Therapeutic Residential Services for Children with Complex Needs

Location

Description

The London Borough of Enfield (the 'contracting authority') intends to directly award a Contract to Holibrook House Limited for the provision of five (5) residential care placements for Therapeutic Residential Services for Children with Complex Needs under a block arrangement commencing January 2026. The contracting authority is experiencing significant challenges in securing appropriate residential placements for children with complex needs. These challenges are driven by a combination of national placement insufficiency and rising demand, resulting in limited availability and escalating costs. In response to these pressures, the contracting authority has actively sought more sustainable commissioning solutions to secure dedicated, high-quality provision at predictable costs. Therefore, this intention to award a block contract has been identified as a viable solution, offering greater placement stability, improved outcomes for young people, and better value for money. This procurement process is conducted in line with the Act and classified as a Light Touch Contract in accordance with Section 9 of the Act and Schedule 1 of the Regulations. The proposed Contract would be let for an initial term of two (2) years with an optional 12 month extension. Note, that the estimated total contract value in this Notice includes the 12 month optional extension.

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• None found

Legal Justification

Under Schedule 5 (Direct Award Justifications) of the Procurement Act 2023, the contracting authority considers the direct award meets the following criteria: 5a) due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and 5b) there are no reasonable alternatives to those services When considering the justification ground 5a, the contracting authority have determined that Holibrook House Limited is the only supplier that is able to offer a suitable property to enable a block booking arrangement within an efficient timeframe (early 2026 commencement) that aligns with the Council's vision for a stable, therapeutic residential provision. Under justification ground 5b, the contracting authority concluded that there are no reasonable alternatives available within the current market to meet the Council's needs for a local but outside of the borough therapeutic (block-booked) residential care solution for children with complex needs commencing January/early 2026. It should also be noted, that the contracting authority has routinely raised block booking options in market engagement activities but no other suppliers have expressed willingness to commit to this commissioning model, as suppliers prefer to retain control of referrals and occupancy. As a result, this has left the contracting authority with one suitable supplier (Holibrook House Limited) which has demonstrated the capability, capacity and willingness to offer an Ofsted-registered, therapeutically-led and secure service through a block arrangement aligned with the borough's specific needs and timescales.

Other Information

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