Counselling Services Tender Birmingham

Arden & GEM CSU
Kingston House, 438-450 High Street
For the attention of: Ward Richard
B70 9LD West Bromwich
United Kingdom
E-mail: richard.ward11@nhs.net

Internet address(es):

General address of the contracting authority: https://ardengemcsu.bravosolution.co.uk

Further information can be obtained from: The above mentioned contact point(s)

Specifications and additional documents (including documents for competitive dialogue and a dynamic purchasing system) can be obtained from:The above mentioned contact point(s)

Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to: The above mentioned contact point(s)

National or federal agency/office

Health

The contracting authority is purchasing on behalf of other contracting authorities: yes

NHS Birmingham Cross City Clinical Commissioning Group
Bartholomew House, 142 Hagley Road
B16 9PA Birmingham
United Kingdom

Counselling Services (NHS Birmingham Cross City CCG).

Services
Service category No 25: Health and social services
Main site or location of works, place of delivery or of performance: Birmingham.

NUTS code UKG31

The notice involves a public contract

Aims and objectives of service:
— To provide a primary care counselling service to individuals experiencing emotional or psychological distress for whom counselling is the appropriate intervention;
— To offer a choice of approaches to meet the required outcomes of the client;
— To provide quality services and positive outcomes;
— Improve the mental health and well-being of the community;
— Promote preventative and recovery interventions;
— Work in partnership with general practice, primary care and community clinicians to deliver a seamless transition through the primary care and community pathway;
— Work in partnership with local Improving Access to Psychological Therapy Services, managing clients who do not meet caseness;
— To provide equity of access and outcomes specifically with regard to ethnicity and geographical areas where high socio-economic deprivation exists.
Service description/care pathway:
This service is available to Clients registered with a Birmingham CrossCity Clinical Commissioning Group GP aged 18+ or older on the day of referral. Counselling and psychotherapy are umbrella terms that cover a range of talking therapies. They are delivered by qualified practitioners who work with people over a short or long term to help them bring about effective change or enhance their well-being. Counselling services are accessible for people who may be distressed in connection with current or past life challenges and may experience depression, stress or anxiety symptoms. In this context it is expected that interventions will be short-term, time-limited to an average of 4-6 sessions. Interventions can be delivered either face to face, through group work, over the telephone or online (online refers to email or Skype). Information relating to current and anticipated indicative activity can be found as an attachment within the Bravo eProcurement portal. Please see instruction in section II.8) below in regards to accessing the Bravo eProcurement portal.
Days/hours of operation:
— Monday-Friday (between 10:00-19:00);
Saturday (between 10:00-14:00).
‘The times shown are indicative and all service providers are expected to offer access outside of working hours that meets the needs of the local population.’
The service will:
— Provide time-limited focussed counselling sessions per client (based on an average of 4-6 sessions (based on face to face interventions), however, this will be confirmed at assessment stage and reviewed on an ongoing basis between the counsellor and client);
— Undertake an assessment to ascertain the nature/history of the problem and suitability for counselling intervention;
— Understand and ascertain the clients motivation for engagement in purposeful intervention;
— Work closely with other primary care services;
— Undertake appropriate risk assessment for each referral;
— Use a range of approaches to service delivery including telephone access, online and group based activity.
Approaches for delivery:
Indicatively commissioners would expect counsellors practice to be informed by a range of modalities which may include the following:
— Integrative therapy (brings together elements of different therapies to suit individual client need);
— Person-centred therapy (focuses on the way in which individuals perceive themselves);
— Behavioural therapies (focusing on thoughts and behaviours);
— Psychoanalytical and psychodynamic therapies (focussing on relationship patterns evolved from childhood);
— Humanistic therapies (focussing on the ‘here and now’).
Individuals providing therapeutic interventions will be:
— Fully qualified; possessing an accredited qualification(s). (Accredited courses tend to be diplomas, advanced diplomas, post-graduate trainings and bachelors or masters degrees. They are sometimes science-based in title because of a research or clinical element, e.g. MSc in Clinical Counselling) but are more commonly arts-based qualifications. A nationally recognised counselling qualification at diploma/degree level, working towards final accreditation, or equivalent;
— Registered with an appropriate professional counselling body, maintaining membership of a professional counselling body, such as British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) or United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and will abide by its code of practice, or equivalent;
— Qualified staff must be named on a professional register; and
— Receive effective regular clinical supervision by a suitably qualified counsellor/psychotherapist;
— Be able to evidence past working experience;
— Providers should be able to evidence that their workforce adheres to the above upon request. In addition providers are encouraged to use the support of trainees and volunteers where appropriate.
The range of issues that clients may require support with (but not limited to):
— Depression,
— Low mood,
— Abuse,
— Addiction,
— Anger problems,
— Anxiety,
— Bereavement,
— Bullying or harassment,
— Culturally specific issues,
— Domestic violence,
— Family issues,
— Financial problems,
— Long-term physical problems, disability, palliative care or end of life,
— Loss of self-esteem,
— Problems at work,
— Relationship issues,
— Sleep problems,
— Stress.
Referrals:
Referrals will be received from a range of organisations including:
— Self-referral,
— GP referral (using an agreed standardised referral from),
— Local third sector providers,
— Local Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) services,
— Local job centres.

85000000, 85312320

The contract is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA): yes

This contract is divided into lots: no

Variants will be accepted: no

Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 0,00 and 1 263 270 GBP

Duration in months: 36 (from the award of the contract)

Open

The most economically advantageous tender in terms of the criteria stated in the specifications, in the invitation to tender or to negotiate or in the descriptive document

itt_

11.7.2016 – 17:00

English.

The Contracting Authority intends to use an eTendering system in this procurement exercise. The services to which this notice relates fall within the Light Touch Regime of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (‘the Regulations’). Neither the publication of this notice nor the employment of any particular terminology nor any other indication shall be taken to mean that the contracting authorities intend to hold themselves bound by any of the Regulations save those applicable to the procurement of Light Touch Regime services. Suppliers Instructions on how to access documentation for further detail: 1. Register your company on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once) — Browse to the eSourcing Portal: https://gemcsu.bravosolution.co.uk and click the link to register — Accept the terms and conditions and click ‘continue’ — Enter your correct business and user details — Note the username you chose and click ‘Save’ when complete — You will shortly receive an e-mail with your unique password (please keep this secure); 2. Login to the portal with the username/password — Click the ‘PQQs / ITTs Open To All Suppliers’ link. (These are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires or Invitations to Tender open to any registered supplier) — Click on the relevant PQQ/ ITT (ITT_441) to access the content — Click the ‘Express Interest’ button at the top of the page — This will move the PQQ /ITT into your ‘My PQQs/ My ITTs’ page. (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only) — You can now access any attachments by clicking ‘Buyer Attachments’ in the ‘PQQ/ ITT Details’ box; 3. Responding to the tender — Click ‘My Response’ under ‘PQQ/ ITT Details’, you can choose to ‘Create Response’ or to ‘Decline to Respond’ (please give a reason if declining) — You can now use the ‘Messages’ function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification — Note the deadline for completion, then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the PQQ/ ITT — There may be a mixture of online and offline actions for you to perform (there is detailed online help available). You must then submit your reply using the ‘Submit Response’ button at the top of the page. If you require any further assistance please consult the online help, or contact the eTendering help desk.

8.6.2016