Carmarthenshire Flying Start Childcare Services 2021

Carmarthenshire County Council is re-commissioning the Flying Start childcare service and seeking to procure childcare providers to deliver high quality funded childcare to all eligible 2-3-year-old children, from local authority venues and from providers’ own venues from 1st September 2021, in the following areas; Ammanford Town, Felinfoel, Trimsaran, Betws, Morfa, Burry Port, Dafen, Pembrey, Garnant, Llwynhendy, Richmond Park, Glanaman, Carmarthen Town North, Llanelli Town and Pwll Lots 1 – 10: Flying Start are looking to procure providers to deliver childcare from Flying Start settings within Primary Schools and Integrated Children’s Centres. These contracts will be on a delivery only basis and providers delivering from these venues will be required to enter into a lease for the length of the framework period with Flying Start. Lots 11-14: Flying Start are looking to procure childcare providers to deliver a service at their own existing venues. We would welcome bids from sessional playgroups, family centre, Cylchoedd Meithrin, day nurseries and childminders. The settings should be based within pram pushing distance, or up to a 15 minute walk, from the targeted geographic locations. However we recognise that providers may have different provisions available to support children and therefore providers from outside these areas are able to bid and provide details on how they will support families and children within these areas to access the childcare setting e.g. mini bus pick up and drop off. Lots to 15 – 25 seek to address identified needs and gaps in the Flying Start provision: Flying Start are requiring sessional care (2.5 hours a day, up to 5 days a week) to be delivered by providers that have the flexibility to provide full day care to support parents/carers needs. Flying Start will only pay for the 2.5 hour sessional care, additional hours will be paid for by parents/carers. These Lots are needs led and take up will be discretionary based on the needs of the families and children we are supporting, therefore we are unable to predict the required numbers and guarantee take up of spaces. We reserve the right to appoint more than one provider to each Lot to ensure we have sufficient provision to meet the needs of families. The Flying Start childcare is being commissioned on a fixed price model, in line with Flying Start programmes across Wales. The rate has been set at 13.80(GBP) for Lots 1-10 and 14.80(GBP) for Lots 11 – 25. A discretionary sustainability grant will be made available for providers against a set list of eligibility criteria. Flying Start Carmarthenshire is holding an online market briefing session via Microsoft Teams on Saturday 13th February 2021, 9.15am – 12.30pm. The briefing session will provide an overview of Flying Start Childcare as well as detail on the service specification, new finance model and tender process which is expected to be advertised in February 2021. Please register to attend the event by emailing kbaker@carmarthenshire.gov.uk (Information maybe subject to change) Event invitation and details on language requirements attached.