Contract notice
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
North Ayrshire Council
Cunninghame House, Friars Croft
Irvine
KA12 8EE
UK
E-mail: murraythompson@north-ayrshire.gov.uk
NUTS: UKM93
Internet address(es)
Main address: http://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk
Address of the buyer profile: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA00337
I.1) Name and addresses
South Ayrshire Council
County Buildings, Wellington Square
Ayr
KA7 1DR
UK
Telephone: +44 3001230900
E-mail: procurement@south-ayrshire.gov.uk
NUTS: UKM94
Internet address(es)
Main address: http://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/procurement/
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA00405
I.1) Name and addresses
East Ayrshire Council
Corporate Procurement Team, London Road HQ
Kilmarnock
KA3 7BU
UK
Telephone: +44 1563576000
E-mail: procurement@east-ayrshire.gov.uk
NUTS: UKM93
Internet address(es)
Main address: http://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA00223
I.2) Joint procurement
The contract involves joint procurement
I.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge at:
https://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent electronically to:
https://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Regional or local authority
I.5) Main activity
General public services
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Provision of a Self-Directed Support (SDS) Independent Information and Advice Service
Reference number: NAC/5210
II.1.2) Main CPV code
85100000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
North Ayrshire Council (NAC) requires an appropriately qualified and experienced provider to provide an independent information and advice service in relation to Self Directed Support for North, South and East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnerships. The service will also support with the recruitment and retention of personal assistants. For the purposes of this procurement exercise, NAC will be the lead contracting authority, and both East Ayrshire Council and South Ayrshire Council will be named participants on the contract.
The anticipated contract start date is 1st August 2025 until 31st July 2028, with the option to extend by up to 24 months. Extensions will be at the sole discretion of NAC and subject to satisfactory performance and funding.
II.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT:
750 000.00
GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
75122000
85140000
85323000
79600000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKM93
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The provider will deliver a high quality, visible and accessible information and advice service to help people across the Ayrshire communities to express their views and make informed care choices regarding all four options of SDS.
The provider will deliver a high quality, visible and accessible recruitment and employment service for adults, children and families across the communities of Ayrshire for those seeking to employ staff to deliver social care and support effectively and lawfully.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Quality
/ Weighting: 80
Price
/ Weighting:
20
II.2.6) Estimated value
Value excluding VAT:
750 000.00
GBP
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
Possible extensions: Up to 24 months
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
No
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1) Conditions for participation
III.1.1) Suitability to pursue the professional activity, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
List and brief description of conditions:
If required, bidders are required to be enrolled in the relevant professional or trade registers within the country in which they are established.
Where it is required, within a bidder’s country of establishment they must confirm which authorisation or memberships of the relevant organisation(s) are required in order to perform this service.
Bidders must confirm if they hold the particular authorisation or memberships
III.1.2) Economic and financial standing
List and brief description of selection criteria:
Bidders will be required to have a minimum “general” yearly turnover of 150,000 GBP for the last three years.
Bidders who cannot meet the required level of turnover will be excluded from this tender.
Where turnover information is not available for the time period requested, the bidder will be required to state the date which they were set up or started trading.
It is a requirement of this contract that bidders hold, or can commit to obtain prior to the commencement of any subsequently awarded contract, the types and levels of insurance indicated below:
- Employer’s (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = 5 million GBP in respect of any one event
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse40.pdf
- Public Liability Insurance 5 million GBP in respect of any one event
- Professional Indemnity Insurance 5 million GBP in the aggregate
- Third-Party Motor Vehicle Insurance - A valid motor vehicle certificate must be held in the company name or (where there is no fleet but rather the company permits its employees to use their personal vehicles for business purposes), a letter signed by a person of appropriate authority - confirming that the company has ongoing arrangements in place to ensure their employees' vehicles are appropriately insured and maintained.
III.1.3) Technical and professional ability
List and brief description of selection criteria:
Bidders are required to provide 2 examples of services carried out in the past 3 years that demonstrates they have the relevant experience to deliver the services described in the Contract Notice. The services must be of a similar value, size and scope. Unsatisfactory experience will result in exclusion from the tender process.
Bidders must also provide 2 satisfactory references for the same 2 contracts on the reference templates provided. References should be completed and signed by previous customers for contracts of a similar value, size and scope. If any of the referees score the bidder less than 2 the bidder will be excluded from the tender process.
Completed experience and reference templates must be zipped and uploaded at question 4C.1 of the qualification envelope.
Bidders will be required to provide evidence that their organisation has taken steps to build their awareness of the climate change emergency and how they will respond, including knowledge of their emissions sources and actions to address these. Accepted evidence includes but is not limited to:
- a completed copy of the Bidder ‘relevant contract’ Climate Change Plan Template, including planned projects and actions to reduce the bidder’s carbon emissions. This does not need to contain calculated carbon emissions.
Guidance on how Bidder Climate Change Plans are evaluated is available on the Sustainable Procurement Tools: Sustainable Procurement (sustainableprocurementtools.scot)
Bidders are required to confirm whether they intend to subcontract and, if so, for what proportion of the contract.
Bidders who intend to subcontract more than 25% to any individual organisation must ensure the SPD (Scotland) - Subcontractors Supplier Response is completed and uploaded at question 2D.1.2 of the qualification envelope.
III.2) Conditions related to the contract
III.2.3) Information about staff responsible for the performance of the contract
Obligation to indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff assigned to performing the contract
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Open procedure
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date:
16/06/2025
Local time: 12:00
IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
EN
IV.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders
Date:
16/06/2025
Local time: 12:00
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement:
Yes
Estimated timing for further notices to be published:
This contract is recurring.
VI.2) Information about electronic workflows
Electronic ordering will be used
Electronic invoicing will be accepted
Electronic payment will be used
VI.3) Additional information
Quality Management Procedures
1. The bidder must hold a UKAS (or equivalent) accredited independent third-party certificate of compliance in accordance with BS EN ISO 9001 (or equivalent) or a documented policy regarding quality management, see attachment at SPD question 4D.1.
Environmental Management Procedures
1. The bidder must hold a UKAS (or equivalent) accredited independent third-party certificate of compliance in accordance with BS EN ISO 14001 (or equivalent) or a valid EMAS (or equivalent) certificate or the bidder must have a regularly reviewed documented policy regarding environmental management, see attachment at SPD question 4D.2.
Bidders may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Bidders must agree to accept NAC Terms and Conditions for the Purchase of Services and NAC Exit Terms and Conditions, and the contract will be let on these terms.
The buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this ITT exercise. The Project code is 29251. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343
A sub-contract clause has been included in this contract. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2363
Community benefits are included in this requirement. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-procurement/
A summary of the expected community benefits has been provided as follows:
Community benefits will be required on a mandatory basis for:
- Employment
- Employability & Skills
- SMEs
- TSOs
- Education
- Community Wish List (http://northayrshire.community/community-benefits-wishlist- application-form/)
(SC Ref:798836)
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Kilmarnock Sheriff Court
Sheriff Court House, St Marnock Street
Kilmarnock
KA1 1ED
UK
Internet address(es)
URL: https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
15/05/2025