Advocacy Services - An Independent Mental Health Advocacy Service (IMHA) and an Inpatient Advocacy Service (IA) - AWARD

ADULT SERVICES

TENDER ITT038 IMHA

FOR THE PROVISION OF:

Lot 2: AN INDEPENDENT MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY (IMHA) SERVICE (SANDWELL, WALSALL AND WOLVERHAMPTON) (WITH AN INPATIENT ADVOCACY SERVICE FOR SANDWELL ONLY)

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 mental health advocacy service which complies with the Mental Health Act.

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 the IMHA service is to deliver a high quality advocacy service for all eligible patients, which 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 Capacity Advocacy (IMCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Service, advertised separately as Lot 1. 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