HCC 09/22 - The Provision of an Out of Hours Call Handling Service

Location

Hertfordshire:

Description

Hertfordshire County Council (the ‘Council’) is currently out to procurement for the Provision of an Out of Hours Call Handling Service.

Total Quantity or Scope

The Council has a requirement for the provision of an Out Of Hours Call Handling Service for Hertfordshire and is looking to procure a single Provider to deliver within agreed response times a confidential telephone first response screening service that will triage social care concerns to the most appropriate service within Children’s Services or Adult Care Services, as well as reporting Highways faults and concerns.The Provider must work in full cooperation and partnership with professionals in Children’s Services, Adult Care Services and Highways in the best interests of Hertfordshire residents, including vulnerable Children, Young People and Adults.The estimated total value of the Contract is stated in II.1.5) of this notice and is for the initial term inclusive of the approximate value for extensions.For the avoidance of doubt, the estimated annual value of the Contract will be approximately £75,000. The Contract will be awarded for an initial term of four (4) years, with the option to extend the Contract Period for a further period or periods of up to a total of two (2) further years. Therefore, the maximum duration of this Contract could be six (6) years.The Contract Commencement Date will be 01 January 2023 for a 3 months mobilisation period, before the Service Commencement date of 01 April 2023.The use of Lots has been considered for this procurement, but have not been used, as the Council requires an integrated and cohesive provision across the Service. Please note that the contract requirements will be subject to available financial resources, supplier performance and flexibility to meet changing demands.Organisations should be aware that due to the nature of the Services provided, any Contract formed as a result of this procurement process shall be executed as a deed. Organisations should seek independent legal advice on the implications of this prior to submitting their bid, where appropriate

Renewal Options

This Contract will be reviewed at the end of the Contract period. The Contract may be extended for a further period or periods of up to a total of two (2) further years.

CPV Codes

• 79512000 - Call centre
• 64200000 - Telecommunications services
• 85321000 - Administrative social services
• 32540000 - Switchboards
• 64211100 - Local telephone services
• 32543000 - Telephone switchboards
• 64211000 - Public-telephone services
• 64214200 - Telephone switchboard services

Indicators

• This is a one-off contract (no recurrence)
• Options are available.
• Renewals are available.

Other Information

Further information in regards to this opportunity can be found in II.2.4) and V1.3 below.Organisations wishing to take part in this project are invited to "express interest" which will give access to the full procurement documents in the e-tendering system. Please see VI.3) Additional information for further information.To be considered as a Bidder you must complete and submit a tender response by the deadline of 12:00 Noon on 28th October 2022. Any questions relating to this procurement must be made via the correspondence area in the e-Tendering system, in accordance with the procurement documents and can be addressed to the main contact as shown in the details above. Please allow sufficient time to make your return as late returns will not be permitted by the system. ** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. ** Please note Hertfordshire County Council has worked closely with its districts and partners to create a joint procurement portal called supply Hertfordshire. This portal provides an e-Tendering system which is run by In-Tend.To access this procurement opportunity please visit www.supplyhertfordshire.uk and follow the on-screen guidance. In accordance with Regulation 53 of The Public Contracts Regulations 2015, the Council's procurement documents are available within the e-Tendering system.This is a one stage procurement process. Therefore, if you wish to be considered as a tenderer you must complete and submit a tender by the specified closing date and time. Tender submissions cannot be uploaded after this return deadline.Any clarifications regarding this opportunity must be raised through Correspondence area in the eTendering system.If you are experiencing problems In-Tend offer a help section which includes a dedicated UK support desk which can be contacted via email: support@in-tend.co.uk or Telephone: +44 1144070065 for any website/technical questions, Monday to Friday, 8:30-17:00.The Council reserves the right at any time to cease the procurement process and not award a Contract or to award only part of the opportunity described in this notice. If the Council takes up this right, then they will not be responsible for or pay the expenses or losses, which may be incurred by any organisation or tenderer as a result.The Council undertakes to hold confidential any information provided in the proposal submitted, subject to the Council's obligations under the law including the Freedom of Information Act 2000. If the organisation considers that any of the information submitted in the proposal should not be disclosed because of its sensitivity then this should be stated with the reason for considering it sensitive. The Council will then endeavour to consult with the applicant about such sensitive information when considering any request received under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 before replying to such a request.The Council reserves the right to carry out additional financial checks on all organisations bidding for this opportunity at any time during the procurement process. This is to ensure that they continue to meet the Council's requirements and remain financially viable to fulfil the requirements under the Contract.