2324-0400: Housing Related Floating Support Service

The requirement

The service plays an essential role in preventing homelessness in Islington. Through a range of multi-disciplinary and strength-based interventions, the floating support offer is targeted at residents who are most at risk of losing their tenancies, with issues being resolved and support ending within 12 months. The hospital discharge element of the service will deliver practical support to enable people to be discharged from hospital back to their independent accommodation. The service will also include support for people under multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) and people with mental health support needs who have come into contact with the criminal justice system with a focus on housing.

This contract does not include a ‘Housing First’ offer.

Islington Council is committed to early intervention and prevention and in 2023 published Fairer Together – a strategy for early intervention and prevention in Islington.

In Islington, we see early intervention and prevention as proactive not reactive, focused on building capacity and relationships, joined up, rooted in communities and reducing the need for crisis or statutory services. Floating support is a key pillar of the borough’s early intervention and prevention offer.

Islington Adult Social Care’s vision is for the borough to be a place made up of strong, inclusive and connected communities. Where regardless of background, people have fair and equal access to adult social care support that enables residents to live healthy, fulfilling and independent lives. This service will align with Adult Social Care’s operating model by proactively taking all opportunities to build on people's strengths, maximise their independence and connect them with their community, ensuring equality and fairness throughout.

Lots

This services contract is not being divided into lots. A single service provider is required for delivery of this contract.

Contract period

The initial contract term will be nine (9) months from an estimated start date of 1 July 2025, with the option of an extension for up to twelve (12) months, subject to satisfactory performance and available funding.

Contract value 

The estimated total value of this contract is £1,168,441.75 over the maximum 21 months. This is based on £667,681 per annum.

Award criteria 

The contract will be awarded to the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. 

The award criteria for this contract are 40% cost and 60% quality. Tender submissions will be subject to minimum quality thresholds, of which further details will be provided in the procurement documents.

Quality is made up of:

• 20% - Proposed approach to Social Value, including economic and environmental value 
• 10% - Proposed model of delivery including proposed approach to early intervention and preventing people from experiencing housing crisis
• 10% - Proposed approach to co-production and quality management of the service to drive continuous improvement including reporting and liaising with the council and cost control
• 10% - Proposed approach to safeguarding vulnerable adults and working in a trauma informed way
• 10% - Proposed approach to partnership working to provide a holistic offer and achieve best outcomes for people who require support

Total 100% 

Further details will be provided in the invitation to tender.

Procurement process

As the value of this contract opportunity is above the threshold for wider advertising of the opportunity, a Contract Notice will be published on Find a Tender Service and Contracts Finder.

This procurement will be conducted in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 under Chapter 3 Section 7 Social and Other Specific Services (known as the “light touch” regime). Under Regulation 76 the council is free to establish a procedure, provided the procedure is sufficient to ensure compliance with the principles of transparency and equal treatment of economic operators (service providers).

The procedure the council has designed is based on the open procedure. All economic operators (service providers) who successfully express an interest will automatically have access to the tender documents. Standard pre-selection questions will be part of the tender response and will need to be passed before the evaluation of cost and quality aspect. Further details will be available in the procurement documents. 

How to express an interest

If you wish to apply for this contract opportunity, please follow these steps:

• The deadline for expressions of interest is: 11.59am on Wednesday 11 December 2024

• The deadline for submissions is: 12 noon on Wednesday 11 December 2024

• Late submissions will not be accepted.

Additional information

• The council and its partners are committed to create a more equal Islington where everyone is able to thrive. See our Islington Together 2030 plan.
• You may wish to refer to our tendering guidance which is available on our selling to the council webpages
• The council aims to provide equality of opportunity and welcomes applicants who meet the qualitative selection criteria from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities and disabled groups.
• The council encourages all types of organisation who meet the qualitative selection criteria including Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations, not for profit enterprises, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) to tender.
• All questions relating to this contract opportunity should be raised via the messages section of the relevant contract on the London Tenders Portal. Please do not contact any officer of the council directly.
• As part of a commitment to transparency the council is now publishing all spend over £500 each month. This includes spend on contracts, so the successful contractor should expect details of spend against the contract to appear on the council website under council contracts. The council is also committed to publishing tender and contract documentation after contract award stage. Commercially sensitive information will be redacted from documentation. What constitutes commercially sensitive information is a matter for the council’s sole discretion. However, tenderers will be invited to identify information they consider to be commercially sensitive in their tender return and this will be taken into account in the council forming a view.