UK - United Kingdom
seven.1.4) Description of the procurement:
The Supplier shall deliver a comprehensive and coherent package of delivery support (including challenge, where necessary) to LAs in fulfilling their sufficiency duties and to ensure that there is enough childcare across local areas to enable all young children to access high-quality early years provision, to meet the demand for childcare from parents of school-aged children (see Schedule 2 (Specification) for a full definition of LA sufficiency duties), and to deliver the expanded early years entitlements from April 2024. This will include peer support where appropriate and regional or national events by the Supplier to facilitate the sharing of expertise and best practice between LAs.
To achieve this, the Supplier will:
A. Provide reactive advice, support and challenge to LAs identified as failing (or at imminent risk of failing) in their duty to secure sufficient childcare for working parents and children eligible for the early education entitlements, or LAs identified as needing support in their planning to deliver the expanded early years entitlements.
B. Provide events, materials, advice, support and challenge to LAs to facilitate the maintenance, planning for or improvement of local childcare sufficiency, including the expanded early years entitlements (for the entitlements or for other childcare where this directly supports parents to work or participate in education or training).
C. Where appropriate, provide additional financial support to LAs to implement recommendations made during support activity, where available finances are evidencable as a barrier to achieving the desired outcome and where this activity forms part of a support package agreed before 6th November 2023.
D. Provide an overarching project management function to enable and report on the 3 elements above.
seven.1.5) Duration of the contract, framework agreement, dynamic purchasing system or concession
End date
31 March 2024
seven.1.6) Information on value of the contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot/concession:
£825,000
seven.1.7) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire
Hempsall Consultancies Limited
Phoenix Square, Studio 2 15 Morledge Street
Leicester
LE1 1TA
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UK - United Kingdom
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME
Yes
seven.2) Information about modifications
seven.2.1) Description of the modifications
Nature and extent of the modifications (with indication of possible earlier changes to the contract):
This contract commenced in February 2023 and supports local authorities (LAs) at risk of not meeting their existing childcare sufficiency duty. Because this contract commenced before the expansion of the EY entitlements announced at Spring Budget 2023, the EY childcare expansion has been out of scope. This variation brings this expansion into scope for support from the supplier, to meet the needs of the sector and to better enable them to prepare for the childcare expansion.
seven.2.2) Reasons for modification
Need for additional works, services or supplies by the original contractor/concessionaire.
Description of the economic or technical reasons and the inconvenience or duplication of cost preventing a change of contractor:
It is not possible to change contractor on the short timescales involved - this contract is being modified in the short term. It will also end early, due to announcements made at the Spring Budget 2023.
A procurement is underway for a replacement contract.
seven.2.3) Increase in price
Updated total contract value before the modifications (taking into account possible earlier contract modifications, price adaptions and average inflation)
Value excluding VAT: £825,000
Total contract value after the modifications
Value excluding VAT: £825,000