Sheffield City Council
Invitation to tender for
Delivery of the Post
Graduate Diploma in
Social Work (Step Up to
Social Work)
Ref: 9MSM-CGU7MX
Section
1
Contents
Introduction & Contact Details
Information about the tender and who to contact
2
Procurement Timetable
Important dates for submission of tenders, tender evaluation
and contract commencement
3
Instructions for submission of tender
How to prepare and submit your tender
4
Evaluation of Tender
How tenders will be evaluated
5
Background Information
Background on Sheffield and context of commission
6
Specification
Detailed specification of requirements
7
Documents to be completed:
The documents you must complete and return as your tender
submission and checklist for tenderers:
7a – Contractor Questionnaire;
7b – Method Statement;
7c – Pricing Schedule;
7d – Form of Tender;
8
Appendices
Definitions of Terms, Statutory Information, Contract Terms
and Conditions
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ITEM
DETAILS
Contract description:
Step Up to Social Work – Cohort 4
Delivery of Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work
Insurance requirements:
Public Liability - £10 million
Employer’s Liability - £10 million
Professional Indemnity - £2 million
Contract period:
The course will start in January 2016 for a period of 14
months. The successful provider will be expected to
take part in the recruitment and selection process of
candidates to the Step Up to Social Work programme
at the Assessment Centres scheduled to take place in
June 2015.
Options to Extend:
There will be an option to extend this contract for
delivery of a further cohort of the Step Up to Social
Work programme. This will be subject to the following
conditions;
The continuing existence of the Regional Partnership
for the Step Up to Social Work programme
Announcement by the Department for Education (DfE)
of further Cohorts to the Step Up to Social Work
programme
The Regional Partnership successfully securing
funding from the DfE for further Cohorts to the Step Up
to Social Work programme
Successful delivery of Cohort 4 by the successful
Higher Education Institution
Satisfactory performance and quality levels achieved
for Cohort 4 by the successful Higher Education
Institution
Procuring Officer:
Debbie Beeley
Queries/Clarifications:
Any queries or clarifications must be issued through
the YorTender.
Submission instructions:
Date/time for Tender
return:
All responses to this tender are to be submitted
electronically/manually through
www.sheffield.gov.uk/contracts);www.yortender.co.uk
17th October 2014 by 12 noon
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Section 1: INTRODUCTION AND CONTACT DETAILS
1.1
Your organisation, along with others, is invited to submit a tender for delivery
of the Post Graduate Diploma in Social Work (Step Up to Social Work)
1.2
The deadline for submission of tenders is 17th October 2014 by 12 noon
1.3
The information and instructions provided in this Invitation to Tender are
designed to ensure that all tenders are given equal and fair consideration. If
you have any doubts as to what is required, or you have difficulty in providing
the information, please contact the person named below.
1.4
Please check that you have received all of the information listed in the
‘Contents’. If any of the information is missing, you should notify the named
contact, below, immediately.
1.5
If you have any queries relating to the tender documentation, or would like to
request further information, please contact the person named below. You
may be asked to submit your query in writing. You must ensure that any
queries are made no later than 7 days before the deadline for tender
submission.
1.6
Tenderers will also have the opportunity to attend a clarification
presentation/meeting with the Council to take place on 7th November 2014.
At this meeting Tenderers (up to three organisations) will be able to meet with
the Council to discuss their approach to the requirements and to clarify any
queries on the tender documentation. The clarification meetings will take
place at Moorfoot Building, Sheffield S1 4PL.
1.7
You should note that any issues raised at the meeting which are not
commercially confidential will be shared with the other Tenderers and the
Council’s answers to any written queries may also be circulated to all
Tenderers.
1.8
Contact for this Tender:
Name:
Address:
Tel Number:
Email:
Debbie Beeley, Category Manager
Sheffield City Council, 2nd Floor Moorfoot Building, Sheffield
S1 4PL
0114 2037061
Debbie.beeley@sheffield.gov.uk
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Section 2: PROCUREMENT TIMETABLE
The intended timetable for this procurement is:
Stage in Procurement Process
Dates
Issue of Invitation to Tender
+ advert placed on:
www.sheffield.gov.uk/contracts
www.yortender.co.uk
Fri 8/08/2014
Deadline for tender queries
Fri 10/10/2014
Deadline for submission of tenders
Fri 17/10/2014
12 Noon
Evaluation of tenders
Presentation date for top bidders (no more than 3
will be taken through to this stage)
Mon 20/10/2014
– Fri 14/11/2014
Fri 7/11/2014
Notification of result of evaluation
Mon 17/11/2014
[Standstill period] (if OJEU) delete as appropriate
Mon 17/11/2014
– 28/11/2014
Award decision
Mon 01/12/2014
Anticipated contract start date
Jan 2016
Please note: The Council reserves the right to cancel the tender process at any
point. The Council is not liable for any costs resulting from any cancellation of this
tender process, nor for any other costs incurred by those tendering for this Contract.
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Section 3: INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF TENDER
Paragraph:
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
General Information
Submission of Tender
Consortium Bids
Contractor Questionnaire
Method Statement
Contract Price and Payment
Contract Award and Conditions
Incurred Expenses
The following Instructions are designed to give you assistance with the completion of
your tender.
Please ensure that you submit your tender in accordance with these instructions. It
is important that you provide all the information asked for in the format and order
specified. If you don’t, it could invalidate your tender.
3.1
General Information
How you prepare and present your tender proposal can be a crucial factor in
securing a contract. The following points may help you to understand what can turn
a tender into a winning tender:
3.1.1 Read ALL the Instructions and Information included within the Invitation to
Tender; preparation is the key, so understand fully what is being asked of you.
3.1.2 Respond in the required format. You must not alter the format of any of the
documents. If the space on the form is insufficient, attach additional sheets
but please follow a similar format. Mark any additional sheets with your
organisation name and the question number.
3.1.3 Please provide as full a response to the requirements as possible. It is your
only chance to give solutions rather than create more questions. Answer the
questions but be concise and don’t make us search too hard to find answers.
3.1.4 Don’t use your tender as a vehicle to issue glossy but meaningless brochures
about your organisation – only include them if they are relevant.
3.1.5 Be upfront – we will be as honest about our requirements as possible. In
return we look for honest tenders with no hidden costs or exclusions.
3.1.6 Be aware of the deadline for return of your tender and plan ahead to ensure
that you meet it; tenders submitted once the deadline has passed will not be
accepted.
3.1.7 Make sure that your tender is completed legibly, in ink or typed, in English,
with all prices in Sterling (exclusive of VAT), and is signed and dated.
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3.1.8 Please ensure that where information is to be sought from third parties – for
example, references, guarantees etc. – such requests can be dealt with
speedily and at no cost to the Council. You may wish to contact referees for
their agreement to provide a reference prior to putting their details in your
tender.
3.1.9 You must notify the Council, in writing, of any change in the information
submitted in the response at any time during the tender process.
3.2
Submission of Tender
3.2.1 You must complete and return all the tender documentation listed below as
your tender submission. The documents for completion can be found in
section 7:




