Northamptonshire County Council - The provision of support to staff and committee members of childcare settings led by a Voluntary Management Committee (VMC).

Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) is seeking bids to provide a minimum of 250 hours and potentially up to 500 hours p.a. of bespoke support to Voluntary Managed Committee led settings directly or to support new committee members with their roles and responsibilities where a need for this has already been identified by NCC or setting itself. This contract is designed to operate with support being called off as and when required and may, in extreme cases, involve working with a specific setting for up to 35 hours where warranted. Amongst other things support might include:

• An initial assessment of the setting / committee’s requirements which should include a report to the local authority on the setting’s sustainability, safeguarding issues, staffing or its committee members. This should include a recommendation, where appropriate, for further support.
• The gathering of data.
• Supporting the setting with business planning, financial planning, roles and responsibilities training, safeguarding advice or any other aspect that is needed in order to address the matter at hand.

There is an option to extend this contract for 1 year.

Twenty thousand pounds for minimum guaranteed call off. (Please note that this is an estimate only. If your organisation submits a quote please specify your price and provide evidence to support).

Expressions of Interest must be sent to Richard Ellis, email: rellis@northamptonshire.gov.uk. A request for quotation document will be sent by return and this completed document must be returned by 5pm on 5 February 2016. The deadline for clarification questions is 22 January at 5pm.

Please provide a full contact name, address for correspondence and email address in your Expression of Interest and ensure that reference “Bespoke VMC Support” is quoted in all correspondence.