Gloucestershire County Council Commissioning Team

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Invitation to Tender for the Delivery of Children’s Centre Services for Children Pre-birth to Five Years and their Families in Gloucestershire

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Comprising:

PART A

1.Information for Potential Providers

2.Instructions for Potential Providers

3.Contract Terms and Conditions

a) Terms and Conditions

b) Schedule 1 Specification, KPI’s, Monitoring and Performance Criteria

c) Schedule 2 Pricing Schedule and Example Financial Reporting

d) Schedule 3 Staffing Transfer

PART B

4.Form of Tender

5.Tendering Certificate

6.Guarantee Undertaking

7.Supporting Documents/Audits

a) Financial

b) Insurance liability

c) Health & Safety

d)Environment

e) Workforce

f) Safeguarding

g)IT Management Systems

8.Responses to the Specification/Budget Forecast

9.Checklist

Appendices

1.Locality Performance Reports

2.Map of Children’s Centres

3. Budget by Locality

4.Finance Quarterly returns sheets

5.Pension Information

6.Actuary Reports

7.HR/Tupe Information

8.Staff Lists by Locality

9.Property Information

10.Condition Surveys

11.IT Management Options

12.Contracts Already Held by Centres

13.Overarching Strategy

14.Overarching Specification

15.Growing Great Futures Information

16.Specialist Service Information

17.Safeguarding Standards

18 Memorandum of Understanding – Childminding

Date of despatch of Invitation to Tender: 3rd July 2012

Tender return date: 9th September 2012

Notification of award: December 2012

The ITT consists of 167pages

PART A – THE COUNCIL’S REQUIREMENTS

The following 3 sections set out general information about the requirement; the Authority’s Contract Terms and Conditions and bidding specification.

Potential Providers are asked to make their responses to these requirements by completing and returning the Tender Document in Part B of this Invitation to Tender.

Section 1 – Information for Potential Providers

1.Introduction

1.1This tender forms part of a wider strategy agreed between Gloucestershire County Council and NHS Gloucestershire designed to support early intervention for young children through effective universal support (largely delivered through community health services) and intensive support for families where children are at risk. A set of overarching outcomes and specification have been agreed by the Joint Commissioning Board to include all early childhood services in the county and which takes account of the government’s commitment to substantially expand the number of health visitors across the country.

1.2This will ensure that all services for early years remain relevant, offer value for money and will maximise the opportunity for Gloucestershire County Council and NHS Gloucestershire to achieve their strategic objectives of working together to ensure that families with young children get the best start in life.

1.3The strategic framework recognises the important role that Children’s Centres have in Gloucestershire in leading, providing and co-ordinating integrated services for children under five and their families. Much research and evidence emphasises the benefits that come from identifying need early and intervening sooner in order to prevent difficulties from escalating and becoming more challenging and costly to ameliorate.

1.4It builds on what is already happening across partner organisations who already contribute to the delivery of early childhood services. There is a focus on new and innovative ways of working which will make the best use of the total workforce avoiding duplication of effort, and having a shared understanding of an integrated approach to achieving improved outcomes for vulnerable families. This includes enabling a skills mixed workforce that spans a number of different services e.g. Health visiting and Children’s Centres family support and nursery nursing.

1.5It takes account of parental views and the local and national policy; particularly the need to procure services that will offer universal provision whilst also ensuring targeted support to the most disadvantaged, make the greatest impact on reducing child poverty and enabling those children and families to be successful.

2:Outcomes for children and families

There are four overarching outcomes that we would want to see achieved

foryoung children and their families:

Outcome 1:

Young children develop well and are ready for school.

Outcome 2:

Parents have high aspirations for their children, good self esteem and the skills to help their children grow and develop.

Outcome 3:

Families are healthy and have good emotional and mental well being.

Outcome 4:

Families who are identified as beingin‘greatest need’ have sustained

contact with appropriate services for young children and their parents.