Contractor Questionnaire – section 7a;
Method Statement – section 7b;
Pricing Schedule – section 7c;
Signed Form of Tender – section 7d;
3.2.2 You must submit your tender via YORtender by the agreed time and date,
allowing adequate time to upload documents onto the system.
3.2.3 Late tenders will be rejected; it is your responsibility to ensure that your tender
is received on time.
3.2.4 Make sure that the information you put into your tender is correct and check
that all the information you need to submit is included before you send it in.
Information submitted once the deadline has passed, including any
amendments to your tender, may not be considered.
3.2.5 The Council will keep all tenders received securely, and open them once the
tender deadline has expired. All tenders submitted will be opened at the
same time by two authorised officers.
3.3
Consortium Bids
3.3.1 If you intend to form a partnership or consortium in order to deliver this
contract, you must identify:
a)
the lead organisation; or,
b)
a legal entity,
to take responsibility for the tender and the eventual contractual
arrangements.
3.3.2 If applying on behalf of a partnership or consortium, you must list the names
and addresses of all the member organisations of the partnership/consortium
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in your submission. You may be asked for additional information about the
partnership or consortium at a later stage in the tender process.
3.4
Contractor Questionnaire
3.4.1 The Contractor Questionnaire assesses your organisation’s suitability for the
delivery of this contract. It is split into parts, which ask questions relating to
the technical, financial and economic capability of your organisation.
3.4.2 Please answer the questions in the Contractor Questionnaire, reading through
it carefully before completing it. Make and keep a copy before you submit it,
as you may need to refer to it if you are asked questions of clarification.
3.4.3 We are looking for evidence of your organisation’s ability to meet our basic
requirements and for us to understand as much as possible about your
organisation and how you operate. It is important, therefore, that in your
responses to the questions, you provide specific evidence of your ability to
meet the requirements. Information and detail which forms part of general
company literature or promotional brochures etc., or information contained
within a web-link, should not be submitted and will not form part of the
evaluation process.
3.5
Method Statement
3.5.1 The Method Statement is your response to the Council’s specification, and
should set out how you will meet all of the requirements set out in the
Specification. Your Method Statement is the formal offer to the Council and
will form part of the contract between us.
3.5.2 The purpose of the Method Statement is to allow us to evaluate your
understanding of our requirements and the quality of your proposals for
meeting them. To help us evaluate your Method Statement, we ask you to
present the information as requested in the Specification.
3.5.3 If more than one organisation will be involved in the delivery of the contract
(for example, through a consortia arrangement), full details should be
provided of how the arrangements will operate to meet the Council’s
requirements.
3.6
Contract Price & Payment
3.6.1 You must calculate the full costs of providing the service, works, or goods for
which you are tendering, including both the direct and non-direct costs.
3.6.2 Payment will normally be made within 30 days of the Council registering a
valid invoice. The Council’s preferred method of payment is via BACS.
3.6.3
Funding will be committed upon receipt of successful grant funding bid led
by Sheffield City Council.
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3.7
Contract Award & Conditions
3.7.1 You will be notified in writing if you are the successful tenderer. We will ask
you to sign a written contract, which will include our standard Conditions of
Contract (including all contract schedule(s)) together with the Pricing
Schedule and Method Statement. Without a contract signed by both parties
being in place, there will be no binding agreement between us.
3.7.2 The contract will be awarded on the Council’s Terms and Conditions of
Contract as included with this tender documentation. These will form the
basis of any written signed contract between us, and will take precedence
over any other conditions that you may propose.
3.8
Incurred Expenses
The Council shall not be responsible for any expenses that you may incur in
any aspect of the tendering process.
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Section 4: EVALUATION OF TENDER
4.1
Tender Evaluation
4.1.1 The Council will evaluate the tenders it receives on the basis of:
Most economically advantageous tender (a balance of quality and price);
We are not bound to accept the cheapest, or any tender, and will award
contracts on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender to the
Council.
4.1.2 The tender evaluation process will cover:
1) Evaluation of Contractor Questionnaire;
2) Evaluation of Tender, including Pricing Schedule.
4.1.3 An evaluation panel made up of Council officers will carry out the evaluation
of tenders in accordance with the following weighted criteria:
Criteria
1
Price
Percentage
10%
The All inclusive Price per trainee.
Pricing will be evaluated in accordance with your response to the
Pricing Schedule. The score allocated to price represents 10% of
the total available.
The Tender with the lowest price will be awarded the full
percentage available. All subsequent Tenders will be attributed as
a percentage difference to the lowest price/cost. For example, if
the lowest bid is £10,000 and the next lowest bid is £10,800 that
bid would score 92% of the available marks
Criteria
2
Quality
Percentage
90%
This will be evaluated based on the responses to the questions in
7b Method Statement. Each question will be given a score and the
total score will be multiplied by the weighting for each question. All
scores will be totalled from Section 7b and then weighted by 90%.
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4.1.4 An example of an evaluation scoring matrix is included below for information
only. Note that failure to achieve 50% of the available points (i.e. 2.5) for any
one quality criterion will bar a tender from further consideration. Additionally,
tenders must achieve an aggregate quality point score of 66% 2/3 (i.e. 3.33)
to be considered.
Score
Description of Response
0-1.4
Completely unsatisfactory response, suggesting the
tenderer would have serious difficulties delivering the
required contract standards, or has provided no relevant
information at all.
1.5-2.4
Unacceptable response, indicating that the tenderer would
meet only some of the requirements of the contract some
of the time. Considerable work would be needed with the
tenderer to expand on information provided in order for the
information to indicate that contractual standards are likely
to be met.
2.5-3.4
Acceptable response, indicating that the tenderer would be
likely to meet the basic contract standards, but further work
needed to ensure that contract standards will be met
consistently.
3.4-4.5
Good response, clearly indicating that the tenderer has fully
understood and can apply and deliver all the required
contract standards. Small amount of further work may be
needed in some areas.
4.5-5
Response indicating that the tenderer has a wholly
comprehensive understanding of the contract standards
and that the proposed approach will result in the
contract standard being exceeded.
4.1.5 The Council reserves the right to reject any tender that fails to comply fully
with the requirement of the selection process outlined above, or that is guilty
of a serious misrepresentation in supplying any information requested in this
document.
4.2
Post-Tender Negotiation
We may enter into post-tender negotiation, but not on price alone, nor will we
allow any post-tender negotiation to distort competition. It is important that
you submit your best and final offer at the tender stage and do not rely on
post-tender negotiation to revise your tender.
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Section 5: BACKGROUND INFORMATION
5.1
City Overview
Sheffield is one of England’s largest cities with a population of approx
534,500. Sheffield has grown from largely industrial roots to encompass a
wide economic base. The city has two universities, with over 50,000 students;
is considered to be the greenest city in England; and is the only city to include
part of a national park, The Peak District, within its city borders.
5.2
Organisation Structure
The Council employs 18,000 people across four portfolios: Resources,
Children and Young People’s, Communities, and
Place. For further information about the Council, please visit
www.sheffield.gov.uk.
5.3
Sheffield City Council Vision, Ambitions and Corporate Plan
We are ambitious for Sheffield, for the Council and for all our citizens. Our
vision is:
 To be a modern, vibrant, green city where people choose to live, invest
and work
 To be a Council that gets things right first time for our customers
 To be a city where everyone can achieve their full potential
As an organization, we will focus on four priorities:
 Standing up for Sheffield
 Supporting and Protecting Communities
 Focusing on Jobs
 Business Friendly
‘Standing up for Sheffield: Corporate Plan 2011-14’ is structured around the
following 8 outcomes:
 A Strong and Competitive Economy
 Better Health and Wellbeing
 Successful Children and Young People
 Tackling Poverty and Increasing Social Justice
 A Great Place to Live
 Safe and Secure Communities
 An Environmentally Responsible City
 Vibrant City

