Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Essex County Council
County Hall, Market Road
Chelmsford
CM1 1QH
Contact
Ms Rachel Horne
Telephone
+44 3330322307
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKH3 - Essex
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
one.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
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
Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) - Resource and Funding Maximisation Market Engagement
Reference number
DN751562
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
Essex County Council (ECC) are committed to investing in a quality holistic support offer for a thriving Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS), which is imperative to achieving the ambitions we have for Essex residents. This VCS support programme will build capacity and resilience to enable the sector to continue to deliver key services for residents as a valued system partner.
As part of the wider VCS support programme, ECC are seeking to procure a VCS Resource and Funding Maximisation offer which will work collaboratively with:
• A VCS Universal Standard Support Offer, providing digital business, compliance and learning resources.
• A VCS Community Participation partner, working strategically to develop a culture of participation across Essex and:
• Geographically based resources offering targeted and bespoke support across a range of outcomes.
The primary scope of the VCS Resource and Funding Maximisation service is predicated upon investing in a partner to enable a more strategic approach to maximising the funding and resources for the VCS. This partner will leverage financial and non-financial resources, strengthen the VCS capacity to secure funding, and support a strategic approach to distributing funding and non-financial resources.
As part of the Council's preparatory work to inform the commissioning intentions for this project, we are holding an online Market Engagement event on Monday 2nd December 2024 between 15:00 to 16:30. If you wish to attend, please book a maximum of two places per organisation by emailing strengthening.communities@essex.gov.uk.
Prospective bidders are advised that the Council will finalise the scope of the forthcoming procurement opportunity following the conclusion of the market engagement stage and reserves the right to amend the scope of this service accordingly.
For the avoidance of any further doubt, please be advised that any dates for the proposed procurement opportunity are provided for indicative purposes only and the Council reserves the right to amend this information following confirmation of the procurement timetable for this project. Full details of the structure of this procurement and associated timetable will be detailed within the corresponding Contract Notice in due course
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: £1,000,000
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 98133100 - Civic betterment and community facility support services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKH3 - Essex
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Council is seeking to is commission provider(s) to deliver a Funding and Resource Maximisation partner for the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) in Essex which will act as a conduit of funding and resources alongside advocating for the resource needs of the local VCS sector. This approach is designed to secure the strong foundations of the VCS sector in Essex, supporting their resilience and ability to continue contributing to meeting the needs of communities.
The proposed contract commencement date is 1st April 2025 until 31st March 2031 with a break clause at 31st March 2028, subject to governance approval. However, prospective bidders are advised that the Council will finalise the scope of the forthcoming procurement opportunity following the conclusion of the market engagement stage and reserves the right to amend the scope of this service accordingly
two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice
17 January 2025
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
Prospective bidders are advised that the Council will finalise the scope of the forthcoming procurement opportunity following the conclusion of the market engagement stage and reserves the right to amend the scope of this service accordingly. For the avoidance of any further doubt, please be advised that the inclusion of any budgetary information and dates for the proposed procurement opportunity are provided for indicative purposes only and the Council reserves the right to amend this information following the conclusion of the respective internal governance and confirmation of the procurement timetable for this project. Full details of the structure of this procurement, the associated timetable and agreed budget will be specified in the corresponding Contract Notice in due course.