Framework Agreement for the provision of taxi transport services for children and young people with

Descriptions

The contracting authority invites expressions of interest from suitably qualified providers for inclusion in the contracting authority's Framework Agreement for the provision of SEND taxi services.The SEND taxi service provides the council with vehicles, drivers and passenger assistants (PA) to accompany children and adults on their journeys where required and operates alongside the SEND school bus transport contract. The SEND taxi service is used by the contracting authority to support delivery of its statutory transport duties to support children with SEND to travel to/from school and to support vulnerable adults assessed as eligible to receive travel support. There are currently around 70 children and young people and up to 50 vulnerable adults using the SEND taxi transport service. Most of these children travel to mainstream schools within the London Borough of Southwark or to special schools outside the London Borough of Southwark whereas adult clients, predominantly individuals with learning difficulties require SEND taxis to travel to colleges, day centres or other facilities.The contracting authority seeks to include a sufficient number of contractors on its Framework Agreement so as to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to meet the contracting authority's transport needs.Orders for taxi rounds will be allocated to providers on the Framework as follows:The contracting authority will include in the invitation to tender documents details of a number of rounds which will include summary details of the pick-up and drop-off points for the passengers on the relevant round, together with a description of the specific transportation needs. Applicants will be required to include in their tender response, their prices for each of the taxi rounds that they wish to bid for. Orders for the various rounds will be placed with the applicant that provides the best price as determined in accordance with the invitation to tender documents and will be for a specified period, usually one year, academic or calendar depending on the service user.At the end of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd school year during the term of the Framework Agreement or at such other time(s) determined by the contracting authority, mini-competitions will be carried out for rounds for the next school year. Applicants will again be provided with details of a number of taxi rounds and be asked to provide prices for these.Orders for any new rounds will also be placed following a mini-competition as is set out above.There will be exceptional circumstances where the contracting authority considers it to be in the best interests of the passenger or passengers and/or for emergency reasons to make direct orders for rounds. Any such orders willnot be subject to mini competitions.Further details of the ordering procedure and the other requirements of the contracting authority will be set out in the invitation to tender documents.Please note that appointment to this Framework Agreement does not provide a guarantee of any value of orders for services.