Published date: 27 November 2020
Closed opportunity - This means that the contract is currently closed. The buying department may be considering suppliers that have already applied, or no suitable offers were made.
Contract summary
Industry
Research and development services and related consultancy services - 73000000
Location of contract
London
Value of contract
£0 to £10,000
Procurement reference
BIP548313538
Published date
27 November 2020
Closing date
16 December 2020
Closing time
9am
Contract start date
21 December 2020
Contract end date
26 March 2021
Contract type
Service contract
Procedure type
Open procedure
Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.
Contract is suitable for SMEs?
Yes
Contract is suitable for VCSEs?
No
Description
The LGA's work includes partnering with the Special Interest Group on Countering Extremism (SIGCE); a sector-led local authority network co-chaired by Leeds and Luton councils and funded by the LGA.
The SIGCE's working group on faith-based extremism (FBEWG) is looking to commission a focussed objective research piece via the LGA to explore issues around community engagement and terminology in the counter-extremism space. Concerns have been raised by some councils that the use of the term 'Islamist' may be a barrier to productive community engagement with Muslim communities, especially at a local level, and that this might hamper local authorities' efforts to build cohesion and resilience across local areas, counter extremism and deliver Prevent. We are seeking an external provider to explore these issues in more depth and report back on their findings to the FBWEG.
Effective community engagement has long been identified as a key component in councils' work on community cohesion, counter-extremism and delivering the Prevent duty. Concerns have been raised by some however that the terminology adopted in national and local policy and by agency practitioners working in this space may have a significant impact on this work.
In particular, there are some concerns that the use of the term 'Islamist extremism' (and related terms):
•may appear to validate (unsupported) links between politicised and extreme religious ideology and majority religious practices
•has no equivalent for politically motivated extremism claiming justification or arising in association with other religions
•can give rise to confusion beyond practitioners and policy makers, creating misunderstanding, and potential and actual adverse and unforeseen consequences (see below).
This research is aimed at exploring whether, and to what extent, evidence suggests this may be the case, how this may be reflected in practice, and if so, what the potential adverse impacts may be on local authorities' work on community engagement and counter-extremism. For instance, (but not necessarily limited to) the extent to which this may:
•lend weight to views from some that certain communities may be disproportionately and unfairly targeted by counter-extremism and counter-terrorism policies
•contribute to a sense of grievance that legitimate political organisation may be viewed through an extremism lens
•be perceived as linking whole communities to extremism, leading to mistrust and a fear that by engaging with those who use that term the community is endorsing that perception
•aggravate suspicion, resentment and confusion leading to disengagement
•that the above sentiments might be exploited by various groups seeking to further their own political agendas, creating additional barriers to engagement.
We are seeking an external contractor with appropriate expertise to undertake research into these concerns and potential consequences and report on their findings.
More information
Links
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- https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-GB-London:-Research-on-the-impact-of-terminology-on-community-engagement-and-counter-extremism/8K8Q7HPT43
- Tender notice
- Please follow this link to view the notice.
Additional text
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The contracting authority considers that this contract may be suitable for economic operators that are small or medium enterprises (SMEs). However, any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement.
About the buyer
Contact name
Rachel Duke
Address
18 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3HZ
UK
Telephone
07464652786
Share this notice
Closing: 16 December 2020, 9am