2425-0002 Special Educational Needs and / or Disabilities, Information, Advice & Support Service (SENDIASS)

Description

The service will provide free, impartial, confidential, and accessible information, advice and support about matters relating to Special Educational Needs (SEN) and / or disabilities (SEND) including matters relating to education, health, and social care. This must also include information, advice and support on the take-up and management of Personal Budgets. A key objective of the service is to ensure children and their parents and young people have sufficient information and support necessary to participate in decision making. The service will be compliant with Chapter 2 of the Statutory SEND Code of Practice, Section 32 of the Children and Families Act and the National Minimum Standards finalised in September 2018 in consultation with the Department for Education. The mode of support will be via all of the following: • A direct telephone helpline (with answering machine, offering a callback, and signposting service at times when calls cannot be answered) • Website, which includes o Contact details of the service o Opening hours o Response times o Information on a range of SEND topics o Signposting to other useful groups including Islington’s Parent Carer Forum and the Family Carer’s Action Group, youth forums as well as national helplines o Signposting to Islington’s Local Offer o Key policies including the Service’s complaints procedure • Email and • Face to face by appointment The service specified will be available to service users who are: • Parents and carers of children with SEN and / or disabilities aged 0 – 25, for whom the local authority is responsible; and • Young people (typically aged 16 – 25) with SEN and / or disabilities for whom the local authority is responsible. The service scope includes initial concerns or identification of potential SEN and / or disabilities, through to ongoing support and provision including children and young people who are supported at the level of SEN Support through to those who may need to be assessed or already have an Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP). The service will ensure children, young people and parents and carers are provided with information and advice on matters relating to SEN and disability which includes: • local policy and practice • the Local Offer • personalisation and Personal Budgets • law on SEN and disability, health, and social care, through suitable, independently trained staff • advice for children, young people, and parents and carers on gathering, understanding, and interpreting information and applying it to their own situation • progression to adulthood and transition to adult services including universal services • information on the local authority’s processes for resolving disagreements, its complaints procedures and means of redress Lot 1: Contract period The contract will run for a period of up to 60 months (48 months with the option to extend for a further maximum 12 months) with an estimated start date 1 April 2025. Value of the contract The estimated total value of this contract is £870,000 over the maximum 60 months. This is based on £174,000 per annum. Award criteria The contract will be awarded to the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations. MEAT for this contract: Price 35% Quality 65% Quality made up of: 20% - Proposed approach to social value 10% - Proposed approach to service delivery 10% - Proposed approach to managing performance and quality assurance 10% - Proposed approach to measuring service outcomes 15% - Proposed approach to service user involvement and partnership working Total 65% Further details will be provided in the invitation to tender. Procurement process As the value of the contract is above the threshold for wider advertising of the opportunity, a Contract Notice will be published on Contracts Finder and Find a Tender Service. This procurement will be conducted in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, under Chapter 3 Section 7 Social and Other Specific Services (known as the “light touch” regime). Under Regulation 76 the council is free to establish a procedure, provided the procedure is sufficient to ensure compliance with the principles of transparency and equal treatment of economic operators (service providers). The procedure the council has designed is based on the open procedure. All economic operators (service providers) who successfully express an interest will automatically have access to the tender documents. Standard pre-selection questions will be part of the tender response and will need to be passed before evaluation of price and quality aspects. Further details will be available in the procurement documents. How to express an interest If you wish to apply for this contract opportunity, please follow these steps: • Register your organisation free of charge via the London Tenders Portal • When you receive an email confirming your username and password use these to log on to the London Tenders Portal and express your interest in 2425 – 0002 Special Educational Needs and / or Disabilities, Information, Advice & Support Service (SENDIASS) 80000000 - Education and training services, 85311300 - Welfare services for children and young people, 85312310 - Guidance services • Shortly after you have expressed interest, you will receive a second email containing a link to access the procurement documents. Deadlines The deadline for expressions of interest is: 11.59am Friday 18 October 2024 The deadline for submission of Tender documents is: 12 noon Friday 18 October 2024 Late submissions may not be accepted. Additional information • Islington Council and its partners are committed to work towards a ‘Fairer Islington,’ for more information see www.islington.gov.uk. • Islington Council aims to provide equality of opportunity and welcomes applicants who meet the qualitative selection criteria from Black and minority ethnic communities and disabled groups. • The council encourages all types of organisation who meet the qualitative selection criteria including Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations, Social Enterprises or not for profit enterprises and small to medium enterprises (SME) to tender. • All questions relating to this contract should be raised via the messages section of the relevant contract on the London Tenders Portal. Please do not contact any officer of the council directly. • As part of a commitment to transparency the council is now publishing all spend over £500 each month. This includes spend on contracts, so the successful contractor should expect details of spend against the contract to appear on the council website Islington Council: Council contracts. The council is also committed to publishing tender and contract documentation after contract award stage. Commercially sensitive information will be redacted from documentation. What constitutes commercially sensitive information is a matter for the council’s sole discretion. However, tenderers will be invited to identify information they consider to be commercially sensitive in their tender return and this will be taken into account in the council forming a view. Additional information: How to express an interest If you wish to apply for this contract opportunity, please follow these steps: • Register your organisation free of charge via the London Tenders Portal • When you receive an email confirming your username and password use these to log on to the London Tenders Portal and express your interest in 2425 – 0002 Special Educational Needs and / or Disabilities, Information, Advice & Support Service (SENDIASS) 80000000 - Education and training services, 85311300 - Welfare services for children and young people, 85312310 - Guidance services • Shortly after you have expressed interest, you will receive a second email containing a link to access the procurement documents. Deadlines The deadline for expressions of interest is: 11.59am Friday 18 October 2024 The deadline for submission of Tender documents is: 12 noon Friday 18 October 2024 Late submissions may not be accepted. Additional information • Islington Council and its partners are committed to work towards a ‘Fairer Islington,’ for more information see www.islington.gov.uk. • Islington Council aims to provide equality of opportunity and welcomes applicants who meet the qualitative selection criteria from Black and minority ethnic communities and disabled groups. • The council encourages all types of organisation who meet the qualitative selection criteria including Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations, Social Enterprises or not for profit enterprises and small to medium enterprises (SME) to tender. • All questions relating to this contract should be raised via the messages section of the relevant contract on the London Tenders Portal. Please do not contact any officer of the council directly. • As part of a commitment to transparency the council is now publishing all spend over £500 each month. This includes spend on contracts, so the successful contractor should expect details of spend against the contract to appear on the council website Islington Council: Council contracts. The council is also committed to publishing tender and contract documentation after contract award stage. Commercially sensitive information will be redacted from documentation. What constitutes commercially sensitive information is a matter for the council’s sole discretion. However, tenderers will be invited to identify information they consider to be commercially sensitive in their tender return and this will be taken into account in the council forming a view.