Contract award notice
Results of the procurement procedure
Section I: Contracting
entity
I.1) Name and addresses
Essex County Council
Essex County Council
Chelmsford
CM1 1QH
UK
Contact person: Rachel Horne
E-mail: Rachel.Horne@essex.gov.uk
NUTS: UKH36
Internet address(es)
Main address: https://www.essex.gov.uk/
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.essex.gov.uk/
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Regional or local authority
I.5) Main activity
General public services
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
All-Age Recovery Coordination Service (AARCS)
II.1.2) Main CPV code
85323000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
Essex County Council ("the Council") are re-commissioning an All Age Recovery Co- ordination Service (AARCS) for people with drug and alcohol misuse issues. AARCS provides a range of evidence-based interventions shaped to meet individual needs, as well as ongoing support for individuals who have exited the service/treatment system but who may experience instances of need for acute recovery support.
Please be advised that this notice is designed to record the Council's intention to award a contract to deliver the AARCS service under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 ("Provider Selection Regime") via Direct Award Process C as detailed below.
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.1.7) Total value of the procurement
Value excluding VAT:
13 702 836.00
GBP
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
85100000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKH3
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
Following the conclusion of the internal governance process, Essex County Council ("the Council") is due to award a contract to deliver the AARCS service to the two (2) incumbent providers under the Direct Award Process C of the Provider Selection Regime. Please note that the award of the contract for this service remains subject to the successful conclusion of the standstill period as detailed within section IV of this notice alongside the full organisational details of the incumbent providers.
AARCS provides a range of evidence-based interventions shaped to meet individual needs, as well as ongoing support for individuals who have exited the service/treatment system but who may experience instances of need for acute recovery support.
This service is being commissioned under an initial term of five (5) years with an option to extend for a further two (2) years, thereby resulting in a maximum contractual duration of seven (7) years. The commencement date of this contract will be 1st October 2024 with an expiry date of 30th September 2029 pending the enactment of the optional extension period. For the avoidance of any further doubt, please be advised that if the extension period is enacted, the contract will expire on 30th September 2031.
Please be advised that the stated contract value within section II.I.7 of this notice reflects the aggregate value for the maximum seven (7) year term based on an annual value of £1,957,548.
Following the Council's assessment of the incumbent providers' delivery of the current service against the key criteria within the Provider Selection Regime as outlined below, the Council is assured that the providers are delivering the current AARCS contract to a sufficient standard. Furthermore, the Council is satisfied that the providers will satisfy the proposed new contract to a sufficient standard following a review of the following key criteria:
1. Quality and Innovation
2. Value
3. Integration, collaboration and service sustainability
4. Improving access, reducing health inequality and facilitating choice
5. Social Value
Please be advised that each of the above noted key criteria was assigned an equal weighting of 20%. In addition, the Council conducted this assessment on the basis of the providers' delivery of the contractual key performance indicators alongside due consideration of the national performance of analogous services as reported by the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System. The latter part of the Council's assessment of the current service demonstrated that the current provision is performing favourably and exceeding the recorded national evidence across multiple reporting fields.
In addition, the Council assessed the financial value of the current service in line with the reported CIPFA indicators for unit costs of similar services which demonstrated that this service performs favourably in comparison with both neighbouring and comparable local authorities.
In terms of integration, collaboration and service sustainability, the Council has secured positive evidence that both incumbent providers have successfully delivered joint working including but not limited to collaborative work with local schools and Essex Police during the delivery of the current service and this engagement is due to continue under the proposed contract. Furthermore, the Council has secured robust evidence of positive levels of engagement from the individuals who have accessed the service and completed a recovery programme.
In terms of social value, the incumbent providers have demonstrated a commitment to utilising local knowledge of the demographics and geography including insight of any areas of deprivation which is critical to delivering a placed based approach to the delivery of the AARCS service.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion: The existing providers are satisfying the original contract and are likely to satisfy the proposed contract to a sufficient standard
/ Weighting: 100
Price
/ Weighting:
0
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
No
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition
Justification for selected award procedure:
The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the Directive
Explanation
This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this contract. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to the decision-makers in writing by Friday 19th July 2024 at midnight.
This contract has not been formally awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
Section V: Award of contract
Title: All-Age Recovery Coordination Service
A contract/lot is awarded:
Yes
V.2 Award of contract
V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
25/06/2024
V.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
Number of tenders received from SMEs: 1
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators:
Yes
V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Church of England Children's Society T/a The Children's Society
221124
Whitecross Studios, 50 Banner Street
London
EC1Y 8ST
UK
NUTS: UKI
The contractor is an SME:
No
V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Open Road Solutions Limited T/a Open Road
08417728
12 North Hill
Colchester
CO1 1DZ
UK
NUTS: UKH3
The contractor is an SME:
Yes
V.2.4) Information on value of the contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot:
: 13 702 836.00
GBP
V.2.5) Information about subcontracting
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.3) Additional information
This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this contract. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to the decision-makers in writing by Friday 19th July 2024 at midnight via the following e-mail address:
rachel.horne@essex.gov.uk
This contract has not been formally awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.
Award decision-makers: Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care and Integration in consultation with the Head of Public Health and Wellbeing.
No conflicts of interest, or potential conflicts of interest, were declared by any decision makes.
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
High Court
The Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand
London
WC2A 2LL
UK
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
08/07/2024