Estimated Value
£3,000,000 – £50,000,000
Deadline
7 December 2028
911 days remaining
Published
5 October 2020
Type
services
Overview
YPO are looking for Providers to be appointed onto a Dynamic Purchasing System for the provision of Appropriate Adults Services. The DPS is designed to meet the needs of all public sector organisations.
YPO is managing this procurement process in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR). This is a DPS being procured under the Light Touch Regime (LTR) procedure therefore subject to the limited regulation and will be conducted in accordance with regulations 74 to 76 PCR 2015.
This DPS will be open to new Providers throughout the period of the contract, provided those Providers meet the selection criteria. The Appropriate Adults (AA) Service covers both statutory and non-statutory service which has been designed for 2 cohorts of service users: children and vulnerable adults.
Regulations cited
- Public Contracts Regulations 2015
Additional details
The DPS ensures that the AA Service reflects relevant legislation, case law and Codes of Practice. The role of the Appropriate Adult is to safeguard the interests, rights, entitlements and welfare of children and vulnerable people who are suspected of a criminal offence by ensuring that they are treated in a fair and just manner and can participate effectively.
Providers will be expected to follow the national standards and these standards will be applicable to all further competitions and call off contracts from this DPS. The DPS will cover the period from 8th December 2020 to 7th December 2024 with two options to extend for an additional 24 months.
The first decision to extend the contract period will be taken by the end of July 2024 and will be dependent on satisfactory completion of all aspects of the contract to date, the current market conditions for this category and YPO's contracting structures. The maximum contract period will therefore be 8 years, from 8th December 2020 to 7th December 2028 (subject to an annual review, incorporating price negotiations and KPI performance). .
Deadline for first round for submissions under this DPS is 5th November 2020 at 14:00. After this first initial round suppliers can apply any time.
AI Analysis
Powered by AI — always verify against official documents
YPO (a public sector procurement body) is setting up a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) to find providers who can supply Appropriate Adults services to public sector organisations across the UK. Appropriate Adults are trained people who support children and vulnerable adults during police interviews and custody, ensuring they're treated fairly and understand their rights.
Requirements
- Must be able to provide Appropriate Adults services for both children and vulnerable adults
- Must follow national standards for Appropriate Adults services
- Must comply with relevant legislation, case law, and Codes of Practice relating to Appropriate Adults
- Must understand statutory and non-statutory service provision
- Must be able to safeguard the interests, rights, entitlements and welfare of service users
- Must meet selection criteria to join the DPS (specific criteria to be detailed in full tender documents)
- Must be able to respond to call-off contracts from public sector organisations using this DPS
Key Tasks & Deliverables
- Provide trained Appropriate Adults to support children during police interviews and custody
- Provide trained Appropriate Adults to support vulnerable adults during police interviews and custody
- Ensure fair and just treatment of service users in criminal justice proceedings
- Help service users understand their rights and participate effectively in interviews
- Maintain safeguarding standards throughout service delivery
- Comply with all national standards and regulations throughout the contract period
How to Read This Tender
- 1A DPS is not a single contract — it's a framework that public sector organisations can call off from. You're being approved as a provider, then individual councils, police forces, or other public bodies place orders with you. Understand that you'll need to be ready to respond to multiple different call-off requests from different organisations.
- 2The 'Light Touch Regime' means this procurement follows simpler rules than standard public contracts, but you still must meet selection criteria. Check the full tender documents to see exactly what those criteria are — they'll be your minimum entry requirements.
- 3The contract runs from December 2020 to December 2024 with optional extensions to 2028. Flag the review dates and extension decision points (end of July 2024) in your planning — poor performance against KPIs during the first phase could affect renewal.
- 4This is ongoing recruitment — the first deadline (5 November 2020) is for the initial round, but the DPS remains open for new providers to join throughout its life. If you miss the deadline, you can still apply later, but early entry means early access to call-offs.
- 5Look carefully in the full tender documents for the national standards you must follow, the specific KPIs you'll be measured against, and the pricing structure. These will form the basis of your performance management throughout the 4-8 year period.
Tips for Small Businesses
- This is a high-volume opportunity if you can scale. Once approved onto the DPS, you'll compete for call-offs from many different public sector organisations — it's not one contract, but potentially dozens. Consider whether you have the capacity to handle multiple simultaneous requests, and build your bid around scalability and rapid response times.
- Partner with other providers or consider a consortium bid if you can't cover all geographic areas alone. Public sector organisations using this DPS will want providers who can respond nationwide or across their region. Being listed alongside complementary services (e.g., if you handle adults, partner with a children's specialist) makes you more attractive to call-off buyers.
- Social value and safeguarding track record matter heavily here because you're working with vulnerable people in the criminal justice system. Emphasise any existing Appropriate Adults experience, staff training programmes, safeguarding certifications, and experience of working with both children and vulnerable adults. This is not a price-based competition — quality and compliance are critical.
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How to Apply
Step-by-step submission guide
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Submit your response
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Useful Resources
Buyer Profile
YPOKey Dates
Published
5 October 2020
Submission deadline
7 December 2028
Notice type
Contract
Source
contracts finder
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