Leeds Women's Aid

Women’s Lives Leeds

Dear Sir or Madam:

Invitation to Tender: Women’s Lives Leeds Evaluation Partner Contract (Tender Reference 2017/Eval01)

You are invited by Leeds Women’s Aid on behalf of the Women’s Lives Leeds (WLL) Partnership to tender for the above referenced contract.

You must follow all the instructions set out in this Invitation to tender when responding to it. The deadline for submission is 12.00 (Noon) on Thursday 30 March 2017.Failure to provide all information required will result in rejection of the tender.

Yours faithfully,

Jeannette Morris-Boam

Project Manager – Women’s Lives Leeds

T: 07824 534 070

Contents

This Invitation to Tender Document consists of:

Section 1 – Instructions to bidders

Section 2 – Scope of Work

Section 3 – Annex 1: Response to Tender and Evaluation Criteria

Annex 2: Breakdown of costs

Annex 3: Bidder’s Details

Annex 4: Form of Tender

Part 1: Declaration

Annex 5 - Part I: Parent Company Guarantee

Part II: Regulation 23 (1) Declaration

Part III: Regulation 23 (4) Declaration

Appendix 1: Evaluation Plan

SECTION ONE

INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

1.General Information

1.1This is an open Tender process, interested parties are invited to express an interest to fully tender. The Project Manager who is employed by Leeds Women’s Aid (LWA) to manage the Women’s Lives Leeds Big Lottery Project, reserves the right to vary any or all parts of the information contained in the Invitation to Tender.

1.2Please ensure we have an email address for correspondence regarding the tender process as soon as possible, this will ensure we are able to provide you with additional information and answers to questions asked by other bidders. Please send your details to d include the tender reference (2017/Eval01) in the subject line.

1.3The tender which scores the most marks against the criteria set out below shall be considered the favoured tender. The Project Manager (PM) on behalf ofWomen’s Lives Leeds (WLL), reserves the right to accept or reject any tender. The PM reserves the right to change the timing or any other aspect of the procurement process or to cancel the procurement process at any stage or not to proceed with the procurement for any reason whatsoever without prior notice. Under no circumstances will WLL or any of its advisers be liable for any costs or expenses incurred by Bidders and/or their members in this procurement.

1.4The PM on behalf of WLL reserves the right to offer the award of the Contract in Lots based on the expertise of more than one provider.

1.5The PM reserves the right not to disclose information that it feels would put them at a commercial or unacceptable contractual disadvantage.

1.6Tenders, all documents and all correspondence relating to the tender must be written in English.

2.Tender Documents

2.1Tenders shall be submitted in accordance with the following instructions.

2.2All pages of the tender shall be sequentially numbered (including any forms to be signed and returned).

2.3The bidder is expected to examine all of the instructions, forms, Contract and specifications that comprise the tender documents. Unless the bidder provides all of the information required the tender will be rejected. If you have any queries about the information that must be submitted then you must raise them prior to the tender deadline in accordance with paragraph 3 (clarification) below.

2.4All information issued in connection with the Invitation to Tender remains the property of LWA/WLLand are to be used solely for the purpose of tendering.

The Preferred Bidder will not be permitted to enter into any post tender negotiations on the terms of the Contract. Any attempt to negotiate amendments will breach the terms of this ITT and will result in the Preferred Bidder being excluded from the tender process. In such circumstances LWA/WLL reserves the right to invitethe next highestscoring bidder to enter

3.Clarification

3.1If you require clarification with respect to the contents of this ITT or Tender process, please email Questions or requests for clarification must be submitted prior to the closing date for the submission of questions.

WLL will publish questions and responses (without identifying the author of the question) by email to parties who have registered an interest in tendering save where The PM considers the question and response to be commercially sensitive.

Breakdown of costs

3.2Bidders shall provide a full breakdown of costs for the service provision.

3.3The rates and or total costs provided shall be deemed to include complete provision for full compliance with the requirements of the Contract.

3.4The rates and or total costs provided, unless otherwise expressly agreed between the parties, are firm and fixed and will not be subject to any variation.

3.5The Charges must be quoted in pounds sterling and inclusive of VAT.

3.6The PM reserves the right to discuss and agree with the Contractor a maximum sum for all expenses.

3.7Any assumptions made in the breakdown of costs should be clearly stated. Attempts to qualify pricing are not permitted.

4.Timetable

4.1The indicative timetable for the procurement is as follows:

Key Actions / Dates
Publication of Expressions of Interest to Tender on Doing Good Leeds, Leeds Women’s Aid and Women’s Lives Leeds websites. / W/C 6th March 2017
Closing Date for Expressions / Friday 17 March
Communication to interested parties invited to Tender / Monday 20 March
Closing Date for Questions from Bidders / 24 March 2017 at 12.00 noon WLL will send responses to clarification questions regularly to allthose who have expressed an interest and it is the bidder’s responsibility to check for these regularly.
Tender Return Deadline / 30 March at 12.00 noon
Evaluation of bids and meeting to allocate initial scores / Week commencing 3 April 2017
Clarification meetings/ interviews held*.
Service users will be present for this.
Following the meeting, WLL will moderate scores (if necessary) and identify the preferred contractor / Week Commencing 10 April 2017
Issue of award letters to all bidders with outcomes / Week Commencing 17 April 2014
Contract preparation / Week Commencing 24 April 2017
Work Commencement Date / Week Commencing 1 May

The PM may vary these dates.

