SLCP Second Refresh 2021 - Residential and Independent Fostering Agency Provision

The procurement contact named on the official notice.

The submission route named on the official notice.

This is the second refresh tender opportunity for suitably qualified providers to bid to join an existing contractual arrangement for the delivery of residential and independent fostering agency services for children and young people aged 0 — 18 years.

The arrangement is known as Approved Provider Panel Agreement (APPA) and has an initial term of 3 years with an option to extend for a further 5 years (2 years +2 years +1 year), unless otherwise terminated in line with the conditions of contract.

The APPA has been established under the Light Touch Regime (LTR); the procurement rules applicable to the procurement of health, social and other services listed at Schedule 3 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

This offers the flexibility to admit additional providers to increase capacity.

The services under the APPA have been categorised into Lot 1: Residential Child Care Provision [sub-lots: standard and specialist]; and Lot 2: Independent Fostering Agency Provision [sub-lots: standard, specialist and emergency].

Applicants have the option to bid for services in Lot 1, Lot 2 or both.

The tender opportunity is open to providers in England: rated ‘Good or ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, Providers in Scotland: rated ‘good’, ‘very good’ or ‘outstanding’ by the Scottish Care Inspectorate, Providers in Wales: registered with the Wales Care Inspectorate and Providers in Northern Ireland registered with the Northern Ireland Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (NIRQIA).

The APPA will be accessed by the London Boroughs of Croydon and Lambeth.

In time, the APPA may be accessed by the London Boroughs of Bromley, Richmond, Wandsworth and Kingston.