Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Support

Description

Essex County Council (“the Council”) is seeking to commission a new Voluntary and Community Sector support service as part of a wider offer to strengthen and champion a thriving and influential voluntary and community sector within the administrative boundaries of Essex (excluding the unitary authority areas of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea). In addition, this service will also be open to the following classification of users: NHS Healthcare (including Integrated Care Systems) both within the administrative boundaries of Essex and cross-boundary organisations. This procurement will incorporate the following lots: Lot 1: Universal Standard Support Offer (USSO) Lot 2: Community Participation An overview of the Council's requirements for this service is outlined within the lot specific sections of this notice. However, prospective bidders are advised that the full details regarding the Council’s requirements for each of these lots can be found within the relevant service specification which will be published on the Council’s e-tendering portal, ProContract and can be accessed via: https://procontract.due-north.com/ Please register for a user account to gain access to the procurement documentation for this opportunity. The Council envisages that this procurement will be published on the aforementioned e-sourcing portal on Friday 26th July 2024. The proposed contract commencement date for both lots is 1st December 2024 until 31st March 2031 with a break clause at 31st March 2028. Please note that the maximum duration amounts to 75 months and 30 days. However, due to the constraints with the fields in this notice, this position has been rounded up to the nearest month. The stated budget for this service is based on £75,000 for the initial four (4) months per lot and £75,000 p.a. for each subsequent year of the contracts per lot. In addition, the Council understands that there may be scope for additional funding of up to 15%, although this matter remains subject to confirmation during the post-tender phase of the project. Lot 1: Universal Standard Support Offer (USSO) The Council is seeking to commission provider(s) to develop and maintain a Universal Standard Support Offer (USSO) to the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) in Essex. This service is designed to allow users to self-assess and directs them to relevant, up to date and accessible business and compliance advice. The overarching purpose of this lot is to provide equity in access to quality, practical guidance to ensure organisations have the strong foundations needed to support them to achieve their goals, plan for development, become more resilient, build capacity and contribute to flourishing communities. The successful bidder must ensure that the service delivers the following commissioning requirements: • Ensure the USSO is hosted as a digital platform • Allow users the ability to complete self-assessments of their organisational health • Automatically direct users to high-quality and relevant information, advice, guidance and resources based on the outcome of their self-assessment regarding business development and compliance (e.g. governance procedures, safeguarding, policy templates, legal updates, training). • Be easily accessible to all VCS organisations regardless of size, skill or accessibility needs. • Allow users to intelligently browse the resources within the USSO Please note that the above information is intended to provide an overview of the Council's commissioning requirements for this service and full details of the scope of this provision will be published in the associated service specification which can be located via ProContract. The proposed contract commencement date is 1st December 2024 until 31st March 2031 with a break clause at 31st March 2028. The stated budget for this lot is based on £75,000 for the initial four (4) month term followed by £75,000 p.a. for each subsequent year of the contract. In addition, the Council understands that there may be scope for additional funding of up to 15%, although this matter remains subject to final confirmation. Lot 2: Community Participation The Council is seeking to commission provider(s) to deliver a strategic approach to building Community Participation across Essex. This lot is for the development of a broad approach to community participation, developing a culture of active and engaged communities that can be driven forward and supported by place-based resources. Leading the development of an eco-system that enables and grows community participation within the boundaries of Essex County Council (excluding Southend and Thurrock). • Lead the creation of an ecosystem that facilitates community participation • Support and develop a positive environment in which the value of participation is recognised and community activity is flourishing • Embrace digital technology to connect local efforts into an integrated whole • Advocate for accessible participation, by creating, promoting, and fostering accessible and welcoming pathways into community participation • Identify and scope opportunities to maximise the potential of corporate volunteering capacity and return on Social Value commitments. Please note that the above information is intended to provide an overview of the Council's commissioning requirements for this service and full details of the scope of this provision will be published in the associated service specification which can be located via ProContract. The proposed contract commencement date is 1st December 2024 until 31st March 2031 with a break clause at 31st March 2028. The stated budget for this lot is based on £75,000 for the initial four (4) month term followed by £75,000 p.a. for each subsequent year of the contract. In addition, the Council understands that there may be scope for additional funding of up to 15%, although this matter remains subject to confirmation during the post-tender phase of the project.