WP3526 - Integrated Drug and Alcohol Services - AWARD

Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council are seeking to contract with a single provider or consortium of providers (Council contracting with a 'Lead Provider') with the expertise to deliver an integrated drug and alcohol support service that is a single assessment, intervention and recovery system, supported by medical interventions for stabilisation and maintenance, with delivery of evidence based psychosocial interventions that support recovery.

The core elements of the Integrated drug and alcohol service are to offer a service compatible with Models of Care (2002 updated 2006) and include the components of referral, initial and comprehensive assessment, care planning, discharge and aftercare/recovery support. The services will be offered on a continuum to match needs, delivering advice, information, harm reduction interventions and structured interventions. The services will recognise the benefit of involving family and friends in care planned interventions to build individual resilience, promoting physical, psychological, social and economic well-being.

The procurement process is an Open Tender Process under the Light Touch Regime, (PCR 2015, regulations 74 - 77) for health and social care contracts. Under Regulation 76, the council is free to establish a procedure, provided that, the procedure is sufficient to ensure compliance with the principles of transparency and equal treatment of economic operators (suppliers).

All Providers that satisfy all the minimum requirements of the standard selection questionnaire (ITTD SSQ) and due diligence process shall be evaluated against the criteria detailed in ITTC.

The contract is for 5 years with the option to extend for a further 2 years and is expected to commence 1/4/20. The estimated value of the contract over the 7 years is £19.17m, which is based on an estimated annual budget of up to £2.74m. However, local government funding for these services has been under severe pressure for a number of years. Increased demand coupled with nearly a decade of government cuts has required local authorities to be prudent and cost efficient in the delivery of all its services. The Services commissioned will remain subject to financial pressures for the foreseeable future so service adjustments to these pressures should be anticipated as part of the contractual process.

There is also a possibility that the scope of service provision may need to be increased during the lifetime of the contract due to potential availability of additional funding for criminal justice and community safety services. Although, at present, these are unknown variables, any increases in service provision will be limited to 50% of the original contract value. If specific community safety funding becomes available, the commissioning intentions would be to prioritise services to support offenders with drug and alcohol problems to reduce their risk of further offending.

Potential providers need to be aware that TUPE will ...