Provision of an External Legal Provider to advise on Debt Recovery Services

The procurement will be undertaken using the "Light Touch Regime" Procedure and will follow an "Open" process (one-stage) approach.

The service will provide advice on the following debt types:

Sundry Debtors; Adult Social Care; Housing Benefit Overpayments; Leaseholders Services; Former Tenants Arrears; Current Tenants Arrears; Commercial and Residential Rent; Management and recovery of costs from deceased estates and Housing investigations.

The Provider will provide specialist legal advice in complex cases and provide training and training materials to Council staff.

The expiry date of the current contract is 8 July 2019, the new service and contract will commence from 9 July 2019.

To ensure there is continuity of service, the two-step approach outlined below has been agreed by the Council:

Step 1: Should the incumbent Provider be successful in the tendering process, the new service and contract will commence on 9 July 2019, as I.T. requirements will remain unchanged. The initial contract term will be 9 July 2019 to 31 March 2022. If the contract extension is applied, the contract expiry date will be 31 March 2024.

Step 2: If a new Provider is appointed, the Council has taken the decision to extend the current arrangement with the incumbent Provider for up to nine (9) months from 9 July 2019 to 31 March 2020, and all current debts will remain with the incumbent Provider. During this period, the new Provider will ensure that all I.T. related requirements have been fully tested and implemented by 31 December 2019.

This process will enable the new provider to be prepared to receive instruction from the Council to recover all new debts and provide advice from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2023. If the contract extension is agreed, the new Provider will provide the service until the contract expiry date of 31 March 2025.

To confirm, the above approach is required to align the service in line with the financial year.

A panel of Council Officers will evaluate all aspects of the final tender submission and a representative from ASH will be present for the presentation.

The Quality Criterion is as follows:

Implementation plan (5%), Service Delivery and Communications (25%), Staffing Structure (3%), Contract Performance and Outcomes Management (7%), Internal training and materials (3%), Social value (3%) and Demonstration of ICT systems' for organisations that have been shortlisted (4%).

PLEASE SEE TENDER DOCUMENTS IN EU SUPPLY (WWW.EU-SUPPLY.COM).

Additional information: The Invitation to Tender (ITT), Contract terms and conditions, Form of Tender, Specification and Pricing Schedule and other supporting information has been attached to EU Supply for bidders to complete.

After the deadline for returned electronic submissions has expired, the evaluation process of the Selection stage will be undertaken.

Tenderers who are successful from the Selection stage will be invited into the award stage and their submissions will be evaluated.

After final moderation of the tender responses, the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) will be recommended to perform the service; however, we reserve the right not to award using MEAT approach should it provide undue risk to the Authority.

Unsuccessful providers will be informed of the outcome via the messaging system on EU Supply and the 10 voluntary standstill period will commence.

A panel of Council Officers will evaluate all aspects of the final tender submission. PLEASE SEE TENDER DOCUMENTS IN EU SUPPLY (WWW.EU-SUPPLY.COM).

After the standstill period has expired, the successful Provider will be confirmed in writing and the Contract Award Notice will be issued and entered on Contracts Finder.

The quality / price split is 50 / 50 %

The tender opportunity went live on TED (via EU Supply) on 06 April 2019. However, due to a technical problem, the opportunity was not posted on to Contract Finder. This has now been resolved.