Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset (Pan-Dorset) Integrated Equip for Living Service

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP Council) as the lead commissioner of Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset (Pan-Dorset) Integrated Equip for Living Service wish to invite suitably experienced and established organisations to express an interest in tendering for this service. The Equip for Living Service is an Integrated Community Equipment Service (ICES) that will continue to be delivered as a part of a Section 75 fully pooled budget arrangement. The delivery of the service will conform to the standing orders, financial regulations and all other policies and procedures of the Commissioner, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. The Partnership also includes Dorset Council and NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group. The contract will commence on 01 April 2023. The length of the contract is for 5 years with the option to extend the contract annually for a further 2 years. Therefore, if all extensions were taken, the full length of the contract would be for 7 years.

The Council has issued a Prior Information Notice (PIN) in order to raise awareness of the contract and to give interested parties the opportunity to participate in a soft market exercise in relation to a possible future public procurement to award a contract for the Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset (Pan-Dorset) Integrated Equip for Living Service, otherwise known as Equip for Living. The PIN is intended to give interested parties the opportunity to participate in a market engagement event prior to the commencement of a procurement process under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Suppliers interested in this opportunity should click on the Register interest in this opportunity button in the top right of the screen. If you are not already logged into the system, you will be required to log in before you can Register interest in this opportunity. New users to the system must register first to obtain a user name and password before returning to this opportunity. Once suppliers have registered their interest they will be automatically invited to the opportunity when the tender documents are published, and will be able to access the full tender documentation from My Activities on the home page.

The Council is intending to hold virtual market engagement meetings on the week commencing 01 November 2021. Interested parties who would like to be considered for a virtual meeting, should express their interest in this opportunity and then send a message through the Message feature of ProContract.

A maximum of 2 attendees from each organisation is permissible and attendee names and email addresses must be provided via the Message feature of ProContract by Thursday 29 October 2021 for consideration. The Council will be using Microsoft Teams for the virtual market engagement meetings, which suppliers will be able to download as guests.

This Prior Information Notice is not a call for competition and no contract(s) will be awarded at this stage. A Contract Notice advertising the procurement may be placed in due course.

The Council reserves the right not to proceed with the planned public procurement exercise. Interested parties should note that they are responsible for their own costs in participating in this pre-market engagement exercise and the Council shall in no event, be responsible for any costs of any party.

All requests to participate in market engagement meetings will be reviewed, and the Council reserves the right to decline requests of any suppliers that are received.