NEPO Independent Fostering Services

This is a voluntary notice for part b services and as such the full ambit of the public contract regulations shall not apply. The Council makes no guarantee that any placements will be made under the Contract which will be commencing on 1.4.2015 until 31.3.2018 with the option to extend for a further 12 months.

United Kingdom-Newcastle upon Tyne: Social work services

2014/S 197-348229

Contract notice

Services

Directive 2004/18/EC

Section I: Contracting authority

I.1)Name, addresses and contact point(s)

Newcastle City Council
Room 115, Civic Centre, Barras Bridge
Contact point(s): Commissioning and Procurement Team
For the attention of: Rhonda Eagle
NE1 8QH Newcastle upon Tyne
UNITED KINGDOM
Telephone: +44 1912114949
E-mail: corporate.procurement.team@newcastle.gov.uk
Fax: +44 1912114832

Internet address(es):

General address of the contracting authority: http://www.newcastle.gov.uk

Address of the buyer profile: http://www.nepoportal.org

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)

I.2)Type of the contracting authority

Regional or local authority

I.3)Main activity

General public services

I.4)Contract award on behalf of other contracting authorities

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

Durham County Council
County Hall
DH1 5UL Durham
UNITED KINGDOM

The Borough Council of Gateshead
Regent Street, Civic Centre
NE8 1HH Gateshead
UNITED KINGDOM

North Tyneside Council
The Quadrant, Silverlink North, Cobalt Business Park
NE27 0BY North Tyneside
UNITED KINGDOM

Northumberland County Council
County Hall
NE61 2EF Morpeth
UNITED KINGDOM

South Tyneside Borough Council
Town Hall and Civic Centre, Westoe Road
NE33 2RL South Shields
UNITED KINGDOM

City of Sunderland Council
Civic Centre, Burdon Road
SR2 7DN Sunderland
UNITED KINGDOM

Section II: Object of the contract

II.1)Description

II.1.1)Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority:

004036 — NEPO Provision of Independent Fostering Services. This is a voluntary notice for part b services and as such the full ambit of the public contract regulations shall not apply.

II.1.2)Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance

Services
Service category No 25: Health and social services
Main site or location of works, place of delivery or of performance: The Contracting Authorities participating in this tender are:
Durham County Council;
Gateshead Borough Council;
Newcastle City Council;
North Tyneside Council;
Northumberland County Council;
South Tyneside Borough Council;
City of Sunderland Council.
NUTS code

II.1.3)Information about a public contract, a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system (DPS)

The notice involves the establishment of a framework agreement

II.1.4)Information on framework agreement

Framework agreement with several operators
maximum number of participants to the framework agreement envisaged: 50

Duration of the framework agreement

Duration in months: 48

Estimated total value of purchases for the entire duration of the framework agreement

Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 70 000 000 and 80 000 000 GBP

II.1.5)Short description of the contract or purchase(s)

Newcastle City Council is acting as the lead authority on behalf of the North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO) in respect of the procurement of a Framework Agreement for the Provision of Independent Fostering Services. The seven organisations participating in this tender are: Durham County Council, Gateshead Borough Council, Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside Council, Northumberland County Council, South Tyneside Borough Council and the City of Sunderland Council.

II.1.6)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)

85310000, 85311300

II.1.7)Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

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

II.1.8)Lots

This contract is divided into lots: no

II.1.9)Information about variants

Variants will be accepted: no

II.2)Quantity or scope of the contract

II.2.1)Total quantity or scope:

Newcastle City Council is acting as lead authority in respect of this procurement. Please note that as the Contract is a Framework Agreement any of the Councils listed above may make foster placements under it, as and when required. The Council makes no guarantee that any placements will be made under the Contract which will be commencing on 1.4.2015 until 31.3.2018 with the option to extend for a further 12 months. The Council is carrying out the procurement of this Framework Agreement as an Open tender. This Contract involves the service category of “Health and Social Care” under Schedule 3 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006 and is therefore classified as a Part B Service Contract. This Contract is not subject to the full application of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006 or the Public Contracts (Amendment) Regulations 2009. Further information and associated documents are available on our Electronic Tendering System at www.nepoportal.org

Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 70 000 000 and 80 000 000 GBP

II.2.2)Information about options

Options: yes
Description of these options: Option to extend for a further 12 months, commencing 1.4.2018 until 31.3.2019.

II.2.3)Information about renewals

This contract is subject to renewal: no

II.3)Duration of the contract or time limit for completion

Starting 1.4.2015. Completion 31.3.2018

Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information

III.1)Conditions relating to the contract

III.1.1)Deposits and guarantees required:

Details to be included in the Invitation to Tender.

III.1.2)Main financing conditions and payment arrangements and/or reference to the relevant provisions governing them:

Details to be included in the Invitation to Tender.

