Provision of Secure Boarding of Dangerous, Seized Dogs and Associated Services.

Description

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire, on behalf of Warwickshire Police, is inviting tenders for the provision of Secure Boarding of Dangerous, Seized Dogs and Associated Services. Warwickshire Police requires a provider capable of delivering a safe, secure, lawful, humane and responsive service for dogs and, on occasion, cats that are seized, detained, safeguarded, recovered or otherwise placed into police care. The service supports operational policing requirements, criminal investigations, animal welfare responsibilities and the administration of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. Animals requiring services may include: • Dogs seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, including prohibited breeds and XL Bully dogs; • Dogs subject to Dangerous Dogs Act investigations; • Evidential animals; • Stray, abandoned or recovered animals; • Animals requiring temporary care pending investigation, court proceedings, welfare determinations, transfer, return to owner or disposal; and • Cats and other companion animals on an exceptional basis. The Authority is seeking a supplier with demonstrable experience of handling dangerous, aggressive, vulnerable or evidential animals and delivering services within highly regulated environments. The successful supplier will be expected to demonstrate experience of delivering comparable services involving secure animal boarding, transportation, welfare management, veterinary coordination and emergency response arrangements, together with an understanding of relevant legislative, welfare and operational requirements. The appointed supplier will be responsible for providing secure boarding accommodation and associated services throughout the contract term. Services will include, but are not limited to: • Secure kennelling of dangerous, seized and evidential animals; • Animal welfare monitoring and care; • Feeding, exercise, enrichment and grooming; • Administration of authorised routine medications; • Veterinary examinations, reports and treatments; • Vaccination programmes and preventative healthcare; • Behavioural assessments; • Emergency veterinary intervention arrangements; • Collection, transportation and return of animals; • 24-hour emergency incident response and call-out support; • Euthanasia and post-mortem arrangements where lawfully authorised; • Record management and evidential documentation; and • Management information reporting and contract performance reporting. The service must be available on a 24-hour, 365/366-day basis and support operational deployments across Warwickshire. The successful supplier shall be capable of responding to emergency requests and collecting animals within the required contractual response times whilst ensuring appropriate standards of public safety, officer safety and animal welfare. The supplier will be required to maintain all relevant licences, registrations, insurances, security controls and statutory compliance requirements necessary to deliver the service. Personnel involved in delivery of the contract will be required to obtain and maintain Non-Police Personnel Vetting (NPPV) Level 2 or above. The requirement will be tendered as a single contract. The Authority considered whether the requirement could appropriately be divided into lots. Following assessment, it was concluded that a single contract is operationally and technically preferable due to the requirement for a fully integrated service encompassing secure kennelling, transportation, veterinary coordination, welfare management, emergency response and evidential record keeping. Fragmenting the requirement would introduce operational, welfare and evidential risks, increase contract management complexity and potentially impact response times. The Authority is satisfied that the market is capable of delivering the full requirement through a single contract arrangement. The proposed contract term is three (3) years with the option to extend for up to a further two (2) years, subject to satisfactory performance and ongoing operational requirements. Based upon recent expenditure patterns and the anticipated operational requirement over the full potential five-year contract term, the estimated contract value is approximately £1.4m excluding VAT (approximately £1.7m including VAT). The estimated contract value has been calculated using historic expenditure data and anticipated future demand across the full scope of services. The estimate includes all service elements within the contract, including boarding, transportation, veterinary treatment, behavioural assessments and associated third-party costs. The estimated value does not represent supplier margin, profit or guaranteed expenditure. The stated values are estimates only and do not represent any commitment to spend. Actual expenditure may increase or decrease depending upon operational demand, legislative changes, seizure volumes, court outcomes, animal welfare requirements, inflationary pressures and future policing requirements. How to Apply All expressions of interest must be made via the Warwickshire Police In-tend portal hosted on the In-tend Bluelight Hub: https://sell2.in-tend.co.uk/blpd/home Suppliers may view tender details via the ‘Tenders’ section. Access to procurement documents requires supplier registration/login. New suppliers should register and then access the ‘Portals’ section and select connect with Warwickshire Police. Any questions relating to this procurement procedure must be made via the Correspondence function on the In-tend portal. Full details of the procurement process, evaluation methodology, specification and contract conditions are contained within the procurement documentation available on the portal. Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) The Authority conducted Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) in advance of this procurement in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023. Details of the engagement are available in the associated Preliminary Market Engagement Notice. The information obtained through the engagement was considered during the development of the procurement strategy and tender documentation. Procurement and Legal Information The following summarises key procedural and legal aspects of this procurement. Full details are provided within the procurement documentation. This procurement falls above the relevant threshold and is therefore subject to the Procurement Act 2023. It is a tender process requiring the submission of proposals, pricing information and mandatory commercial information. The Authority is conducting a one-stage Open Procedure in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023. Full details of the procurement process, evaluation methodology and contract conditions are contained within the procurement documents. The Authority reserves the right to amend the procurement process and timetable where necessary in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 and the principles of transparency and equal treatment. The Authority has identified potential contract modification grounds in accordance with Schedule 8 of the Procurement Act 2023, including unforeseeable circumstances, materialisation of known risks, additional similar services and future policing reform requirements. Full details are provided within the procurement documentation. In accordance with Schedule 5 paragraph 8 of the Procurement Act 2023, the Authority reserves the right to make a direct award where the competitive procedure does not result in an acceptable tender and the relevant statutory conditions are met. The Authority reserves the right, where legally permissible under the Act, to award additional similar services to the successful supplier where all statutory conditions are satisfied. Any conflicts of interest identified during this procurement will be managed in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 and the Authority's internal governance procedures. The Authority reserves the right not to award a contract as a result of this procurement procedure.

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