Further details on the Corporate Plan are available on
https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/policy--performance/what-wewant-to-achieve/corporate-plan.html
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5.4
E-Business
E-Business – it is the Council’s intention to develop and implement an electronic
Purchase 2 Pay (P2P) system with all our suppliers in relation to receiving Purchase
Orders and sending invoices. Once implemented, suppliers to Sheffield City Council
will be expected to use this system to receive Purchase Orders and send electronic
invoices. The Council will ensure support is available to guide suppliers through the
process.
Suppliers who have contracts with the Council for items that can be catalogued, will
be expected to provide the Council with data in a standard spreadsheet template
about the goods and services they offer in order for the Council to create electronic
catalogues within a P2P system.
5.5
Employment and Skills Planning – Sheffield City Council expects all
successful providers to work with us to provide information on employment and skills
planning. This is a priority for the Council.
You are not required to submit this information as part of your tender
response. We will expect, where possible, answers to the points below to be
provided as part of the ongoing contract management. (Note the Purchaser is
Sheffield City Council)
 The Purchaser can provide advice about access to Government grants, local
training provision and Sheffield support services which could service any
employment and skills demand generated by this Contract. The Purchaser is
keen to promote and assist in the generation and delivery of innovative ideas
to assist the employability of its residents.
 The Purchaser encourages Tenderers to give consideration to such
innovation wherever appropriate in respect of this development.
 Please state if you will be in a position to recruit Apprentices and Trainees in
respect of the delivery of this Contract. If so, please answer the following
questions in relation to this provision:
1. How many Apprentices/Trainees will you look to recruit over the Contract
Period?
2. What arrangements will you make to recruit apprentices and other trainees
from agencies and training providers?
3. What arrangements will you make to accommodate opportunities for
progression into employment?
4. What are the titles of jobs you will make available and what are the key
requirements?
5. What will the application process be and how will you make it accessible to
previously unemployed people?
6. Are there any particular groups under-represented in the labour market that
you could market vacancies to and how? E.g. lone parents.
7. What arrangements will you make to provide mentoring and support for
trainees and work placements to ensure maximum retention and achievement
of industry accreditation?
In respect of your Tender and where appropriate please provide any additional
information on how you would approach the implementation of the jobs and skills
requirements identified below and or including any alternative innovative ideas.
 Work Experience
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




School Workshops
Internship/Graduate Placements
Recruitment/Progression into employment opportunities
Apprenticeships
Other Trainees/New Entrants
Service Providers able to accommodate any of these employment and skills initiative
under Contract will be required to complete quarterly monitoring information in
respect of numbers and outcomes. The Purchaser shall make available a standard
monitoring form for this purpose.
5.6
Living Wage
Sheffield City Council is committed to the introduction of the Living Wage not only for
Council Staff but also seek a commitment from contracted suppliers, the primary
reason being to improve the quality of life for low paid individuals but also a positive
impact on the local economy and the reputation of the Council. In the UK there is a
statutory Minimum Wage, the Living Wage is a higher figure which is voluntary and is
calculated by The Living Wage Foundation www.livingwage.org.uk/. It applies to
those over 18 years of age but excludes apprentices or interns.
5.7
Background Information for this provision
The Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Partnership for Step Up to Social Work was
formed in 2009/10 when a pilot initiative was announced – originally by the Childrens
Workforce Development Council and since March 2012, the Department for
Education (DfE). The partnership is made up of a number of Local Authorities in the
Yorkshire and Humberside region.
For Cohort 4, the partner authorities are :










Sheffield City Council (lead authority)
Bradford
Calderdale Council
Doncaster MBC
Kirklees Council
Leeds City Council
North Lincolnshire Council
North East Lincolnshire
North Yorkshire
York
Sheffield City Council acts as the Lead Agency for the partnership, which includes;
chairing Step Up to Social Work Management Board meetings, receiving and
disbursing funding from the DfE and establishing the contract with the HEI delivering
the
academic input to the programme – leading to the award of Postgraduate
Diploma in Social Work.
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‘Step Up to Social Work’ is a DfE funded initiative with 2 x cohorts of trainees having
been taken through the programme at MA level. Cohort 3 is currently being delivered
over 14 months, which began in January 2014, and is delivered at Postgraduate
Diploma level. However we anticipate the successful Higher Education Institution
(HEI) offering a self-funding pathway through to MA level on successful completion
of the programme, should trainees wish to progress. Please note the expected
requirement will be for circa 50 trainees.
Trainees will be high calibre graduates with a 2:1 in any academic discipline and with
experience of working with children, young people and their families, seeking to retrain as social workers. The programme will enable trainees to build upon their
existing knowledge and skills and
develop the expertise required for social
work practice. Following an initial selection of potential
candidates
against
Department for Education (DfE) criteria, selection will be made through an
‘Assessment Centre’ approach. We anticipate significant involvement of the
successful HEI in the Assessment Centres and the selection of students.
Assessment Centres are expected to take place for up to 10 x days during June
2015. We expect these to be held in Sheffield and any attendance costs to the HEI
to be covered in the pricing schedule.
Following selection of trainees, the successful bidder will provide Disclosure &
Barring Service (DBS) checks and Occupational Health checks and establish a
programme of communication with the trainee on the progress of their DBS checks.
The overall programme will weave together work based learning, experience through
enquiry,
critical thinking and reflection, knowledge acquisition, critical
understanding and application of theory, The programme will also be designed to
facilitate trainee
led learning through action
learning or problem based
learning within the work based
setting. Each trainee will be allocated a leaning
guide/mentor from within their agency to support them throughout the programme.
It is anticipated that following the awarding of this contract, there will be significant
liaison with the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Partnership for Step Up to
Social Work. This is in order to develop a programme which meets employers,
academic and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) requirements. A
Step Up to Social Work Management Board will meet regularly in Leeds and to
which the successful bidder will be invited to attend. The Management Board
consists of agency representatives of the 10 x participating authorities (Sheffield,
Leeds, Bradford, Doncaster, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, Calderdale,
Kirklees, North Yorkshire and York) and is chaired by the Lead Authority (Sheffield).
The Programme Lead and a representative from The Department of Education (DfE)
are also invited to participate on a regular basis.
The specific teaching and learning tools utilised will be dependent upon the deliverer,
however it is anticipated that a blended approach is adopted including some face-toface delivery within the Yorkshire and Humberside area.
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Section 6: SPECIFICATION
Title:
Length of Programme:
Attendance Level:
From:
Required Number of Student Placements:
Step up to Social Work
14 months
Full Time
January 2016
Approx 50
In summary, the overall programme will cover the following;
The programme should provide the necessary education and training to practise as a
social worker. It will give trainees access to the skills, values and capabilities
required to practise and prepare them to undertake the qualification required to
apply for Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration.
There should be at least 170 placement days. Students will undertake tasks to
prepare them for statutory interventions in the last placement. At least 30 days are
to be spent in developing skills for practice. Students’ performance on the skills days
does not have to be assessed, although programmes are required to set a formal
assessment of Readiness for Direct Practice that students must pass before
progressing to their first practice placement.
30 Days of Skills Development
Its main purpose is to prepare students for their first placement by providing a
structured opportunity to practice key generic skills and to increase their
understanding of the social work role, without the immediate pressure of
assessment, and without the need to be in a social worker role with service users
and carers. However, some of the time may be used later in the course to develop
more advanced skills’.
Readiness for Direct Practice assessment
“An assessment of readiness for direct practice should take place prior to the first
placement. It should be assessed through a structured process whereby a student
demonstrates their communication skills and ability to engage safely and effectively
with service users.
The decision that a student is ready for direct practice should normally be made by
an assessment panel composed of university staff, employers and service users and
carers, agreed by the local partnership. Their role will be to decide whether the
evidence submitted by the student meets the criteria for readiness to practice”.
The assessment is likely to consist of an observed communication exercise, and a
written reflection by the student. The design of the assessment will need to cover
the skills required for Direct Practice as detailed here against each domain of the
PCF:
Knowledge
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 History and context of social work
 What is meant by ‘social work theory’ and examples of how some theories
translate into practice
 Law and legal frameworks
 Families and parenting
 Child attachment
 Human growth and development
 Ethics , values and justice
 Culture, diversity, and oppression
 Disability
 Abuse and neglect
 Adoption
 Social work in diverse settings, especially mental health and alcohol /
substance misuse
Skills








