20-227 SEN Mediation

The aim of the Service is to provide timely resolution to disputes and avoid referral on to the SEN and Disability Tribunal Service. (Please refer to attachment Appendix 1. Schedule A- Service Specification SEN Mediation.)

It is anticipated within the contract term the Council will receive approximately eighty 80-95 referrals for SEN Mediation per annum.

The contract will commence on 01/04/2022 and will run for a period of 3 years of the initial contract term making the expiry date 31/03/2025. The contract will have an option to extend by 2 x 12 months at the sole discretion of the Council making the latest possible end date 31/03/2027.

The estimated contract value is approximately £175,000. This is based on last financial years expenditure (£35,000) which did increase considerably due to panel decision making. Given that this is a statutory service any spend will be subject to fluctuation and in line with referral demands. These costs are indicative only and do not carry any guarantee of value or volume of business over the contract term. Actual future needs may vary up or down.

The Council is committed to a performance and evidence-based approach to Social Value and has partnered with the Social Value Portal (SVP) to assist in the delivery of this. Based on the National TOMs (Themes, Outcomes and Measures) developed by the SVP, bidders are required to propose credible targets against which performance (for the successful bidder) will be monitored. The National TOMs are available to review at the SVP (http://socialvalueportal.com/national-toms/) and bidders will also be given access to them as part of this tender. The TOMs within this tender process have been adapted to reflect the specific needs of the organisation. Please see the link below which explains how the SVP measure social value: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGo7gMitCDQ.