These high level outcomes form the basis of any commissioning or provision activity for young children and their families, with indicators and measures being identified that can help demonstrate progress against achieving them.

3. Evidence Base¹

3.1The first few years of a child's life are fundamentally important. Evidence tells us that they shape children’s future development, and influence how well children do at school, their ongoing health and wellbeing and their achievements later in life.

3.2 The foundation years (minus 9 months -5 years) are therefore seen as vitally important both in their own right and for promoting future life chances.

3.3Government have taken forward the view that the economic cost to society of failing children in the foundation years is becoming increasingly well understood -with itsimportance in underpinning later achievement in life and social and emotional well being.

4. Legal Responsibility

4.1 Children’s Centres were developed as part of the last government’s policy to invest in the early years, they initially built on Sure Start programmes that were run in the most deprived areas and then broadened out to a universal service that now serves every community. The 2006 Childcare Act gave local authorities statutory responsibilities to secure such services as part of an overall duty to ‘narrow the gap’ in relation to outcomes for under 5s. Gloucestershire now has 39 centres which vary between large centres offering a wide range of services throughout the week in deprived areas and smaller ‘bases’ that offer fewer activities and interventions.

4.2The previous government demonstrated its commitment to Children’s Centres by legislating to give them a statutory basis. The Childcare Act 2006 imposed duties on local authorities to improve the well being of young children in their area and reduce inequalities, and to make arrangements to secure early childhood services that are provided in an integrated way in order to improve access and maximise the benefits of those services to young children and their families.

4.3The Childcare Act defines a Children’s Centre as a place or a group of places (recognising that some centres can operate on split sites) which is:

  1. managed by or on behalf of the local authority to secure that early childhood services are available in an integrated manner,
  2. through which early childhood services are made available, and
  3. at which activities for young children are provided.

4.4Early childhoodservices are defined in this context (defined in section 2 of the Childcare Act) as:

  • childcare for young children;
  • social services relating to young children, parents and prospective parents;
  • health services relating to young children, parents and prospective parents;
  • employment support from Jobcentre Plus for parents or prospective parents; and
  • the local authority’s information, advice and assistance service relating to childcare and other services and facilities relevant to young children and their families.

5.Context

5.1.Gloucestershire’s Children Centre programme was completed in 2010.There are a total of 39 Children’s Centres in 20 clusters in Gloucestershire.

  • 4 centres based in Gloucester North locality
  • 6 centres based in Gloucester South locality
  • 5 centres based in the Forest of Dean locality
  • 7 centres based in Stroud locality
  • 4 centres all part of 1 cluster based in Cotswold locality
  • 7 centres based in Cheltenham locality
  • 6 centres based in Tewkesbury locality

Appendix 2:- Map of Gloucestershire showing Children Centre reach areas

5.2The Children Centre programme was developed in three phases according to areas of greatest deprivation based on Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) data.16 centres serve 30% most disadvantaged communities and 23 centres serve the 70% most deprived communities.

•8 Phase 1 centres opened in 2006 all 30% centres

•23 Phase 2 centres opened in 2008, 8 centres 30% and 15 centres 70 %

•8 Phase 3 centres opened in 2010 all 70%

5.3There are currently 33,438 children aged 0-4 in Gloucestershire of which 11,477 are living in areas considered to be the most deprived.

6.Consultation

6.1 Between 20th July and 30th September 2011, Parents and professionals across Gloucestershire, were invited to take part in a county wide consultation to inform a review of children’s centre services. The consultation has proved to be powerful tool which provided a whole range of useful information to inform the future. A total of 1206 people responded to the questionnaire, and 227 people joined focus groups.

7. Gloucestershire Children and Young Peoples Plan

7.1 We are working on the 2012-15 Children & Young People's Partnership Plan' (CYPP) and, as with the previous plans, it will be agreed and monitored by the partnership now known as theGloucestershire's Children's Partnership (GCP)- formerly the CYPSP. This is a partnership of the key organisations providing services for children and young people in Gloucestershire. The Plan will focus on areas where better partnership working will really make a difference to the outcomes for our vulnerable children and young people. For the first time thePlan will be linked to the strategy of theHealth & Wellbeing Board.

