Published date: 6 February 2023
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
Administration services - 75100000
Location of contract
England
Value of contract
£1,500,000
Procurement reference
OXFS001-DN654399-50440383
Published date
6 February 2023
Closing date
20 February 2023
Closing time
12pm
Contract start date
3 April 2023
Contract end date
31 March 2025
Contract type
Service contract
Procedure type
Restricted procedure
A two-stage procedure, where the first stage is used to select suppliers, who are then invited to bid in the second stage.
Contract is suitable for SMEs?
Yes
Contract is suitable for VCSEs?
No
Description
It is well understood that the availability of emergency welfare funds, designed to support low-income households with urgent and unforeseen needs, can help prevent immediate crisis turning into long-term deprivation.
Unlike the majority of upper tier authorities, Oxfordshire County Council ("the Council") currently has no business-as-usual crisis fund.
While specific funding is available in some local areas (for example from Town and Parish Councils) and for specific groups, there is no equivalent fund open to all eligible residents across the County. This leaves a gap for 'last-resort' support in the Oxfordshire system.
The Government has increasingly adopted an expectation that local delivery capacity for emergency scheme exists and that this can address gaps in national welfare provision. Further, the Government assumes that this infrastructure is in place and can be used to spend new funding streams at short notice.
Following the administration of a series of short-term interventions through the COVID-19 and subsequent cost-of-living crisis, the Council has now identified a business case for implanting a new scheme and a revenue budget has been agreed for 2023/24-2025/26 inclusive.
The Council wishes to procure the capacity to deliver and provide for a new Oxfordshire Crisis Fund that will:
Receive applications and / or referrals for crisis funding; determine eligibility against criteria set by the Council; issue support where an application is successful in a form agreed by the Council; communicate with unsuccessful applications; and, in all cases, offer signposting and additional support information.
Issue support to individuals specifically pre-identified by the Council as in need of support, without the need for an eligibility check.
Implement an appropriate level-1 complaints procedure.
About the buyer
Contact name
Thomas Ashby
Address
3rd Floor
County Hall
Oxford
OX1 1ND
United Kingdom
Telephone
+44 7827822641
thomas.ashby@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Website
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Closing: 20 February 2023, 12pm
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