Preparing for practice
Social work methods and interventions
Assessment, including assessment and management of risk
Developing resilience
Working with service users and carers
Communication skills
Interpreting research and evidence
Working with other organisations
The programme is expected to lay particular emphasis on:
 Evidence-based practice
 Reflective practice and the use of reflective supervision
 Evidence-based judgment, especially judgment of degree of risk and other
assessments
 Personal resilience
 Working/communicating successfully with children and young people
 Facing challenge and managing conflict
 Selection and application of relevant theories to cases, with an ability to adapt
in the light of reflection and new information
 Effective and appropriate communication in both speech and writing for a
range of audiences and purposes
Outcomes:
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 To ensure that on completion of the Programme, students have met the
requirements to act at Qualifying Social Worker level under the Professional
Capabilities Framework (PCF) and meet the Health & Care Professions
Council (HCPC) standards of proficiency for Social Workers

To provide professional social workers who possess the intellectual and
practice skills which enable them to act as critical and reflective practitioners
in contemporary social work settings

To support students to plan and structure learning around their work, have it
academically recognised with a HE qualification and provide opportunities for
students and their employers to negotiate subject areas relevant to their
workplace to enable change in service provision.

To develop a comprehensive understanding of transferable skills which will
enable them to practice in a range of contexts – locally, nationally and
internationally

To embed research mindedness and research techniques throughout learning
in both practice and academic work in order to develop an evidence-informed
approach in practice.

To enable students to acquire the theoretical depth that will enable an
ongoing critical evaluation of practice and research in their professional lives

Demonstrate critical understanding and analysis of the areas of knowledge
and skills relevant to social work practice including the systematic
understanding of theory (drawn from sociology, psychology, law and policy)

Skills in systematic, critical and reflective reasoning

Demonstrate depth and systematic understanding of knowledge and a critical
awareness of current problems and/or new insights which are informed by
academic discipline, research and professional practice

Be competent, reflective practitioners who promote change, problem solving
in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to
enhance well being

Demonstrate the awareness and ability to manage the implications of ethical
dilemmas within their profession and work pro-actively with others to
formulate solutions

Integrate a sophisticated understanding of ethical issues, codes of practice
and social work values within their interventions in specific situations

Facilitate individual self-development and continuing professional
development in the application of knowledge, theory and research in tackling
and solving problems in complex practice situations.
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Key Practice Skills
On successful completion the student will be able to:
 Demonstrate the skills, knowledge and reflective capability to act as a critical
practitioner (at PCF Qualifying Level) in the field of social work practice

Recognise the complexity of social work practice and be equipped to
intervene positively in a range of practice contexts

Exercise professional and personal responsibility by working within an ethical
framework

Demonstrate the ability required for independent learning and continued
professional development.
Key Transferable Skills
On successful completion the student will be able to:
 Work effectively with a group as leader or member.

Clarify tasks and make appropriate use of the capacities of group members.

Negotiate and handle conflict with confidence.

Work within multi-professional teams

Use a range of learning resources

Reflect on own and others’ functioning in order to improve practice
Specific Requirements
The Regional Partnerships are responsible for recruitment to the programme with
representatives from the successful provider and Service Users & Carers comprise
part of the screening and interview panel. Please note this will take place over a
period of 10 days during June 2015.
The format of the Assessment Centres is agreed nationally and follows the following
principles:
 Holistic assessment based on the statements at entry level of the professional
capabilities framework (PCF)

The Social Work Reform Board recommends combined techniques (for
example, individual, group interviews) to be used to enable ‘triangulation’.
Academic Requirements
 First degree or 2:1 Honours in a related discipline
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In addition
 Experience that includes working with children, young people and families.
Basic Skills Requirements
 All applicants must have GSCE grade C or above in English and Maths or
certificated equivalences, regardless of previous educational qualifications.

All applicants must confirm prior to interview/offer decision making that they
have the ability to use basic IT facilities, including word processing, internet
browsing and use of email, and be asked to specify how these skills have
been obtained.

Competence in written and spoken English

Successful applicants must meet communicating and comprehension skills to
International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS) at level 7. The
HCPC stipulated that the IELTS overall average score is at least 7.0 with no
element below 6.5.

