Advice Services

Concepts

• guidance services
• oxford
• welfare services
• community and personal services
• advice services
• specialist money advice
• specialist advice
• advice
• an advice service
• social work

Location

Oxfordshire:

Description

The subject matter of this process relates to the delivery of services which are listed in Schedule 3 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015. Oxfordshire County Council has awarded a contract for an advice service to give specialist advice to Oxfordshire residents to replace these services. The aim of the service is to support people to live their lives as independently, successfully and safely as possible within the community, to enhance well-being and improve people’s choices. The service will achieve this by providing free, independent and impartial advice to assist people with benefits, debt, budgeting and other financial and welfare issues, thereby addressing underlying issues and health inequalities and maximising incomes, helping people to make the best use of the money available to them. The service will also provide a preventative offer to people in the community, providing pro-active training and advice for people to enable them to develop good budgeting skills and money management before they reach a crisis point. The service will provide ‘subject matter expert’ consultancy to support colleagues in local government, health and voluntary and community organisations who are working with people who need specialist money advice. The service will also provide training support to other information and advice services across the county to develop and maintain key knowledge and skills around benefits and entitlements. The service will take a whole person approach to addressing people’s needs in order to tackle health inequalities and improve health and wellbeing. The Service Provider will have an in-depth knowledge of the issues faced by Oxfordshire residents and will be well connected to the many sources of support in the county to allow for seamless cross referrals and signposting e.g. social prescribing and/or connection to referrals from the NHS. The service will be available and accessible in all parts of the county through the remote access. The Service Provider will have a particular focus on ensuring that the Service is promoted to and accessible to people living in the Lower Super Output Areas (LSOA’s) in the county which are classified within the 20% most deprived nationally according to the IMD 2019 and most likely to experience inequalities, and to people with protected characteristics. The contract period will commence on 1 November 2024. The contract term will be 3 years, with an option for the Council to extend by up to a further 2 years.

Total Quantity or Scope

Two services funded by the council which provide advice for residents in Oxfordshire will reach the end of their contract/grant period on 31 October 2024.

Award Detail

Renewal Options

The Council has a unilateral option to extend the contract period by up to 2 years in aggregate. The Council reserves the option on 6 months prior written notice to purchase additional Services (“Additional Services”) up to a maximum of 50% of the original contract value (which for the avoidance of doubt shall include any extension period set out in the Particulars) in aggregate. At the Council’s discretion Additional Services may include without limitation any element of the Services as specified at Schedule 1 or similar services within the scope of or ancillary to such services to achieve the same broad outcomes. The Council may exercise its option at any time where the Council requires additional capacity for any reason including but not limited to changes in needs and demand levels of the community being served.

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 85312310 - Guidance services
• 85312400 - Welfare services not delivered through residential institutions
• 98000000 - Other community, social and personal services

Indicators

• Options are available.

Other Information

** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. **