Direct Payment Support Services Market Engagement

In preparation for a proposed forthcoming procurement opportunity to provide support to people to manage a direct payment, Essex County Council ("the Council") would like to invite prospective providers to engage in a soft market test as part of the market engagement for this project.

The soft market test has been designed to establish the potential level of interest from organisations to deliver a Direct Payment Support Service (DPSS) and to invite feedback on the proposed structure of the DPSS service to inform the Council's commissioning intentions.

Pending a review of the market feedback from this soft market test, the Council proposes to commission a DPSS service which incorporates the following support:

1. Payroll and Account Management
2. A single Personal Assistant (PA) support hub which incorporates a PA register alongside support for direct payment clients who are seeking to employ a PA, including support with recruitment, training, management and incentives to retain a PA
3. A dedicated Direct Payment Information and Advice Service & an Employment Advice and Guidance Service
4. A pre-paid card option to manage direct payments
5. A digital solution to manage direct payments

The Council may seek to engage with multiple providers to deliver all or parts of these services in order to create choice for people who will access the services.

In addition, the Council may structure the procurement opportunity so that multiple providers deliver all the core aspects of the service. However, the Council reserves the right to refine the scope of this procurement following the market engagement for this project. The final scope of the procurement including the use of lots and the applicable tender submission deadline will be published in the corresponding Contract Notice prior to the formal launch of the procurement opportunity.

Further details of the Council's current commissioning intentions for this service and a copy of the online soft market test questionnaire can be accessed via the Council's e-tendering portal: https://procontract.due-north.com/

Please note that you will need to undertake the registration process to secure a user account to access the soft market test questionnaire on ProContract. However, please be advised that the registration process is free of charge and provides access to all the current and forthcoming procurement opportunities for Essex County Council alongside several other public sector organisations.

Please note that the deadline for the soft market test responses will be Friday 4th February 2022 at 17:00 and all responses must be submitted via the messaging facility in ProContract.