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Dynamic Purchasing System for the Provision of Childcare in the Non-Maintained Sector

Tender Overview

ORGANIZATION

Caerphilly CBC

LOCATION

West Wales and The Valleys, United Kingdom

VALUE

£14,500,000

DEADLINE

January 31, 2029 at 12:00

CATEGORY

Other

CPV CODE

85312110

REFERENCE

002950-2023

Project Timeline

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Contact Information

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Original Tender Description

The Council has established a Dynamic Purchasing System for the provision of Childcare in line with the Light Touch Regime and Public Contract Regulations 2015 schedule 3. This contract notice is to advise providers the first round of applications to join the DPS has been completed and new childcare providers can join this arrangement at any time for the validity period of the Dynamic Purchasing System. The Council is looking to engage with suitably experienced and qualified childcare providers to provide Lot 1 - Early Years Lot 2 - Flying Start Lot 3 - Assisted Places and Supported Places Suitably qualified childcare providers are able to tender for one or more lots. This DPS shall replace an existing arrangement for the provision of Childcare PS1609/17/HS, which is due to expire on the 31 March 2023. Service Providers currently awarded to the existing arrangement (PS1609) must apply to join the new DPS arrangement. The existing arrangement shall be terminated when all service providers have joined the new DPS arrangement, which must happen prior to the 31 March 2023 when the existing arrangement shall naturally come to an end. The Council reserves the right to terminate the existing arrangement end date at its own discretion. Service providers who have not successfully joined this DPS arrangement by such a time will not be utilised by the Council until they have successfully joined the DPS for the provision of childcare (DPS1003584). For the purpose of this arrangement, the term ‘childcare provision’ will be used for the non-maintained sector including Playgroups, Cylchoedd Meithrin, Day Nurseries, Childminders, Out of School provision in both Welsh medium and English medium, including Wrap around, before and after school provision. Service Providers who satisfy the criteria to their application to join this arrangement shall be subject to relevant inspection methods depending on the area of work as set out in the ITT and by Early Years Officers. All costs and charges are set by the Council. All lots are subject to the Council successfully attaining grants and ongoing levels of funding each year. Early Years shall inform Service Providers the ongoing costs and charges at the being of the financial year. The validity of the DPS is from the 01 February 2023 to 31 January 2029 with the option to extend for up to a further period of forty-eight (48) months Full details are provided within the initiation to tender (ITT) documentation
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MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS

  • No mandatory exclusion grounds are explicitly detailed in the provided tender information. However, as the DPS is established in line with Public Contract Regulations 2015, bidders would implicitly be subject to the mandatory exclusion grounds outlined in those regulations, which would be detailed in the full ITT documentation.
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ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • Must be a childcare provider in the non-maintained sector.
  • Must be suitably experienced.
  • Must be suitably qualified.
  • Must be able to provide services for one or more of the following lots: Lot 1 - Early Years, Lot 2 - Flying Start, Lot 3 - Assisted Places and Supported Places.
  • Must be willing to provide childcare provision encompassing Playgroups, Cylchoedd Meithrin, Day Nurseries, Childminders, Out of School provision (including Wrap around, before and after school provision).
  • Must be willing to provide services in both Welsh medium and English medium.
  • Existing service providers currently awarded to the arrangement PS1609/17/HS must apply to join the new DPS arrangement (DPS1003584) prior to 31 March 2023 to continue being utilized by the Council.
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TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • Must satisfy the criteria for application to join the DPS as set out in the ITT.
  • Must be able to provide childcare provision in the non-maintained sector.
  • Must be able to provide services that are subject to relevant inspection methods depending on the area of work, as set out in the ITT and by Early Years Officers.
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FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Must accept that all costs and charges for services are set by the Council.
  • Must acknowledge that the provision of services for all lots is subject to the Council successfully attaining grants and ongoing levels of funding each year.
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SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  • Must apply to join the Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS).
  • Existing service providers (PS1609) must apply to join the new DPS (DPS1003584) prior to 31 March 2023.
  • Applications must be submitted via the e-procurement portal.
  • Full details and submission instructions are provided within the Initiation to Tender (ITT) documentation.

