Market Engagement Notice for The Provision of Foster Care Placements from the Independent Sector for Looked After Children in Northern Ireland

HSC wish to inform the market that they are planning to procure the provision of independent sector foster placements for looked after children in Northern Ireland.

The vast majority of looked after children are cared for in foster care placements and this is consistent with the strategic direction of looked after children services in Northern Ireland.

In the main these foster care placements are delivered via the health and social care (HSC) Trust’s fostering services and this is set to continue.

Within Northern Ireland there are also fostering placements delivered via the independent sector.

The purpose of this market engagement is to prepare for this procurement, gauge the level of interest in the provision of such services and discuss the procurement plan and envisaged timelines in advance of any formal tender process.

HSC considers engagement with interested providers as an important step in this procurement.

To make an expression of interest please email [email protected] providing the following information:

— organisation name,

— brief description of services you provide,

— web address if applicable,

Please email by close of play Monday 22nd March 2021.

How HSC plan to hold market engagement is still to be determined but all interested providers will be included.

Note: A Prior Information Notice (PIN) was previously dispatched on 25 October 2019 - 2019/S 210-514297. Any providers who expressed interest to the previous PIN need not express interest again since they will be included in market engagement.

Note: This is not a call for tender. Market engagement is for information purposes only. Any interest shown does not constitute a commitment to participate in a procurement exercise. Failure to show interest does not restrict providers from participating in any procurement exercise. There is no guarantee a procurement process will run. Any procurement opportunity will be advertised on eTendersni.gov.uk website.

Note: The Public Contract Regulations (PCR 2015) have changed the way HSC are required to procure social and other specific services ‘to the person’ with the introduction of the light touch regime (LTR) — (Regulation 74– 77 applies).

A decision with regards to lots is close to being finalised.