National Fast Track Child and Family Social Work Programme

The purpose of this PIN is to initiate market consultation and is not being used as a call for competition. The PIN is intended to:

• Raise awareness with the market of a potential future procurement process for delivery of a National Fast Track to Child and Family Social Work Programme, enabling time for organisations to begin early discussions with the Department and each other as to how they may be able to deliver any future contract.
• Inform the market that the Department will be undertaking market consultation activity during January and February 2022, to gather information about the supply market; to explore potential delivery models and associated benefits of those models; and to inform its understanding of the risks and issues relevant to managing transition to, and mobilisation of, any new service arrangements.
• Inform the market that the services fall within the scope of Part 7 (Social and Other Specific Services) of Chapter 3 of the Public Procurement Regulations 2015, the so called “light touch regime” and that the Department will utilise the flexibilities afforded by Regulation 76(1) (Principles of awarding contracts), in determining the procurement procedure to be applied. The Department has not yet determined the detail of that form of procurement procedure but anticipates that it may include negotiation with tenderers. The procurement process will be set out in full in the procurement documents, in due course.