--- title: "GOC Fitness to Practise Audit of decisions (2020-2022)" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-5b09e2be-325a-4c16-a417-757246aa546c" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-5b09e2be-325a-4c16-a417-757246aa546c" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-5b09e2be-325a-4c16-a417-757246aa546c.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-5b09e2be-325a-4c16-a417-757246aa546c.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "GENERAL OPTICAL COUNCIL" published: "2020-02-13" --- # GOC Fitness to Practise Audit of decisions (2020-2022) Buyer: GENERAL OPTICAL COUNCIL Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-b5fd17-5b09e2be-325a-4c16-a417-757246aa546c [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-5b09e2be-325a-4c16-a417-757246aa546c) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-5b09e2be-325a-4c16-a417-757246aa546c.json) ## Summary The General Optical Council is seeking a provider for the "GOC Fitness to Practise Audit of decisions (2020-2022)" project. This procurement, classified under legal services, is at the Tender stage, with a deadline for submissions set for 16 March 2020. The contract will commence on 15 May 2020 and last until 30 November 2022, covering audits of decisions during the periods from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2022. The audits will take place at the GOC's offices in London, ensuring compliance with the organisation's legislative framework and guiding principles. This tender presents opportunities for businesses specialising in legal auditing and compliance services, particularly those with experience in regulatory bodies and oversight capabilities. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may find this an advantageous opportunity, given the specific nature of the audits and the expectation for a single service provider. Companies that can demonstrate expertise in decision-making processes and the ability to improve the quality and consistency of regulatory decisions will be well-suited to compete for this contract. ## Notice SEE ATTACHED DOCUMENT FOR FULL DETAILS AND HOW TO EXPRESS AN INTEREST The GOC seeks to procure a provider to conduct three annual audits of decisions made by the GOC registrar, case examiners (CEs), Investigation Committee (IC) and Fitness to Practise Committee (FTPC), to ensure the decisions are in accordance with the GOC's overarching objective to protect the public. The audits will primarily focus on higher risk decisions; * Registrar decisions not to open a FTP investigation * CE/IC decisions not to refer a case to the FTPC * FTPC decisions not to impose an interim order * FTPC decisions where there is a finding of no misconduct or no impairment The audits will consider the appropriateness of the decision-making, together with the decision reasoning and the quality of the decision drafting. The reviews will consider these aspects of decision-making within the context of the GOC's FTP legislation and the published guidance that decision makers are required to follow: https://www.optical.org/en/about_us/legislation/index.cfm https://www.optical.org/en/Investigating_complaints/fitness-to-practiseguidance/index.cfm The audit is essential for ensuring that the GOC can demonstrate that its decisions are made to a high level of quality and consistency. The provision of this service will be governed by an agreement commencing 15 May 2020 with a view to the audit commencing by 1 June 2020 and being concluded by 1 August 2020. The service provider will also be expected to present their audit conclusions to both the CEs/IC (usually November) and FTPC (usually September) at two separate annual training events. The length of the contract is for a three-year period, auditing decisions made during the periods; * 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020 * 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 * 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 We are looking to appoint a single service provider. 2. Service Requirements * Cases to be audited will be selected randomly by the auditor * The audit will be undertaken at GOC offices (file reviews) * The audit (file reviews) is conducted between 1 June and 31 July for each of the three years * The draft audit report is received each year by the GOC by 14 August * The final audit report is received each year by the GOC by 31 August * The audit identifies issues that may need to be addressed in training programmes for FTP staff, CEs, the IC and the FTPC * The audit identifies areas where existing guidance needs to be revised, clarified or new areas added that are not currently covered; * The audit identifies areas where staff training needs to be undertaken; * The audit identifies best practice that can be shared with all decision-makers to ensure the maintenance of high standards of decision-making and drafting of reasons * The auditor delivers feedback to decision makers at two annual events (usually September and November) Additional information: Expressions of Interest must be submitted electronically to pthompson@optical.org Should you have any questions regarding this invitation please put them in writing to pthompson@optical.org The closing date for submissions is: Monday 16 March 2020 (17:00) ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/83812256-ae82-43d4-ba13-c6253947181c | | Notice type | Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Other - Restricted procedure (non-EU) | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 13 Feb 2020 | | Submission deadline | 16 Mar 2020 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 17 May 2020 - 30 Nov 2022 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £90,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | GENERAL OPTICAL COUNCIL | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | Central London | | Postcode | EC4M 7NG | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West | | ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London | | Local authority | City of London | | Electoral ward | Farringdon Within | | Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster | | Delivery location | TLI London | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 79100000 - Legal services ## Release History - 13 Feb 2020 at 16:34 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/83812256-ae82-43d4-ba13-c6253947181c ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/83812256-ae82-43d4-ba13-c6253947181c 13th February 2020 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/c6232758-887c-49ee-af3b-e425c3820b8a Invitation to Express an Interest - https://www.optical.org/en/about_us/working_for_us/goc-tenders-.cfm GOC Fitness to Practise Audit of decisions (2020-2022) ## Notice URLs - http://www.optical.org - https://www.optical.org/en/Investigating_complaints/fitness-to-practiseguidance/index.cfm - https://www.optical.org/en/about_us/legislation/index.cfm ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-5b09e2be-325a-4c16-a417-757246aa546c. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-5b09e2be-325a-4c16-a417-757246aa546c.json.