Students must have access to a computer and to the internet.
 Subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service check (Enhanced
Disclosure)
 Subject to a satisfactory medical clearance
CONTRACT MANAGEMENT
The Yorkshire and Humberside regional partnership meet on a bi-monthly basis in
Leeds. The successful HEI contractor will nominate a named representative as lead
for this programme who will attend this meeting and feedback progress of students
on the programme and any issues/concerns that have arisen. The lead
representative will make monthly contact with the Step Up coordinator in Sheffield
and update on any matters arising.
Joint working and regular communication with the lead authority is an essential
requirement as well as good communication channels with students.
The contractor will be required to be part of the recruitment panel in June 2015 and
mark the applicant’s written exercises. There will be an additional payment
negotiated for attendance and travel expenses at the assessment centre. There
may be occasions where additional bespoke training has been identified extra to the
curriculum and the contractor will commission other training providers to deliver
aspects of the curriculum as requested by the Lead Authority, to be funded by the
Lead Authority on behalf of the Yorkshire and Humberside Partnership.
An awards ceremony will take place following successful completion of the degree
and the contractor will work with the lead authority in making the necessary
arrangements and attending the ceremony.
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Practice educators will be funded through the Health Care Professional Council
(“HCPC”)) daily placement fee. The daily placement fee will be passed onto the
practice placement via the contractor.
The programme will be delivered at a central location within the Yorkshire and
Humberside region to ensure that students do not incur any unnecessary travel
expenses or travel time.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION AND TARGETS
The contractor will be responsible for ensuring the appropriate continuing
professional development of the staff delivering the Programme. The contractor is
ultimately responsible for the quality of staff delivering any programme leading to a
University award. Monitoring is required to ensure appropriate time and resources
are provided for partner staff teaching at higher education level to maintain
appropriate and current scholarly and research activity.
Student progress will be reported at the Regional Partnership meetings and
issues/concerns identified will be addressed by the contractor and either the Step up
coordinator from the lead authority (Sheffield) or the lead representative from the
respective authority who is hosting the student. This may require the contractor to
travel to the host authority to meet the student and the local representative. The
contractor will notify the Regional Partnership of forthcoming examinations, results
and assist authorities with placement difficulties and offer additional support if
necessary. The contractor will provide Graduate Students with a comparable
academic programme of learning if the Programme is not completed in the 14
months.
In the event of a student interrupting study, withdrawing from the Programme or
found not fit to practice and required to leave the Programme fees will be paid in
equal proportions by all Authorities in the Yorkshire and Humberside Partnership for
all modules fully or partly completed.
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Section 7: DOCUMENTS TO BE COMPLETED
The documents that you must complete and submit as your tender submission can
be found in the following sections 7a-7d.
Checklist for Tenderers:
You must submit all the tender documentation listed, duly completed, as your Tender
submission; use the checklist, below, to make sure you have included all the
required information:




Completed Contractor Questionnaire – section 7a
Method Statement – section 7b
Pricing Schedule – section 7c
Signed Form of Tender – section 7d




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Section 7a: CONTRACTOR QUESTIONNAIRE
Structure of the Questionnaire
This questionnaire is designed to provide Sheffield City Council (the Council) with
the information required to assess your organisation’s suitability to enter into a
contractual relationship with us.
The questionnaire is divided into 4 parts:
Section A – General Information (Not Scored)
For example, organisation/consortium name, contact details etc;
Section B – Technical Capability (PASS/FAIL)
For example, experience of working with other organisations such as Local
Authorities, experience in this type of work etc;
Section C – Financial Information (PASS/FAIL)
For example, organisation’s financial details and insurance cover etc;
Section D – Statutory Information (PASS/FAIL)
For example, health and safety record, quality assurance, equal opportunities etc.
Notes for Completion

Please answer all of the following questions as fully as possible; submissions
should be made on clearly marked additional pages.

The Council is keen to encourage submissions from a range of suppliers,
including Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Voluntary Organisations, and
Partnerships, and as such we appreciate that some of the questions in this
document may not apply in every case.

If you are submitting a tender as a consortium, joint venture, or legal entity other
than a single organisation, then the Council will require information about the
Lead Organisation only at this stage. Therefore, please note that all sections
relate to the Lead Organisation, unless stated otherwise.

Please ensure any additional pages are cross-referenced to the appropriate
question.
Please note if you fail any part of this questionnaire you will not be given
consideration to deliver the contract
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SECTION A – GENERAL INFORMATION
(Not Scored)
We need to know details of any individual organisation or partnership with whom we
may enter into a contract. We also need to ensure that we can demonstrate
safeguarding of public funds and that there will be no conflict of interest in the
awarding of this contract.
A1
General Organisation Information
Please provide (where applicable):
A1.1 The name and address of the organisation that will be leading this tender;
A1.2 The name, position, telephone number, fax number and email address of the
main contact person for this tender;
A1.3 If applying on behalf of a consortium, the address(es) and contact details of
the other organisations that may be involved in this tender;
A1.4 If partnership, the full names of all partners;
A1.5 If partnership or sole trader, details of any formal membership in a larger
trading group of other organisations;
A1.6 The company registration number and website addresses of your
organisation/all organisations involved in the tender;
A1.7 The legal status of your organisation/all organisations involved in the bid e.g.
Public Limited Company, Charity, Partnership, Sole Trader, Guarantee
Company etc;
A1.8 A brief description of your organisation’s primary business and main products
or services;
A1.9 Details of any of the directors, partners or associates of your organisation (or
any members of the partnership/consortium), that have been subject to
bankruptcy, insolvency or receivership proceedings;
A1.10 Details of any of the directors, partners or associates (or their close relatives)
of your organisation (or any members of the partnership/consortium), who are
or have been employed by the Council at a senior level or have been City
Councillors, any time in the last five years.
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SECTION B – TECHNICAL CAPABILITY - PASS/FAIL
This section assesses your organisation’s technical ability to carry out the work you
are applying to undertake. We also need to ensure that you are able to fulfil the
contract requirements.
B1
Experience and Capability
Please provide:
B1.1 Details of contracts awarded to, or work undertaken by, your organisation
during the last three years, highlighting any relevant experience in relation to
this contract. We may want to take up references using the information you
provide. Please indicate if references can be sought, and if so, from whom.
You may use the proforma provided overleaf, copying it as needed, or your
own listing as long as it provides the information shown.
B1.2 Evidence of notification to the HCPC of your intention to seek approval for
delivery of the Step Up to Social Work Programme and respective timescales
B2
Consortium Organisation
This section relates to bids from consortia and should be answered by the
lead organisation only.
Please provide:
B2.1 Details of the organisational structure of the consortium and the roles and
responsibilities of each organisation within the consortium;
B2.2 Details of any experience in leading/sub-contracting with partners to achieve
identified outcomes.
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Vers. 01.30 – 17/05/10
ITT under OPEN
Name and Address of
Organisation and Department
Contract Title
Contract Value
£000
Type of Work
Date of Contract
Please indicate
if reference
can be sought
and from whom –
please provide
email address
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
26
SECTION C – FINANCIAL INFORMATION – PASS/FAIL
C1
Financial Details
The following questions relate to your organisation’s financial standing, so that an
assessment can be undertaken of your financial stability in relation to the contract,
and the risk to the Council of contracting with your organisation can be evaluated.
Please provide:
C1.1 Full accounts for the last three financial years or, if you are part of a group of
organisations, the consolidated accounts of your ultimate parent organisation.
If such accounts are available on your website, please instead provide a weblink to the accounts.
Newly established organisations that have not yet prepared accounts should
submit whatever information is available to demonstrate financial capacity to
undertake the level of work applied for, e.g. draft opening balance sheet, letter
from accountant, or from banker or other funding organisation.
If you cannot provide any of the information requested, please tell us why.
The Council reserves the right to seek additional information if the financial
position cannot be readily ascertained from the information provided by you.
C1.2 Details of your bankers, who may be required to provide you with a reference.
C2
Insurance
Applicants must demonstrate that adequate insurance cover is in place for the
delivery of the contract.
C2.1 The required levels of insurance for this contract are indicated below:

