Southend, Essex and Thurrock All Age Autism Outreach Service

Award outcome

Description

The Authorities invite responses from suitably qualified and experienced providers to deliver an All Age Autism Outreach Service (the Service) providing specialist autism support to autistic individuals of all ages, across the Transforming Care Partnership (TCP) footprint of Southend, Essex and Thurrock (SET), from 1st May 2024 to 30th April 2028, with an option to extend for a further two years until 30th April 2030. Hereafter all references to the Authority incorporates: NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB), NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB, NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB, Essex County Council, Southend-on-Sea City Council and Thurrock Council. The Service will aim to achieve the ambitions of Building the Right Support and the NHS Long Term Plan by reducing the number of avoidable admissions of autistic people to tier 4 and inpatient services and improving the quality of life and care of autistic people in both inpatient services and the community. It will consist of a 'core offer' for Children, Young People and Adults as well as crisis offer for Children and Young People. The service will be expected to work with individuals, across a variety of settings, as well as supporting their families and offering consultation to other professionals/services to support the understanding of the individual's needs 'through an autism lens'. The service will also be expected to offer hands on, practical support to implement its recommendations, with a more intensive offer of this support for children and young people forming a 'crisis offer'. Engagement with individuals and their families tell us the importance of support being 'for autistic people, by autistic people', and there will be an expectation that that lived experience is held at the centre of the service's offer and values, employing individuals with lived experience to enhance the support offered. Areas of support will include: -- Support with understanding and managing sensory processing issues. - Providing adapted psychological therapies to meet the needs of the individuals accessing support (this may include art, play, music, and animal therapy) - Support individuals with understanding their identity (in relation to autism, neurodiversity, sexuality, and gender etc.) - Autism specialist strategies and skill development around issues such as, but not limited to, executive functioning, problem solving, communication The potential aggregate value of the contract over the term may be up to £8,153,500 including the potential but not guaranteed extension period and any modifications over the life of the contract. The four-year contract value and actual budget is £4,769,000 (excluding the extension period), which will act as an affordability envelope for the purposes of bidding. Any bids received in excess of such affordability envelope will be rejected as non-compliant. Further information available at section 'Additional text' and within the Procurement documents. Additional information: The Authorities are looking to appoint a single Preferred Bidder to manage all aspects of the Service. As such, a Lotting Strategy is deemed inappropriate as it risks creation of unnecessary fragmentation and complexity. Accordingly, the service will be offered as a single contract awarded to a single Preferred Bidder (either as a lead provider in its own right, as a such as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) or consortium of providers, or in association with sub-contractors). Bidders will be required to confirm their Bidding Model including the legal form it takes. The Authority reserves the right to require members of any bidding group to assume a specific legal form if awarded the contract, if considered necessary for the satisfactory performance of the contract. The Services within this procurement fall within Section 7 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (the "Regulations"). Neither the inclusion of the Bidder at Qualification Stage nor the use of the terms Open Procedure, Selection Questionnaire, or Invitation to Tender nor any other indication shall be taken to mean that the Authority intends to hold themselves bound by any of the Regulations save those applicable to Public Contracts for social and other specific services listed in Schedule 3 of the Regulations (the "Light Touch" Regime). The Authority may wish to expand the Service during the lifetime of the contract ("Contract modification(s)"). To this end, providers should be aware that after the award of contract, there is a possibility that the successful Bidder may be offered a variation(s) to the contract in accordance with Regulation 72 (1) (a) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended The Public Procurement (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020), in the potential circumstances and or situations as communicated in the FTS Contract Notice and ITT Process Overview. The Contract to be entered into by the Authority and the Preferred Bidder for the procurement will be based on the NHS Standard Contract 23/24. Disclaimer: The Authority shall not be responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by respondents to this procurement in preparing and/or submitting such responses. To access the procurement documentation, please go to the Attain eProcurement Portal (Bravo powered by Jaggaer) at: https://attain.bravosolution.co.uk Click on 'Register here' and follow the on-screen instructions. You can access the ITT: 'itt_131 - Essex All Age Autism Outreach Service' by clicking on the link called 'View current opportunities' on the Home Page. Please note that the tender will not be accepted by any means other than through the Attain e-Procurement Portal.

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