7.2The Plan's strategic aims

Our vision is:

‘To ensure our children and young people thrive and reach their full potential; providing appropriate support for those who need it most’.

Our aims:Vulnerable children and young people will:

  • Enjoy the best start in life
  • Maximize their capabilities and have control over their own lives
  • Be safe from injury, exploitation and harm[1]

We will:

  • ‘Work well together to provide right and timely effective intervention for vulnerable children and families as early as possible’

Section 2 – Instructions for potential providers for the delivery of children’s centre services for children pre-birth to five years and their families, in Gloucestershire.

1. Statement of Purpose

1.1Gloucestershire County Council wishes to submit to tender the requirements for theprovision of Children’s Centre Management. Bids are invited for one, two,three or four of the following localities. Bids are invited for management of all children’s centres in each locality.

1.2 You may bid for any combination of localities. Each must be produced as a completely separate bid and must be specific to the locality you are tendering for, acknowledging the different needs of the community the centre will serve.

1.3 The contract period will initially be from 01st April 2013 to 31st March 2016, with an option to extend for up to a further two years plus another two years for 31 of the 39 centres.

1.4 For the remaining eight centres:- River, Family Tree Cluster , Parliament Cluster and The Link the contracts will begin from 1st September 2013 to 31st March 2016 with an option to extend for up to a further two years plus another two years.

1.5Further Information on each locality see the listed appendices:

  • Appendix 1 Gloucester North
  • Appendix 1 Gloucester South
  • Appendix 1 Forest Of Dean
  • Appendix 1 Stroud
  • Appendix 1 Cotswolds
  • Appendix 1 Cheltenham
  • Appendix 1Tewkesbury

Locality 1:The provision of management of 4 children’s centres based in Gloucester North District.

  • Bartongate (Widden and Hatherley sites)
  • Finlay and Tredworth (two sites)
  • Kaleidoscope 1 (Kingsholm)
  • Kaleidoscope 2 (Elmbridge)

Locality 2:The provision of management of 6 children’s centres based in Gloucester South District

  • The Compass
  • The Lighthouse
  • The Link
  • The Oaks
  • Quedgeley
  • The Beacon

Locality 3:The provision of management of 5 centres based in Forest of Dean District

  • River
  • Hilltop
  • The Family Tree – Leaves
  • The Family Tree – Branches
  • The Family Tree – Twigs

Locality 4:The provision of management of 7 centres in the Stroud District

  • Parliament
  • Nailsworth
  • Painswick
  • The Park
  • Five Ways
  • Treetops
  • Wotton

Locality 5:The provision of management of 4 centres based in the Cotswolds District

  • Springboard Cirencester
  • Springboard Stow
  • Springboard Northleach & Fairford
  • Springboard Tetbury

Locality 6:The provision of management of 7 centres based in the Cheltenham District

  • Hesters Way
  • Rowanfield
  • Gardners Lane
  • Up Hatherley
  • Leckhampton
  • Oakwood
  • Charlton Kings

Locality 7:The provision of management of 6 centres based in the Tewkesbury District

  • Brockworth
  • The Jigsaw (Churchdown site and Innsworth site)
  • Bishops Cleeve
  • Winchcombe
  • Noah’s Ark (Queen Margaret site and Tewkesbury C of E site)
  • Northway/Ashchurch

1.6Organisations are now being formally invited to meet these requirements and the purpose of this document is to provide the necessary information to enable Potential Providers to submit a response.

2.General Information and Instructions

2.1Compliance with Instructions:

“Authority / Authority’s” means purchasing organisation that is seeking to award a contract.

“Potential Provider” means the business or company which is completing this Invitation to Tender Document, (ITT).

