Advocacy Services - An Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy Service (IMCA) and a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Advocacy Service (DoLS) - AWARD

ADULT SERVICES

TENDER ITT038IMCA

FOR THE PROVISION OF:

Lot 1: AN INDEPENDENT MENTAL CAPACITY ADVOCACY (IMCA) SERVICE AND DEPRIVATION OF LIBERTY SAFEGUARDS (DOLS) SERVICE (SANDWELL, WALSALL AND WOLVERHAMPTON)

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council acting as lead Authority seeks to procure on behalf of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Wolverhampton City Council and Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council an experienced organisation with appropriate expertise to deliver a non-instructed advocacy service which complies with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Sandwell M.B.C will lead on the procurement and contract management of the Service on behalf of the three local authorities.

The aim of an IMCA is to support service users who lack capacity and have no one to speak for them where decisions on serious medical treatment or change of residence need to be made. A Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) IMCA is instructed to act for a person who is, or may become, subject to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

The aim of the IMHA is to deliver a high quality IMHA service for all qualifying patient, subject to restriction under the Mental Health Act, that complies with the amendments to the Mental Health Act. Anyone who is detained in a secure Mental Health setting is entitled to access support from an IMHA. There will also be an issue based advocacy service for inpatients of Sandwell Hospital as part of the contract.

The Contract will be for a period of four years, and will commence on 1 April 2016.

The three local authorities are also seeking to procure an Independent Mental Health Advocacy Service (Including Inpatient Advocacy for Sandwell only), advertised separately as Lot 2. Interested organisations may tender for either or both Lots. Organisations may wish to offer discounted prices, which will be taken into account for the purposes of tender price evaluation, if tendering for both Lots.

Suitably qualified and experienced persons and organisations are invited to express an interest in tendering for the above service.

Tenders must be submitted through the Council’s electronic tendering system In-Tend [https://in-tendhost.co.uk/sandwellmbc] no later than 17:00PM 21 September 2015 in accordance with the instructions to tender contained in the Invitation to Tender document.

The Council intends to use an evaluation model based on price and quality. The criteria, on which tenders will be evaluated, inclusive of weighting attached to each, will be included within the invitation to tender document.

NB. The contracts mainly reflect services currently being provided by existing organisations, and therefore the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 may apply to this contract.

David Stevens