Soft Market Test for the Provision of Legal Support to Children’s Social Services

Descriptions

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council ‘the Authority’ is conducting a Soft Market Test (SMT) to help inform a future procurement strategy in connection with the provision of legal support to its Children’s Social ServicesAt present, it is our intention to undertake a competitive procurement exercise and to award a contract for an initial period of 3 years with an option to extend for a further 1 year. However, in advance of us initiating any form of procurement activity, this speculative notice is issued in order to seek the market’s views on the development of the service model, the capacity of the market to supply the required services and to gauge the level of interest in this proposed procurement.Description of the services required:The successful provider must be in a position to deliver responsive, robust, high quality legal advice and support to a busy Children’s Social Services department.Legal professional support will be required from the point of pre-proceedings Public Law Outline (including attendance at legal gateway meetings, pre-proceedings meetings with parents and their legal advisors), and, if necessary, the successful provider will need to conduct care proceedings at Court from the point of application onwards; This will include undertaking advocacy.Whilst the volume of the professional caseload fluctuates, recent historical data suggests that the numbers of cases issued at Court are in the region of 30 – 60 per annum, in addition to the requirement for significant pre-proceedings advice and disclosure applications, and other miscellaneous legal professional support connected with this important area of statutory service.The successful provider will require a thorough understanding of relevant childcare law and significant experience and expertise in its application to social care. Representatives of the provider will need to have a proven ability to represent the client department in meetings and in the Court arena.Expressions of InterestTo this end, interested parties are invited to initially submit an expression of interest to:Lee Williams, Corporate Procurement ManagerEmail: lee.williams@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk by no later than 12:00hrs on Monday 28th October 2019 with the following information:1) Name of your organisation and brief description of your background and experience;2) Details of service models that you are currently operating with other client organisations that delivers effective and efficient legal support to children’s social services;3) Confirmation as to whether or not you would be interested in tendering for the service described above? If yes, please explain what support you may be able to provide;4) Confirmation that based on the enclosed scope, that you have capacity and capability to deliver the required objectives commencing April 2020.5) Any other comments or suggestions.Additional InformationResponses to this notice are understood by all parties to be purely informal and will not form part of any subsequent procurement process and, that this notice is being used for market engagement and capacity only. Not responding to this notice shall not prevent any economic operator from participating in any future procurement process.The publication of this notice does not signify the beginning of any formal procurement process and does not constitute a commitment by the Council or partners to undertake any future procurement process. The Council may withdraw or amend any information contained in this notice at any time and without notice.NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=95911.