Kent & Medway Appropriate Adult (AA) Service

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent is seeking to award a Contract for the provision of Kent & Medway Appropriate Adult (AA) Service. This procurement concerns a light touch contract within the meaning of section 9 of the Procurement Act 2023. The Authority is conducting the procurement using the open procedure and will apply a proportionate approach in accordance with the Act and its procurement objectives. Under The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) the Police have a statutory requirement to provide an AA when dealing with a suspect who is a juvenile or vulnerable adult, but they cannot provide the AA themselves, as they must be independent from the police. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) introduced the provision of Appropriate Adults (AA) to safeguard the interests of vulnerable adults and juveniles suspected of a criminal offence. An AA’s role is to ensure that vulnerable people are treated fairly, with respect for their rights and entitlements and that they can understand and participate effectively in criminal proceedings related to the investigation and/or their detention. The value of the contract being procured is estimated to be £1,560,000 GBP depending upon extension options being taken, For the purpose of this tender bidders should base their pricing on a budget of £260,000 per annum. As detailed in the procurement documents. Additional coverage of the AA service may be required during the lifetime of the contract. As such the contract value may increase up to the overall value of £2,760,000. There is no guarantee of this inclusion. As detailed within the procurement documents for this tender