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PDF
Official PDF Version
PDF002950-2023_official.pdf
Summary:
This document is a contract notice for a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) established by Caerphilly CBC for childcare services in the non-maintained sector, inviting qualified providers to apply to join at any time and directing them to the e-procurement portal for full details and submission.

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66
Good

Tender Quality Score

This tender describes a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for childcare services, which is a flexible procurement tool. However, the provided information is significantly incomplete and contains critical outdated deadlines, hindering a comprehensive assessment of the full procurement process.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance100/100

The tender states it is in line with the Light Touch Regime and Public Contract Regulations 2015, which is appropriate for social services. However, the lack of explicit detail on mandatory exclusion grounds in the provided text (referring to the full ITT) and the presence of an outdated deadline for existing providers (31 March 2023) create legal ambiguity and potential non-compliance with transparency principles for an 'active' tender.

Clarity40/100

The overall purpose of the DPS, the service lots, and the types of childcare provision (including Welsh and English medium) are clearly outlined. However, key eligibility and technical capability requirements such as 'suitably experienced' and 'suitably qualified' are not defined, instead referring to the missing ITT, which significantly reduces the clarity of the actual requirements for potential bidders.

Completeness75/100

This is the most significant weakness. The provided information is a contract notice, not the full tender documentation. The explicit absence of any attached documents and the repeated reference to the 'ITT' for critical details (e.g., criteria, inspection methods) make the tender critically incomplete. Essential elements like evaluation criteria, full contract duration, and detailed terms are missing.

Fairness80/100

The DPS model itself promotes fairness by allowing continuous applications. However, the outdated deadline for existing providers (31 March 2023) creates an unfair disadvantage or confusion for new entrants and potentially for existing providers who missed it. The lack of detailed, objective criteria for 'suitably experienced' and 'suitably qualified' in the provided text could lead to subjective assessment. The Council unilaterally setting 'all costs and charges' might also impact fairness if rates are not transparently determined or are below market value.

Practicality20/100

The DPS model is practical for managing ongoing childcare needs. The requirement for services in both Welsh and English medium is practical for the region. However, the presence of an outdated deadline for existing providers in an 'active' tender notice is highly impractical and confusing for all potential applicants, requiring immediate rectification.

Data Consistency100/100

There is a critical inconsistency between the tender's 'active' status and overall submission deadline (2029-01-31) and the explicit mention of a past deadline (31 March 2023) for existing service providers to transition to the new DPS. This makes the provided description internally contradictory and misleading.

Sustainability0/100

The provided tender information does not explicitly mention any green procurement or social criteria beyond the inherent social nature of childcare services. This suggests a missed opportunity to integrate broader sustainability objectives.

Strengths

Utilizes a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), promoting flexibility and continuous market access for providers.
Clear identification of service lots (Early Years, Flying Start, Assisted/Supported Places).
Explicitly includes both Welsh and English medium provision, reflecting local linguistic needs.
Clear scope of childcare provision types (Playgroups, Nurseries, Childminders, Out of School).

Concerns

Critical Data Inconsistency/Outdated Information: The tender description contains a past deadline (31 March 2023) for existing providers, despite the tender being 'active' with a 2029 submission deadline.
Lack of Core Documentation: The full Invitation to Tender (ITT) and supporting documents are explicitly missing, making it impossible to assess detailed requirements and terms.
Insufficient Detail on Key Criteria: Requirements like 'suitably experienced' and 'suitably qualified' are not defined in the provided text, relying entirely on the missing ITT.
Unilateral Cost Setting: The Council unilaterally setting 'all costs and charges' could deter providers if rates are not transparently determined or are perceived as uncompetitive.
Uncertainty of Funding: Provision of services is subject to the Council attaining grants and funding each year, introducing financial uncertainty for providers.

Recommendations

1. Immediately update and clarify the tender description to remove or explicitly address the outdated 31 March 2023 deadline, ensuring consistency with the 'active' status and the DPS's continuous application nature.
2. Publish the complete Invitation to Tender (ITT) and all supporting documents to provide potential bidders with full transparency on requirements, evaluation criteria, and terms.
3. Clearly define what constitutes 'suitably experienced' and 'suitably qualified' within the published documentation to ensure transparency and objective assessment.

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Tender Quality Score
66/ 100 · Good
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