--- title: "Provision of Direct Payment Support Services" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-76420b09-adca-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-76420b09-adca-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-76420b09-adca-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-76420b09-adca-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "READING BOROUGH COUNCIL" published: "2016-12-29" --- # Provision of Direct Payment Support Services Buyer: READING BOROUGH COUNCIL Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-b5fd17-76420b09-adca-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-76420b09-adca-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-76420b09-adca-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b.json) ## Summary Reading Borough Council is currently seeking expressions of interest for the provision of Direct Payment Support Services. The primary aim is to increase the uptake of Direct Payments among eligible social care clients from 11% to 25%, promoting enhanced choice and independence while achieving savings in social care expenditure. This open tender is classified under social work and related services, and it encompasses categories such as employment support, issue resolution, and financial solutions. Interested suppliers must submit their tenders electronically by 16th December at 17:00 hours. The contract is expected to run from 1st March 2017 until 28th February 2020, with potential bids from businesses located in Reading, Berkshire in the South East of England. This tender presents a valuable opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) specialising in social care support services. Businesses with expertise in employment advice, financial management, and personalised client support will be well positioned to compete for this contract. Moreover, organisations that can deliver services tailored to diverse client needs, including assistance with managing Direct Payments and resolving employment issues, may find this contract beneficial for growth and increased market presence. ## Notice Reading Borough Council is seeking expressions of interest from organisations who can provide support for service users receiving Direct Payments. Our uptake of Direct Payments currently stands at around 11% amongst eligible Social Care clients. We wish to achieve a 25% uptake, in order to promote greater levels of choice and independence amongst our service users, and in order to generate savings against our existing social care spend. Support to enable a person to set up and manage their Direct Payment would be identified on an individual basis as part of the care planning process and built into the Personal Budget if required. Individuals would be supported to access the right support for them. We anticipate we require support service in the following categories: 1) Employment Advice and Support a. Starting from scratch, including recruiting a PA b. PA already chosen, support with employment documentation 2) Issue Resolution 3) Financial solutions a. Payroll services b. Managed bank accounts These categories will be priced according to the level of assistance required. We welcome suppliers who are able to offer support in more than one of the above categories. For inclusion on the support register, services would be expected to provide support with some or all of the following, either for a full range of clients or specific demographics: Category 1(a): Employment support starting from scratch i. Review recruitment documents following preparation (including job description and advert) ii. Support with interview preparation (venue, questions, short-listing) iii. Review contract, following preparation by employer iv. Conducting DBS checks (in line with Reading Borough Council policy) v. Ensure understanding legal responsibilities as an employer are met (arranging suitable insurance and meeting employment law) vi. Signpost appointed PA to relevant training to meet identified training needs, including safeguarding vii. Review of risk assessments and signposting for follow up of identified issues viii. Support to deal with any issues during induction/probationary period (up to 3 months) Category 1(b): Employment Support (no advertising or interviewing required) i. Review contract, following preparation by employer ii. Conducting DBS checks (in line with Reading Borough Council policy) iii. Ensure understanding legal responsibilities as an employer are met (arranging suitable insurance and meeting employment law) iv. Signpost appointed PA to relevant training to meet identified training needs, including safeguarding v. Review of risk assessments and signposting for follow up of identified issues vi. Support to deal with any issues during induction/probationary period (up to 3 months) Category 2: Issue Resolution i. Support to find PA to cover short-term period ii. Support for existing service users who need support ... Additional information: Organisations interested in expressing an interest should download the procurement document which is available on the Council's e-tendering system at: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/readingbc/aspx/Home (Project Reference No. RBC 00000209 ), and complete as instructed. The Portal is free of charge - to register please follow the supplier registration guidance which is available on the Portal. Contractors wishing to be considered for this tendering opportunity must complete the tender documents and return them electronically via theCouncil's e-tendering portal. The deadline for return of the expression of interest is 16th December at 17.00 hours. Please note: you must register your interest via the Council's e-tendering portal if you intend to submit a tender. Interested parties must log onto the Council's e-tendering portal at: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/readingbc, to express an interest and download the procurement document. All communications regarding this procurement exercise will be conducted through the Council's e-tendering portal including requests for clarifications or general enquiries. The procurement documents will be available for download up until the closing time and date for tender submissions, it is the organisation's responsibility to ensure that they download the documents in ample time to ensure that they can be completed and returned electronically, along with supporting documents, prior to the closing time and date stipulated. Before completing the tender, potential providers/suppliers should ensure that the e-mail address that has been used to register their organisation will be checked regularly as the Council's e-tendering system will generate automatic notifications to this e-mail address when there are updates, changes or messages sent relating to the project. Potential bidders should also check that their organisation's details are correct and kept up to date. Technical questions and assistance regarding the use and operation of the Portal should be addressed to the In-Tend Help Desk - e-mail: support@in-tend.co.uk, telephone number +44 8442728810. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/5f4809b4-2173-4028-aa79-6abd49a9bcb3 | | Notice type | Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 29 Dec 2016 | | Submission deadline | 16 Dec 2016 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Mar 2017 - 28 Feb 2020 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £10,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Cancelled | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | READING BOROUGH COUNCIL | | Locality | BERKSHIRE | | Post town | Reading | | Postcode | RG1 2LU | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | | ITL 3 | TLJ16 Berkshire West | | Local authority | Reading | | Electoral ward | Abbey | | Westminster constituency | Reading Central | | Delivery location | TLJ South East (England) | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 85300000 - Social work and related services - 85310000 - Social work services - 85312300 - Guidance and counselling services - 85312400 - Welfare services not delivered through residential institutions ## Release History - 29 Dec 2016 at 15:48 - TenderCancellation - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/5f4809b4-2173-4028-aa79-6abd49a9bcb3 - 18 Nov 2016 at 20:17 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/e12b28e6-2b95-4298-bf98-f611f58955cb ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/5f4809b4-2173-4028-aa79-6abd49a9bcb3 29th December 2016 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/e12b28e6-2b95-4298-bf98-f611f58955cb 16th November 2016 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder ## Notice URLs - https://in-tendhost.co.uk/readingbc - https://in-tendhost.co.uk/readingbc/aspx/Home ## 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-b5fd17-76420b09-adca-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-76420b09-adca-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b.json.