III.1.3)Legal form to be taken by the group of economic operators to whom the contract is to be awarded:

N/A.

III.1.4)Other particular conditions

The performance of the contract is subject to particular conditions: yes
Description of particular conditions: Details to be included in the Invitation to Tender.

III.2)Conditions for participation

III.2.1)Personal situation of economic operators, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: All applicants are required to complete and return a detailed Contractor Evaluation Questionnaire prepared by the Contracting Authority and provide such supporting evidence as may be requested by the deadline stated in IV.3.4.

III.2.2)Economic and financial ability

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: As set out in the Contractor Evaluation Questionnaire.
Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required: As set out in the Contractor Evaluation Questionnaire.

III.2.3)Technical capacity

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met:
As set out in the Contractor Evaluation Questionnaire.
Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required:
As set out in the Contractor Evaluation Questionnaire.

III.2.4)Information about reserved contracts

III.3)Conditions specific to services contracts

III.3.1)Information about a particular profession

Execution of the service is reserved to a particular profession: yes
Reference to the relevant law, regulation or administrative provision: Organisations must hold a current registration with the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) as an Independent Fostering Agency.

III.3.2)Staff responsible for the execution of the service

Legal persons should indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff responsible for the execution of the service: no

Section IV: Procedure

IV.1)Type of procedure

IV.1.1)Type of procedure

Open

IV.1.2)Limitations on the number of operators who will be invited to tender or to participate

IV.1.3)Reduction of the number of operators during the negotiation or dialogue

IV.2)Award criteria

IV.2.1)Award criteria

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

IV.2.2)Information about electronic auction

An electronic auction will be used: no

IV.3)Administrative information

IV.3.1)File reference number attributed by the contracting authority:

9KCC-9NP3NL

IV.3.2)Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract

IV.3.3)Conditions for obtaining specifications and additional documents or descriptive document

Time limit for receipt of requests for documents or for accessing documents: 23.11.2014
Payable documents: no

IV.3.4)Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate

24.11.2014 – 12:00

IV.3.5)Date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates

IV.3.6)Language(s) in which tenders or requests to participate may be drawn up

English.

IV.3.7)Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender

until: 16.3.2015

IV.3.8)Conditions for opening of tenders

Place:

via electronic e-tendering portal system.

Section VI: Complementary information

VI.1)Information about recurrence

This is a recurrent procurement: no

VI.2)Information about European Union funds

The contract is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no

VI.3)Additional information

Please go to our web site located at www.nepoportal.org to register and download the documents. This Contract Notice is for a Part B Service and is published on a voluntary basis and is therefore not subject to full application of the public contract regulations. In addition to use of the contract by Newcastle City Council, Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council, South Tyneside Council, North Tyneside Council, Durham County Council, Northumberland County Council and Sunderland City Council will utilise. Under this procurement, the provider is required to participate actively in the economic and social regeneration of the locality of, and surroundings of, the place of delivery for the procurement. Contract performance conditions may therefore relate in particular to social and environmental considerations.

VI.4)Procedures for appeal

VI.4.1)Body responsible for appeal procedures

VI.4.2)Lodging of appeals

Precise information on deadline(s) for lodging appeals: The Contracting Authority will incorporate a minimum 10 day standstill period (in the case of notices sent by electronic or facsimile means) and a minimum 15 day standstill period after the date of sending or minimum 10 days after the date of the last unsuccessful tenderers receipt (where notices are not sent electronically) at the point information on the award of the contract is communicated to tenderers. This period allows unsuccessful tenderers to query the information provided and/or decide whether or not they wish to challenge the award decision before the contract is entered into. Queries should be directed to the address in part I.1. If an appeal regarding the award of the contract has not been successfully resolved the Public Contracts Regulations 2006 (SI 2006 No 5) as amended by the Public Contracts Regulations 2009 (SI 2009 No 2992) provide for aggrieved parties who have been harmed or are at risk of harm by a breach of the rules to take action in the High Court (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). Any such action which does not seek a declaration of ineffectiveness must be brought within 30 days beginning with the date when the economic operator first knew or ought to have known that the grounds for starting proceedings had arisen. An application for ineffectiveness must be made within 30 days of publication of a contract award notice or notification of the conclusion of the contract with a summary of relevant reasons, or in any other case within 6 months of the date the contract was entered into. Where a contract has not been entered into the Court may order the setting aside of the award decision or order the authority to amend any document and may award damages. If the contract has been entered into the Court may make a declaration of ineffectiveness and order payment of a civil financial penalty. The purpose of the standstill period referred to above is to allow parties to apply to the Courts to set aside the award decision before the contract is entered into. The commencement of proceedings before the contract has been entered into requires the authority to refrain from entering into the contract.

VI.4.3)Service from which information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained

VI.5)Date of dispatch of this notice:

10.10.2014