*The PM reserves the right to carry out clarifications via email or by inviting Bidders to a clarification meeting/ interview.

In order to ensure that both WLL’s and Bidder’s resources are used appropriately, LWA/WLL will only invite the top two or three (depending on the closeness of scores) highest scoring bidders to attend a clarification meeting/ interview.

Scores will be moderated based on any clarifications provided during this meeting/ interview.

5.Legal Documentation

5.1Bidders must complete and return all documents in Section 3

Annex 1Response to Tender and Evaluation Criteria
Annex 2Breakdown of costs
Annex 3Bidders Detail
Annex 4 Form of Tender

Part I: Declaration

Annex 5

Part I: Parent Company Guarantee (template)

Part II:Regulation 23 (1) Declaration

Part III: Regulation 23 (4) Declaration

5.2Bidders shall notify the PM of any errors, omissions or details contained within the documents, which precludes them from tendering for this service.

5.3Where a group of companies are bidding jointly for this Contract, they will need to have in place a robust partnership agreement outlining the individual roles and responsibilities of each in relation to the delivery of the Contract. LWA/WLL will need to see a copy of this agreement as part of the eventual contracting process. When such consortium tenders are submitted, a lead bidder needs to be clearly identified as it will be with them that the Contract will be held and they will be the contractor and ultimately be accountable for its overall delivery. The Lead Bidder should complete the ITT on behalf of its consortium members and when responding to questions, clearly indicate which consortium member each response relates to.

5.4Bidders are required to detail within their tender submission if it is their intention to sub contract any element of the services detailed in section 2, ‘Scope of Works’.

5.5NB: Bidders must declare any known or potential conflicts of interest. Where a potential conflict is declared, LWA/WLL will consider how it may be managed and/or exclude the bidder from further consideration in the competition.

6.Submissions of Expressions of interest.

6.1Interested bidders must submit an expression of interest by 12.00noon Friday 17 March 2017.

6.2Expressions are to be submitted on no more than 2 sides of A4 covering the following:

Name of bidder/consortium and key contact

Relevant evaluation experience

Relevant experience of working with women centred organisations

Knowledge of Leeds and in particular of Women and Girls Services

Expressions should be submitted to

7.Submission Of Tenders

7.1Bidders must submit

Bidders must submit an electronic copy of their tender submission in a zip folder to no later than12.00noon THURSDAY 30 MARCHthe subject line should be as follows; why do we need a hard copy?

“TENDER REF NO. 2017/Eval01”.

Bidders must also submit 1 bound HARD COPYof your tender submission clearly marked “Tender Documents Enclosed” and the reference number. This should be sent to Camille Thomas, Monitoring, Evaluation and Communications Worker, Women’s Lives Leeds, Leeds Women’s Aid,Lion House, 41 York Place, Leeds LS1 2EDno later than 12.00noon Thursday 30March.

Tenders (both the electronic and hard copies) received after that time will not be considered and it is your responsibility to ensure the tender is submitted in a zip file and that we have received it. If you submit the information in a format too large for our email inbox we will not receive it. LWA/WLL will acknowledge all tenders it receives. If you do not receive an acknowledgement within one hour following the deadline, you are advised to contact: tel: 0113 3804796.

7.2By submitting a tender, the bidder agrees to keep that tender open for acceptance by LWA/WLL for 60 days following the closing date for submission of tenders.

7.3LWA/WLL does not bind itself to award a contract or contracts and shall not be liable for any costs incurred in the production or submission of ITT. Under no circumstances will LWA/WLL or any of its advisers be liable for any costs or expenses incurred by Bidders and/or their members in this procurement.

8.Notification Of Award Of Contract

8.1The issue of a signed Contract shall constitute LWA/WLL’s acceptance of the tender.

Section 2

2.1Scope of Work

The Women’s Lives Leeds Partnership (through Leeds Women’s Aid acting as Lead Partner) wishes to appoint an Evaluation Partner to accompany a 4year delivery project for women and girlsin Leeds.

This is a wide-ranging piece of work requiring multiple skills as well as experience of working within a multi-sectoral and multi agency partnership. As such we are open to tenders from academic departments or research groups/ teams or a consultancy, or a partnership between a number of different groups, who will work with a women centred/gendered approach.

DUE TO THE SENSATIVITIES OF THE CONSORTIUM AND THEIR SERVICE USERS BIDDERS MUST TAKE A WOMEN CENTRED/GENDERED APPROACH AND CONSIDER THIS IN ALL ASSOCIATED PLANS IN TENDER APPLICATIONS.

2.1.1Contract Value:

WLL are looking for experienced evaluators, who will cost this tender appropriately according to the needs of the project.

The financial profile of the contract will be spread over the contract with payment dates to be agreed as part of the inception meeting.

