Award

Support with Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) Development Pilots 2025/26

  • Leeds City Council - PACS

F15: Voluntary ex ante transparency notice

Notice identifier: 2024/S 000-037824

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-04be05

Published 22 November 2024, 1:12pm



Section one: Contracting authority/entity

one.1) Name and addresses

Leeds City Council - PACS

Civic Hall

Leeds

LS1 1UR

Contact

Nigel Hill

Email

Nigel.hill@leeds.gov.uk

Telephone

+44 1133785830

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UKE42 - Leeds

Justification for not providing organisation identifier

Not on any register

Internet address(es)

Main address

www.leeds.gov.uk

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

Support with Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) Development Pilots 2025/26

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 85000000 - Health and social work services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

The ASGSF pilots (2025/26) stem from Adoption England's strategic objective to provide adopted people and their families tailored help and support when they need it. The proposed changes will enable Regional Adoption Agencies (RAAs) to develop services that encourage prevention and early support helping to build firm foundations for good family life for all their families in the region.

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: £490,000

two.2) Description

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 85000000 - Health and social work services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKE - Yorkshire and the Humber

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

The pilots will allow the teams to recruit and retain staff and to develop partnerships with health partners, adoption support agencies, Voluntary Adoption Agencies (VAAs) and independent providers, with the aim of improving pathways for children and young people to access support and improve the quality, availability and timeliness of the assessments, providing a better understanding of need.

The involvement of in-house teams in delivering and reviewing the delivery of interventions would help to build more comprehensive knowledge of what works and identify and resolve problems at the earliest opportunity, whilst also providing more of a mixed market in provision.

The pilots will test the viability of pan-regional commissioning, which most of the RAAs view as a direction of travel to achieve sustainability, consistency and quality of adoption support services as well as services for special guardians in specific areas.

The pilots will provide funding to enable the RAAs to develop

services and strategic commissioning on a wide geographical footprint and test the impact on outcomes and value for money. The pilots will offer an opportunity to measure the impact on the use of the fund and whether a universal service offer lowers demand for ASGSF-funded services in the long-term.

two.2.11) Information about options

Options: No


Section four. Procedure

four.1) Description

four.1.1) Type of procedure

Negotiated without a prior call for competition

  • The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
    • absence of competition for technical reasons

Explanation:

Mott MacDonald Ltd are the only provider to have been commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) to manage the ASGSF and have done so for the past 10 years. They are therefore the only body authorised and able to administer the fund and therefore support the development and delivery of the pilots. No other provider is able to deliver this particular service as they will not have access to the ASGSF, which is a key technical component of the delivery of this pilot.

There are no suitable alternatives or substitutes and there has been no artificial narrowing down of the parameters. In light of the fact that only Mott MacDonald Ltd are authorised by the DfE to administer the ASGSF, the Council has no alternative options or choice in selecting another provider.

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

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No


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

20 November 2024

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

Mott MacDonald Limited

10 Fleet Place

London

EC4M 7RB

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code
  • UKI - London
Companies House

01243967

The contractor/concessionaire is an SME

No

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

Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot/concession: £490,000

Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £490,000


Section six. Complementary information

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

The High Court of Justice

The Strand

London

WC2A 2LL

Country

United Kingdom