Published date: 7 August 2023
Last edited date: 22 August 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
Software package and information systems - 48000000
Location of contract
WD18 8AG
Value of contract
£30,000 to £103,000
Procurement reference
AFC001.23/JS
Published date
7 August 2023
Closing date
31 August 2023
Closing time
5pm
Contract start date
2 October 2023
Contract end date
2 October 2025
Contract type
Service contract
Procedure type
Open procedure (below threshold)
Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.
This procedure can be used for procurements below the relevant contract value threshold.
Contract is suitable for SMEs?
Yes
Contract is suitable for VCSEs?
No
Description
Action for Children is seeking a contract management and signing tool to radically improve our contract reviewing, signing and storing processes within our revenue generating Directorate, Children's Services.
The focus for this tool will be on managing incoming contracts issued by Commissioning Bodies, following a successful tender outcome. These contracts need to go through a full review process with internal stakeholders before they are approved and signed. There will also be a small number of outgoing contracts being generated, for example where we are working with a sub-contractor or third party.
It is anticipated that the volume of work will not exceed 50 contracts per quarter, with a peak of activity across January - March.
Action for Children is a UK wide organisation operating on a national basis, with individual Directors managing each nation. Each of the 4 nations have a slightly different approach to the contract review and sign off process, which we are hoping to align as part of this project. One thing all nations have in common is a central point for managing contracts, which is typically a National Business Support Lead. The other area of commonality is the departments/teams each nation needs to engage with during the review and sign off process, as this is standardised across the organisation. Please see Appendix One for a high level map of our current process.
We are currently using an off the shelf electronic contract signing solution across all areas of our organisation for the signing of documents. The contract management and review process sits outside of this, and is heavily reliant of the use of email to communicate with staff involved in the reviewing and signing of documents.
One of the key issues identified by our stakeholders is the inefficiency of our current process, in particular the volume of email traffic associated with document review. Alongside this, document version control also presents a challenge. Due to the high level of emails it can be difficult to identify the master copy, as well as pinpoint what (if anything) has been changed in the document since it was last reviewed by a stakeholder.
We are looking for a tool that will significantly reduce the amount of time we spend on getting a contract reviewed and signed, providing a clearly defined process that enables strict document version control. This will improve our reputation with our commissioners by demonstrating a streamlined and efficient process for contract review and sign off, with a faster turnaround for returning signed documents. In turn, this will help us win and retain more contracts, so that we can continue to help as many children and young people as we can.
To apply for this opportunity, please email buying@actionforchildren.org.uk
More information
Previous notice about this procurement
Contract Lifecycle Management System
- Early engagement
- Published 31 May 2023, last edited 13 June 2023
Additional text
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Email buying@actionforchildren.org.uk for the full suite of tender documents.
About the buyer
Contact name
Julie Stenlake
Address
3 The Boulevard,Ascot Road
WATFORD
WD188AG
England
Telephone
01923361500
buying@actionforchildren.org.uk
Website
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Closing: 31 August 2023, 5pm
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