Public Liability: £10m

Employer’s Liability: £10m

Professional Indemnity: £2m
Please provide: Details of all insurance cover currently in force and a copy/copies of
the relevant insurance certificate(s).
C2.2 Please state if your insurance policies cover the business that you transact
within the UK.
C2.3 If your organisation’s tender is successful, adequate insurance cover will be
required. If your current levels of cover are less than those stated, please
state if you are prepared to increase your cover.
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SECTION D – STATUTORY INFORMATION – PASS/FAIL
D1
Professional Conduct
We are obliged by law to exclude any contractors from public contracts where they
have been convicted of certain offences.
Please answer the following questions:
D1.1 Has your organisation been convicted of a criminal offence relating to the
conduct of its business or profession?
D1.2 Has your organisation failed to fulfil its obligations relating to the payment of
contributions and taxes under the law of any part of the United Kingdom or of
the relevant country in which the service is established?
D1.3 Has your organisation had a contract cancelled, or not renewed, for failure to
perform to the terms of that contract?
D1.4 Have any of your organisation’s directors, or any other person(s) who has
powers of representation, decision or control of the organisation involved in
the bid:
a) been convicted of a criminal offence including, but not limited to,
conspiracy, corruption, bribery, fraud, cheating the Revenue, conspiracy to
defraud, money laundering or theft; or,
b) committed an act of grave misconduct in the course of its business or
profession?
If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, please provide
details.
D2
Equal Opportunities
We need to ensure that all organisations we contract with demonstrate compliance
with all relevant equality legislation. It is expected that it is your policy, as an
employer, to comply with your statutory obligations under the key legislative equality
acts, and, accordingly, your organisation policies and procedures should not treat
one group of people less favourably than others because of their age, colour, race,
nationality, ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation or gender in relation to
decisions to recruit, train or promote employees.
Please answer the following questions:
D2.1 Do you have an organisation policy on Equal Opportunities? If so, please
include a copy. If not, please state why.
D.2.2 Is it your practice not to discriminate directly or indirectly in breach of
Equalities Legislation which applies in Great Britain and legislation in the
countries in which your organisation employ staff?
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D2.3 In the last three years has any finding of unlawful discrimination been made
against your organisation by any court or industrial tribunal?
D2.4 In the last three years has your organisation been the subject of formal
investigation by the Commission for racial Equality, the Disability Rights
Commission, the Equal Opportunities Commission or comparable body (or EU
equivalent) on grounds of alleged unlawful discrimination?
D2.5 If the answer to either of the previous questions is "Yes", please provide
details of the breaches and what steps the organisation took as a
consequence of the findings or investigation.
D2.6
If your organisation is not subject to UK legislation, please supply details of
your experience in working under equivalent legislation, that is designed to
eliminate discrimination and to promote equality of opportunity.
D3
Quality
Organisations wishing to be considered as contractors with us must demonstrate
that they offer a high quality service. The questions in this section enable us to
ensure that you have quality management systems in place.
Please provide:
D3.1 Details of any measures (externally accredited OR in-house quality assurance
systems) that your organisation undertakes to ensure quality, including
Customer Care.
D3.2 Please tell us if your organisation has a quality assurance policy statement,
and if so, would this be available to the Council upon request?
D4
Health and Safety
Organisations wishing to be considered as contractors with us must comply with
relevant health and safety legislation and have relevant policies and procedures in
place. The following questions relate to health and safety in your organisation. If an
organisation has 5 or more employees you are required by law to have a written
policy on Health and Safety. Additionally, having a policy will make it easier for you
to answer the following questions and demonstrate your commitment to, and
compliance with, health and safety legislation.
Please note:
Has your organisation undergone an assessment under the Contractors Health
and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS), or the equivalent, in the past 2 years?
If so, do not complete the rest of these questions; simply provide a copy of
your registration letter or accreditation certificate. For further information on
how to get CHAS registration, please go to their website (www.chas.gov.uk).
If your company is not CHAS registered, you should complete all of section
D4.
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Please answer the following questions:
D4.1 Please state who is responsible for the management of health and safety at
work within your organisation.
D4.2 Do you have a written policy on health and safety at work?
If yes, please include an up to date copy (less than two years old). It should
include a dated, signed statement, and a sample of the arrangements which
are relevant to the type of work you are proposing to do for the Council.
If no, please state why.
D4.3 Have you appointed a competent person(s) to help you meet with the health
and safety legislation that is relevant to your work?
If yes, please provide the details listed below:
(a) their name(s);
(b) their knowledge, training, experience and qualifications;
(c) whether they are directly employed or a consultant; and,
(d) if a consultant alone is used, are they always on hand if something
goes wrong?
If no, please provide details of the knowledge, training, experience and
qualifications that the person named in question D4.1 has in this line of work.
D4.4 By law (RIDDOR), you must report certain injuries, diseases and dangerous
occurrences to the Health and Safety Executive. Has your organisation had
to make any reports under RIDDOR in the past five years?
If yes, please provide, (1) a breakdown of the number and nature (i.e. type of
injury, disease etc.) of the reports you have had to make in the last five years;
and, (2) examples of the action that you took, if any, as a result.
D4.5 In the past five years, have you, or your organisation, or any of your
employees, been served with a prohibition or improvement notice, or been
convicted of any offence in law. This is the law that is enforced by the Health
and Safety Executive, Local Authority, Police, or the Department of Transport.
If yes, please provide a breakdown of, (1) the incident; (2) the outcome; and,
(3) the action that you took, if any, as a result.
N.B. Please note that from time to time the Council may wish to inspect, or do a
review of, your approach to health and safety at work.
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D5
Environment
The Council takes a positive stance with regard to the protection of the environment
and environmentally sound approaches to service delivery. Information about any
environmental policies or commitment to sustainable development is asked for in this
section.
Please provide:
D5.1 Details of any statement of environmental objectives, or any ecological,
‘green’ or environmental management policy.
D5.2 Details of any environmental management system you may operate such as
EMAS, ISO14001, or equivalent.
D6.3 Details of any measures you may take in respect of waste management,
recycling or any other relevant environmentally friendly operations.
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Section 7b: METHOD STATEMENT
Questions will be scored based upon the scoring criteria and guidance notes
provided within this document. Each section will carry a subsequent weighting which
is outlined in the table below:
Please provide your answers in the boxes provided. These can be increased
to suit your requirements.
Quality
% Weighting
Max Possible
Weighted Score
Question A1
Question A2
Max
possible
Score
5
5
10
5
50
25
Question A3
5
10
50
Question A4
5
10
50
Question A5
5
10
50
Question A6
5
10
50
Question A7
5
5
25
Question A8
5
10
50
Question A9
5
10
50
Question A10
5
5
25
Question A11
5
5
25
Total
55
90%
500
Pricing Section
5
10%
50
Therefore the maximum weighted score is 550 points
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QUESTIONNAIRE
A1
Weighting 10%
We anticipate significant development time and collaboration between awarding the contract,
gaining HCPC approval and starting to deliver the programme. Responses should include how
(and with what resources) you intend to work in collaboration with the partner agencies.
Responses should also include how your learning from any previous ‘Step Up’ programmes
(national &/or local) will shape your plans for this programme. Responses should include how
you would ensure the voice of children and young people is built into any teaching programme
Please provide details of the process that you would follow to develop a ‘bespoke’ Step
Up programme to meet the requirements of the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional
Partnership.
A2
Weighting 5%
Your response should provide evidence of the volume of DBS checks you undertake annually,
and the process you undertake to ensure rigour in any decisions made. Your response should
also confirm that the cost of processing DBS checks is covered in your pricing schedule.
Please indicate your ability to process DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks on
trainees and confirm that this is reflected in the cost of your tender.
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A3
Weighting 10%
Responses should include amongst other things;
•

