Bereaved by suicide support service

Concepts

• health and social work
• portsmouth
• suicide support service
• age support service
• establishment of a new service
• service commencement
• service delivery
• social services
• variation of services
• peer support

Location

Hampshire and Isle of Wight: Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight

Description

Portsmouth City Council ('the council') is inviting tenders from suitably qualified suppliers to provide an all age support service for people bereaved by suicide across Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. This is the establishment of a new service that will provide support to those bereaved by suicide who are resident across Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, with the overarching aim to support those who are experiencing high levels of distress and grief by supporting them to manage the impact of their bereavement and reduce the risk factors associated with this event. The council is targeting to have awarded the contract on 24th December 2021 to allow for service commencement on 1st March 2022. The contract will run for an initial term of 12 months which may then run for a further 24 months to a total maximum term of 36 months (3 years), in increments to be agreed but most likely 1 year increments, subject to performance and at the sole option of the Council. The annual value of the contract for the initial 12 months is £240,000. The annual value of the contract for both years 2 and 3 is currently estimated at £118,000 although this could rise to 1st year value of £240,000 per annum if further funding is made available. Should the higher level of funding be secured for all 3 years this would equate to a total contract value £720,000. Funding for year 1 is secure with funding for years 2 and 3 subject to confirmation on an annual basis. However the funder - NHS England - has advised that funding should be forthcoming for future years and that the associated commissioning plan should be developed on a 3 year basis. Should further funding becoming available over the term of the contract for related services the council may seek to expand the scope of the contracts accordingly which could further increase the contract values. An accurate forecast cannot be made regarding the level of further funding, if any, that may become available but it is not expected to equate to an increase of more than approx. 25% and therefore approx. £900,000 over the duration of the term. However these estimates are not guarantees and are non-binding in terms of any maximum total upper value that may be let via the contracts. The contract value may increase or decrease throughout the contract term subject to any known or unknown changes to budget allocation, variation of services, or addition of further associated services in order to meet changes in demand or service delivery in accordance with Regulations 72 1) a) to e) of the Public Contracts Regulations (2015). An open book costing model will be used alongside the contract to agree any variations over the term. The services covered under the contract are social services and fall under the 'light touch regime'. The Council will execute this procurement process in general accordance with the Open Procedure as set out within the Public Contract Regulations (2015). The procurement process will be undertaken in line with the following programme: • Issue FTS Contract Notice - 19 Oct 2021 • Issue Invitation to Tender - 19 Oct 2021 • ITT Return Deadline - 22 Nov 2021 at midday • Standstill period - 14 Dec 2021- 23 Dec 2021 • Contract Award - 24 Dec 2021 • Service Commencement

Total Quantity or Scope

The geographical footprint of the service will mirror that of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care System (ICS) and the local Authority areas of Hampshire County Council, Southampton City Council, The Isle of Wight Council and Portsmouth City Council. Some flexibility will be essential here, but it is expected this will be minimal (no more than 5% of total cohort) and will be subject to ongoing monitoring by commissioners. The contractor will provide 3 key elements of service: • Single Point of Access: provision on bereavement support to those affected by suicide or suspected suicide from the point of bereavement. • Information Provision, Awareness Raising and Partnership Working; and, • Training: Provision of training to upskill existing services including statutory and voluntary organisations. The following outputs will be achieved through the establishment of a bereavement by suicide support service and relevant pathway embedded into the statutory and voluntary sector system across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight; 1. People who are bereaved by suicide are supported through an accessible service (which includes options to leave a request for support 24/7). 2. Increased numbers of people accessing quality, timely and appropriate support for suicide bereavement 3. Increased access to early intervention support services and signposting to other services, including counselling. 4. Increased number of people being supported to achieve emotional wellbeing 5. Working with existing providers, increased peer support for those bereaved by suicide 6. Increased awareness of support services that exist both locally and nationally and information and signposting to existing support services and resources 7. People with lived experience are involved in service delivery and development 8. Bereavement by suicide support is widely and freely accessible across Hampshire Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight 9. Support for those bereaved by suicide is sustainable 10. Increased awareness of the incidence of suicide or attempted suicide in those who have been bereaved by suicide in primary and secondary care 11. The ability of public sector staff including NHS and school staff and police to better understand and support the needs of those who have been bereaved by suicide is enhanced. The service provider will be required to work flexibly with the Council to make changes to the way services are delivered to improve the service and respond to funding variations. Changes that could be required may include but are not limited to; • Staffing structures and levels to reflect the demand for services • Flexibility with regard to service provision to reflect changes in funding availability, for example as a result of third-party grant allocation • The data reported to the Council to understand and measure the service. In order to manage the funding available, the council will work with the service provider to implement any changes to services provided and where necessary any exit plans. The Council will use open book costing in accordance with the contractual terms as a mechanism to inform any contract variations. Additional information: In the event that the contract is terminated during both the initial and extended term the Council may, at its sole option, approach the 2nd placed supplier from the tender evaluation process undertaken to establish the initial contract to provide the services for the remaining allowable duration. Should the 2nd placed supplier not have capacity or is unable to perform the contract services for any other reason the Council may approach the 3rd placed supplier and so forth.

CPV Codes

• 85000000 - Health and social work services
• 85312300 - Guidance and counselling services
• 85312310 - Guidance services
• 85312320 - Counselling services
• 85312400 - Welfare services not delivered through residential institutions

Other Information

- 1st Mar 2022 Application is via submission of complete tenders by 22nd November 2021 at 12:00 via the Council's e-sourcing solution InTend accessible via: https://intendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/home. ** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. **