2.2Potential Providers proposing to submit a tender are advised first to readall the documentation carefully to ensure that they are fully familiar with the nature and extent of the obligations to be accepted by them if their tender is accepted.

2.3Tenders submitted shall be in accordance with and subject to the terms of these instructions and other documents comprising the Invitation to Tender.

2.4Tenders not complying (or which cannot promptly be rendered compliant) with any mandatory requirement will be rejected. A mandatory requirement is indicated by the word "shall" or "must”.

2.5Any queries about the tender documents, Tendering Certificate or Contract Terms and Conditions which may affect the preparation of the Potential Providers tender shall be raised without delay through the portal question and answer section. No queries will be accepted after 10 working days prior to the submission date.

2.6If the Authority considers any question or request for clarification to be of material significance, both the question and the response will be communicated to all Potential Providers through the portal.

2.7All responses received and any communication from Potential Providers will be treated in confidence but will be subject to the Freedom of Information as stated in paragraph 2.19.

2.8The Authority is seeking offers by issuing this Invitation to Tender following advertisement in pursuance of The Public Contracts Regulations 2006, OJEU open procedure.

2.9This Invitation to Tender does not constitute an offer and the Authority does not undertake to accept any tender. The Authority reserves the right to accept any part of any tender.

2.10The Authority will not reimburse any tendering costs.

Preparation of the Tender - Confidential Nature of Tender Documentation and Bids

2.11Potential Providers shall not discuss the tender they intend to make other than with professional advisers or joint bidders who need to be consulted. Tenders shall not be canvassed for acceptance or discussed with the media or any other Potential Provider or member or officer of the Authority. Direct or indirect canvassing of staff to attempt to obtain additional information not released to all organisations may result in disqualification from this tender process.

2.12If a Potential Provider does not observe paragraph 2.11, the Authority will reject the bid and may decide not to invite the Potential Provider to tender for future work.

Verification of Information Provided

2.13The higher the risk of the procurement, the higher the level of verification is likely to be required. Not all questions require supporting documents. However, the purchasing organisation may ask to see these documents at a later stage, so it is advisable you ensure they can be made available on request. You may also be asked to clarify your answers or provide more details about certain issues.

Sub-Contracting Arrangements

2.14Where a sub-contracting approach is proposed, all information requested should be given in respect of the prime contractor unless otherwise stated. Where sub-contractors will play a significant role in the delivery of the services under any ensuing contract, please indicate in a separate annex, (by inserting the relevant company / organisation name) the composition of the supply chain, indicating which member of the supply chain will be responsible for the elements of the requirement.

2.15It is recognised that arrangements in relation to sub-contracting may be subject to future change. However, Potential Providers should be aware that where sub-contacting are to play a significant role, any changes to those sub-contracting arrangements may constitute a material change and therefore may affect the ability of the Potential Providers to proceed with the procurement process or to provide the services.

Consortia Arrangements

2.16If the Potential Provider bidding for the requirement is a consortium, the following information must be provided:

-full details of the consortium; and

-the information sought in this Information to Tender in respect of each of the consortium’s constituent members as part of a single composite response.

2.17Potential Providers should submit details of the actual or proposed percentage shareholding of the constituent members within the consortium in a separate Annex. If a consortium is not proposing to form a corporate entity, full details of alternative proposed arrangements should be provided in the Annex. However, please note the Authority reserves the right to require a successful consortium to form a single legal entity in accordance with regulation 28 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006.

2.18The Authority recognises that arrangements in relation to consortia may (within limits) be subject to future change. Potential Providers should therefore respond in the light of the arrangements as currently envisaged. Potential Providers are reminded that any future proposed change in relation to consortia must be notified to the Authority so that it can make a further assessment by applying the selection criteria to the new information provided.

Freedom of Information

2.19The Authority is committed to open government and to meeting their legal responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Accordingly, all information submitted to a public authority may need to be disclosed by the public authority to a request under the Act. The Authority may also decide to include certain information in the publication scheme, which the Authority maintains under the Act.