•
•
what amount of direct lecture/teaching time you envisage
what amount of ‘directed’ and ‘self directed’ study time you envisage,
if & /or how regular tutorial support will be offered to trainees
any innovative approaches to learning and development you have developed &/or intend
to develop and use within the programme
Please indicate, in outline, the teaching methodologies and the approaches to learning
you would use with trainees and why.
A4
Weighting 10%
Responses should include access to library resources, on-line materials, distance learning
materials etc that would be included within the pricing schedule of the contract
Please indicate what access to; research, theory and other supporting materials you
would provide for trainees and how these would be accessed.
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A5
Weighting 10%

Step Up – Cohort 4 is an intensive 14 month programme. Learning needs for individuals
as well as groups will arise and will need a flexible response Responses should supply
evidence of where you have achieved this in previous programmes of learning

Responses should also supply evidence of how you will facilitate the needs of any
trainees with learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia, dyscalculia, sight and hearing impairment)
and confirm that this is included in the pricing schedule
Please indicate how you will respond to the learning requirements of individual trainees
with specific needs throughout the 14 month programme
A6
Weighting 10%
Responses should include evidence of any clear , simple information that you produced for other
courses and communication methods that have been particularly successful, and why they have
been successful
Please indicate how you will support and communicate effectively with Agency Reps,
trainees, Practice Educators, Learner Guides/Mentors so that they are clear what is
expected of them (including PCF requirements), what the timetables are, where deadlines
exist e.g. for induction and submission of assignments
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A7
Weighting 5%
Responses should include evidence of how you have utilised practitioner expertise in the past
and how this has impacted on
a) the quality and
b) the cost of the programme.
You should include how you will ensure that the placement experience is fully integrated with the
academic content.
Please indicate how you intend to work in partnership and maximise the expertise within
agencies to input into the teaching of trainees, and how will this affect the costs
associated with the programme.
A8
Weighting 10%
Responses should include