2.1.2Contract Duration and Key Milestones:

The contract will last for 3 years and 7 months from May 2017 to November 2020. There will be comprehensive evaluation reviews to inform annual learning and development events for the Project, as well as substantial interim and final evaluation reports.

The Evaluation Contract, in common with all contracts under the Big Lottery Fund grant for the Women’s Lives Leeds Project, will be subject to a review by WLL at the end of year 2 with a continuation of the contract being dependent upon satisfactory performance against the Evaluation Plan.

2.2About the Big Lottery’s Women’s Lives Leeds Project

Vision (key aim)

Many more women and girls in Leeds will have their needs met and be empowered to lead safer, healthier lives.

Mission (key outcomes)

To ensure that the most vulnerable women and girls in Leeds have improved and extended access to the services and support they want, when they chose

To ensure that the needs of women and girls with multiple and complex issues are better supported through a holistic response from services; and that they are able to function more effectively and independently in society.

To ensure that Women and Girls are empowered to support their peers and influence service delivery, development and design across the city.

Background

Women’s Lives Leeds (WLL) is a unique partnership of twelve women and girls organisations from across Leeds. Between them they have specialisms in domestic violence, mental health, sexual health, sex work, trafficking, child sexual exploitation and education.

WLL have come together to support the most vulnerable women and girls in Leeds. They are experiencing mental health problems, domestic abuse, sexual violence and exploitation. Many will have experience of the criminal justice system, sex work and substance misuse. WLL will focus on the most disadvantaged communities.

The project launched on 1st November 2016 and has funding from the Big Lottery for 4 years.

2.3The Women’s Lives Leeds Project

2.3.1Women’s Lives Leeds Project Summary and Outcomes

Involving women and girls

Involving women and girls in the planning, development, delivery and evaluation of our work and will build participation into every element of the project, ensuring that it is truly co-produced.

Developing a ‘Virtual Women’s Centre – Single Point of Information’.

There is no single place in Leeds for women and girls to find out information that will enable them to access the support and services they may need. It is currently down to individual organisations to know about other services and refer on. Many services are restricted to particular postcode locations due to local funding. This can lead to some women and girls being unable to access support because of where they live and also leads to them being wrongly referred to a service they are not entitled to access.

Ensure WLL reaches the most vulnerable women.

Community Development Workers based within partner organisations will undertake information sharing and awareness raising activities in the communities where some of the most vulnerable women and girls live. They will provide drop-in advice sessions and develop further activities tailored to the communities they are supporting. They will refer women and girls to appropriate services within the city.

Increasing the capacity of existing services and filling the gaps.

WLL will map all services for women and girls across the city. Using this information and service user consultation WLL will allocate funding to deliver specific support where it is not available.

Support the development of peer support across the city.

A Peer Support and Participation Link Worker will develop best practice documentation, establish a peer support forum and support partners to develop new, and improve existing peer support programmes. They will also be able to direct those interested in peer support to appropriate programmes across the city.

Provide specialist support for women with multiple & complex needs.

All partners have experienced an increase in the number of women presenting with multiple and complex needs. These women require a high level of intensive support and most organisations do not have the capacity to support such a broad range of needs.

WLL will recruit a team of Complex Case Workers based across our partners, providing this specialist care. Not only will women receive the support they need, but services will be freed up to work with greater numbers of women with less complex needs.

Service user involvement will be integral to this project.

Women and girls will be involved in the design, delivery, governance and evaluation of the project. WLL will ensure that it regularly engages service users on a number of levels using a true co-production model.

Evaluation and sharing of Learning

Evaluation and sharing learning will be built into every aspect of the project with a dedicated team of project staff, consultants and peer evaluators ensuring learning is meaningful and influences not only the project but wider stakeholders.

Enabling Voice and Influence

The project will work closely with statutory and generic voluntary sector stakeholders to ensure that women and girls voices have influence across the city.

2.3.2Project Structure

The project is overseen by the WLL Partnership Board made up of representatives from the 12 partners, plus the Big Lottery Project Manager employed by Leeds Women’s Aid.

Women’s Lives Leeds Partners are: Leeds Women’s Aid, Behind Closed Doors, Getaway Girls, Hooner Kelah, Halt, Together Women, Women’s Counselling and Therapy Service, Women’s Health Matters, Shantona, Basis, Asha Neighbourhood Project and Nari Ekta.

We are also in the process of establishing a WLLAdvisory Boardfor service users, who will actively take part and influence WLL as it develops, which includes supporting peer evaluators.

An Evaluation sub group consisting of WLL members, Service Users, the Project Manager and the Monitoring, Evaluation and Communication Worker (MEC), will oversee the deliverables of this tender.

WLL is committed to service user involvement and have given a commitment to establishing and supporting ateam of Peer Evaluators who it is expected, will take part in, co-deliver and contribute to the evaluation of the outcomes of WLL.

2.4Evaluation Plan

WLL has an Evaluation Plan which will form the basis of this tender, so bidders are expected to deliver within the scope of this plan. The Evaluation sub group will review the plan annually and if required amend with the appointed bidder following recommendations as a result of the review.