Stray Dog Service Market Engagement

As part of this market engagement, the Council invites electronic responses from organisations who are positioned to successfully provide the Council's Stray Dog Service.

Based on the budget information available at the time, Southend-on-Sea City Council (the Council) published a contract notice relating to its Stray Dog Service (the Service) in August of 2023, on Contracts Finder.

As part of that procurement process, the proposed pricing received in regard the future running of the Service came in between £250,000 and £350,000 (over the full duration of the proposed contract (5 Years)). As a result, the Council has withdrawn the procurement process to ensure compliance with its obligations under the legislation, including its responsibility to adequately advertise the opportunity and achieve best value.

(For the avoidance of doubt, the sizable range between the figures provided above is to assist in protecting the commercially sensitive information received by the Council as part of the withdrawn procurement process.)

In response to the updated commercial information made available to the Council, as part of the withdrawn procurement process, the Council are undertaking market engagement (via Prior Information Notice (PIN)) advertised on the Find a Tender Service and the equivalent notice on Contracts Finder.

The Council will be running a revised procurement process in compliance with the amended Public Contracts Regulations 2015 in due course. This notice is not being used as a call for competition. However, the information received in response to this notice will be key in assisting the Council to evaluate its options in regard this future procurement process, and the procedure which it uses.

The provisioning of the Service will include, but will not be limited to, the collection of stray dogs from within Council areas, providing of kennelling for stray dogs, reuniting dogs with their owners, collection of fees from reclaiming owners (on behalf of the Council) and the rehoming of unclaimed dogs.

As a result, we are seeking further information relating to the legitimate technical capability within the market to successfully undertake our Service. The information outlining the technical capability of an organisation will be reasonably considered against:

• the scale, scope and value of the Service needed by the Council;
• the compliance with relevant legislation related to the running of the Service; and
• ensuring any future Service is geared to meet the needs of the residents of the City

Significant information relating to the nature and requirements of the withdrawn procurement process, and the required Service, are available via the Council's electronic tendering facility (ETF). They are offered to allow the organisations within the market to make an informed decision regarding this market engagement.

The further documentation relating to this notice and the written submission required of any organisation looking to take part in this market engagement exercise is available via:

https://procurement.southend.gov.uk/southend/portal.nsf/index.htm

The project reference is: DN701887

The deadline for receipt of clarification requests relating to this market engagement is: 14:00 on Friday 5th January 2024

The deadline for submission of expression of interests in regard this market engagement is: 14:00 on Monday 15th January 2024

Further details relating to the aims of this market engagement, accompanying documentation, any future procurement process, the possible future choice of procedure, and how to take part in the market engagement are accessible using the link above.