Original Tender Description
Lancashire County Council (the Council) is leading the procurement of an open Flexible Agreement for Fostering Agency Placements. Since 2019, Blackburn with Darwen Council, Blackpool Council, Cumbria County Council, and Lancashire County Council (BBLC) have collaborated on a Department of Education funded project to improve foster care placement sufficiency. This collaboration has led to the development of this Flexible Agreement, aiming to prioritize children from the four Contracting Bodies within their combined geographical footprint. The Agreement will list approved Independent Foster Care Providers and is intended to be effective for 9 years, with Service Contracts awarded as call-off contracts as per the Invitation to Participate (ITP). This procurement falls under the Light Touch Regime of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. Providers can apply to join, subject to meeting criteria. Applications are open during an initial phase and then every three years. Successful applicants will sign the Flexible Agreement. The Agreement may be used by the listed Contracting Authorities (Cumbria County Council, Blackpool Council, Blackburn with Darwen Council) and their successors. Note that Cumbria County Council is undergoing reorganisation and will be replaced by two unitary authorities from April 1, 2023, and can novate the Agreement to successor councils. The Agreement is split into Lots: Lot 1 Mainstream Foster Care, Lot 2 Enhanced Foster Care, Lot 3 Step Down Foster Care. Applicants must succeed in Lot 1 to be eligible for Lot 2 and/or Lot 3. Estimated total value: £375,000,000 - £415,000,000. Full requirements, including insurance, financial ratios, consortia, exclusion criteria, references, past performance, registered households, and quality/price criteria, are in the ITP. To apply, read all documents, complete required forms (as per ITP), and submit via the iSupplier portal (www.lancashire.gov.uk/isupplier) under RFQ 15314114. Electronic submission via iSupplier is mandatory; email or hard copies will not be accepted. Application instructions, evaluation criteria, terms, and required documents are on the specified webpage.