Expected response times

Who would be the named contact

How will you ensure that agencies, Practice Educators, trainees etc understand their
roles and responsibilities
Please indicate the process and expected response time to complaints &/or concerns
raised by trainees or agencies.
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A9
Weighting 10%
Responses should include staff resources and also rooms available
Please indicate what support and resources you are able to offer the Step Up to Social
Work Management Board and its functioning and where you intend to deliver the
programme.
A10
Weighting 5%
It is important that agencies are fully informed and in a timely manner of any issues that may
prevent trainees’ progress to satisfactory completion of the programme. Responses should
include which systems are utilised by your organisation to record relevant data and produce
service reports. Please include a sample report
Please provide details of the management information you intend to provide to the Step
Up to Social Work Management Board, which is relevant to the service requirement.
Please indicate who will be the Lead Contact for any issues in relation to the programme
A11
Weighting 5%
Please attach CVs of the named people who will be delivering the academic programme,
indicate whether they are full or part-time, and, outline their experience in;
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a)
the teaching of social work theory and practice at Post Graduate level,
b)
integrating teaching with assessed periods of practice
c)
action or problem-based learning
d)
supporting research.
Please provide details of how you will ensure that there is stability of teaching and
tutorial staff throughout the programme and that they are sufficiently skilled,
knowledgeable and experienced
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Section 7c:
PRICING SCHEDULE
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PRICING SCHEDULE
Weighting 10%
Please include details of your pricing schedule on the basis of 50 students
Prices must be quoted in Pounds sterling, exclusive of VAT
All Inclusive cost per student
ITT - Delivery of the Post Graduate Diploma in Social Work (Step Up to Social Work)
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Section 7d: FORM OF TENDER
This Tender will not be considered unless received no later than 17 October 2014 at
12 Noon.
SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL
Tender for Delivery of the Post Graduate Diploma in Social Work (Step Up to
Social Work)
TO THE SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL (the Council)
*...............................................................................................…(the Contractor)
* Insert the full name of sole Contractor or all the full names of all partners or the
name of the limited company completing the tender.
whose address is:
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
………….
.......................................................................................................................................
.........
Telephone number:
……………………………………………………………………………………
I/We undertake and agree to supply and deliver goods, carriage paid, or provide
services to the reasonable satisfaction of the Council for the period specified in the
Contract and in accordance with the terms of the contract. Such terms of the
contract are to be agreed and recorded in writing and duly signed by both parties.
No conditions submitted or referred to by me/us when tendering or at any
other time shall form part of the contract unless otherwise agreed to, in writing, by
both parties and then included in the contract terms.
I/We declare that this tender will remain valid for 90 days. This 90-day period
will commence on 17 January 2015
I/We agree that there will be no binding agreement between us unless there is
a written contract signed by both parties.
Dated this
day of
in the year of 20
**Signed......................................................................
** The tender is to be signed by the sole Contractor or all the partners or a duly authorised agent of the limited company
completing the tender.
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ITT - Delivery of the Post Graduate Diploma in Social Work (Step Up to Social Work)
This document is copyright © Sheffield City Council and protected under UK Laws and
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ITT - Delivery of the Post Graduate Diploma in Social Work (Step Up to Social Work)
This document is copyright © Sheffield City Council and protected under UK Laws and
International Law
41
Section 8: APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Definitions of Frequently Used Terms
CHAS – CHAS is a non-commercial health and safety pre-qualification scheme; it
assesses health and safety for all types of suppliers, from care services to demolition
contractors, designers and consultants. The aim of the scheme is to save time and
resources by avoiding unnecessary duplication. If the Potential Provider has been
accredited/ registered with CHAS in the past 2 years they are deemed to be ‘prequalified’, in terms of health and safety, with Sheffield City Council. More information
can be found at www.chas.gov.uk
Consortium – Two or more persons, at least one of whom is an economic operator,
acting jointly for the purposes of being awarded a public contract. The consortium
may or may not have formed a legal entity for the purposes of Tendering; however,
where the Council awards a contract to a consortium it may require the consortium to
form a legal entity before entering into, or as a term of, the contract.
Contract – A binding agreement made between two or more parties, which is
intended to be enforceable by law.
Contractor – An organisation or individual who has made a contract to undertake
works, supply goods or provide services.
Contract Value – The estimated total monetary value of a contract over its full
duration (not annual).
Council – Sheffield City Council; we; us
Invitation to Tender – An invitation to contractors, suppliers or service providers to
bid for the provision of works, goods or services. Also known as an 'ITT'.
Market Brief – The Market Brief is for information only, and provides an outline of
the requirements for this contract.
Method Statement – Tenderers’ proposals for dealing with aspects of the work
which are outlined in the specification, and where detailed operational information
about the delivery of the contract is required.
Open Procedure – One of the four key Tendering processes allowed under the EU
Procurement Directives. All potential providers who express an interest in an
advertisement in the OJEU are sent an invitation to Tender.
Post-Tender Negotiation – Discussions with a supplier or suppliers after their offers
have been received, with the aim of achieving clarifications and/or improvements.
(Strict guidelines apply to conduct during this process).
Potential Provider – The person or organisation bidding, or intending to bid, as the
sole or lead provider for the contract.
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Pre-Qualification Questionnaire – A questionnaire completed by organisations that
wish to be considered for a procurement activity or placed on an approved list. The
purpose is to assess the organisation’s general suitability in terms of financial and
economic standing, technical capability and experience, quality assurance, health
and safety procedures, environmental issues and equalities considerations.
Special Purpose Vehicle - A Special Purpose Vehicle usually being; a subsidiary
company with an asset/liability structure and legal status that makes its obligations
secure even if the parent company goes bankrupt. ie a legal entity as per the
information regarding consortium above.
Specification – The specification details the Council’s requirements and standards
for this contract, including the scope and specific details of the activities we require.
It should present you with a clear, accurate and full description of our needs, so that
you can propose a solution to meet them. You must read the specification carefully;
if you are not sure about what is being asked for, contact the named contact for this
tender for clarification.
Standing Orders – The Council’s rules and procedures that govern its activities,
including procurement of goods, works and services.
Tender – An official written offer to an invitation that contains a costed proposal to
perform the works, services or supplies required, and is provided in response to a
tendering exercise. This normally involves submission of the offer in a sealed
envelope to a specified address by a specified time and date.
Tenderer – Any Potential Provider that submits a Tender, as a response to an
Invitation to Tender.
YORtender – Is the Council’s e-Tendering tool used to undertake Tendering
exercises for Council contracts and many of the other Yorkshire & Humber local
authorities. www.yortender.co.uk
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Appendix 2: Statutory Information
2.1
Freedom of Information Act 2000
2.1.1 The Council must comply with Freedom of Information law. The law enables
anyone to require us to disclose to them any information we hold, including
information relating to contracts.
2.1.2 You may consider that some information you supply to us should not be
disclosed to other people or organisations under Freedom of Information law.
If you do, you must tell us.
The Council will take your representations into account in its decision whether
or not to release the information requested, but the public interest may require
that this information is released despite such representations.
2.1.3 If you wish to find out more information then the following government
websites are a useful source of information:


Freedom of Information Act
http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/20000036.htm;
Information Commissioner's website
http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/.
2.2
Confidentiality
2.2.1 The information supplied by the Council in connection with this tender must be
treated as confidential, however it may be disclosed for the purpose of
obtaining quotations required for the preparation of the tender and for
insurance purposes.
2.2.2 The information provided by tenderers in their submissions will be treated as
confidential by the Council (for exceptions to this rule please refer to
Paragraph 13: Freedom of Information).
2.3
Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR2004)
The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR 2004) provide a
parallel access to documents regarding environmental information. All
documents detailing environmental information are automatically exempt from
disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, but will instead be
disclosed under the EIR 2004, which has different rules for ‘commercial
interest’ and ‘confidentiality’ exemptions as well as other applicable
exemptions.
The definition of environmental information can be found in full at regulation 2
(1) of the EIR 2004, but basically it will relate to information about the
elements of the environment, factors likely to affect these elements, the
measures likely to affect these elements and factors, reports and cost-benefit
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analyses relating to these measures, and the state of human health and
safety arising out of these issues.
Exemptions available under the EIR 2004 allow for the protection of
intellectual property rights, the protection of information volunteered without
obligation and confidentiality of commercial and industrial information where
confidentiality is provided by law to protect a legitimate economic interest.
For further information on Environmental Information Regulations visit:
http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2004/draft/20040331.htm
2.4
Disclaimer
The Council has prepared this Invitation to Tender (ITT). The Council will not
accept any responsibility or liability for advising any recipient of any changes
or additions to the information contained in this ITT, or any other information
relating to the project which comes to their attention.
Although every care has been taken in preparing the ITT, no representation,
warranty or undertaking, expressed or implied is, or will be made, and no
responsibility or liability will be accepted by the Council or by any of its
officers, employees, servants, agents or advisers ("Connected Persons") as to
the accuracy or completeness of the ITT or any other written or verbal
information made available to any interested party or its advisers. Any
liability, however arising, is expressly disclaimed.
Data provided by the Council to interested parties will be given in good faith
but interested parties will have to make their own investigations and
interpretation. No liability will be accepted by the Council for the accuracy or
completeness of that data.
Neither the receipt of this ITT by any person, nor any information contained in
it or distributed with it, or subsequently communicated to any interested party
or its advisers is, or is to be taken as, constituting the giving of investment
advice by the Council.
No information contained in this document or any other written or verbal
information made available to any interested party or its advisers shall form
the basis for any warranty, representation or term of any contract by the
Council with any third party.
Nothing in this document is, or should be, relied on as a promise or
representation as to the future. The Council reserves the right, without
principle, to change the procedure for the project competition or any of the
proposals or information in relation to the project.
The Council reserves the right not to follow up this invitation in any way and/or
withdraw from the tender process, and no expense incurred by any person in
responding to the invitation and preparing an expression of interest will be
reimbursed by the Council or connected persons will be so liable to the
tenderer. The Council reserves the right not to award a contract.
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This document is copyright © Sheffield City Council and protected under UK Laws and
International Law
Appendix 3: Contract Terms and Conditions
Model Contract for
the Supply of Services - V01.06 - May 2014.doc
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ITT - Delivery of the Post Graduate Diploma in Social Work (Step Up to Social Work)
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