First Stop Bus

The First Stop Bus Service is a multi-agency project led by Reading Borough Council. The Council seeks to appoint a contractor who will manage and coordinate all aspects of the service in conjunction with partners to include both the weekend night time treatment facility and the day time educational and promotional work.

The contractor will also be responsible for seeking and securing funding to maintain and extend the term of the service. Duration of the Contract The Council seeks to appoint a contractor to deliver the service for a period of 3 years from the 9 January 2017.

This will be delivered on a 12 monthly basis (1+1+1) subject to securing the required funding to run the service for this period. It should be noted that funding for the medical provider is not included in the contract price, as they are funded directly by the local Clinical Commissioning Groups.

Context Reading has a vibrant night life which has a positive impact on the town. However sometimes people may find themselves vulnerable due to too much alcohol, disorientation, being a victim of crime or simply being lost.

The First Stop Bus is an intrinsic element in keeping people in the town centre safe and tackling the negative effects of excessive drinking. The primary objective of the service is to make sure people enjoy their night out in Reading and to help those whose night has not gone to plan.

This in turn will provide tangible outcomes by both reducing incidents of crime and disorder and admissions to overburdened A&E departments as well as reducing costs by dealing with minor injuries where appropriate without recourse to A and E services. Additional information: The services are to be procured under an open procedure and organisations interested in expressing an interest should download the procurement documents which are available on the Council`s e-tendering system at: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/readingbc/aspx/Home (Project Reference No. RBC 00000158 ) and complete as instructed.

The Portal is free of charge - to register please follow the supplier registration guidance which is available on the Portal. The deadline for return of the ITT is 23 September at 12.00 hours.

Please note: you must register your interest via the Council`s e-tendering portal if you intend to submit a tender. Interested parties must log onto the Council`s e-tendering portal at: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/readingbc, to express an interest and download the procurement documents.

All communications regarding this procurement exercise will be conducted through the Council`s e-tendering portal including requests for clarifications or general enquiries. The procurement documents will be available for download up until the closing time and date for tender submissions, it is the organisation`s responsibility to ensure that they download the documents in ample time to ensure that they can be completed and returned electronically, along with supporting documents, prior to the closing time and date stipulated.

Before completing the tender, potential providers/suppliers should ensure that the e-mail address that has been used to register their organisation will be checked regularly as the Council`s e-tendering system will generate automatic notifications to this e-mail address when there are updates, changes or messages sent relating to the project. Potential bidders should also check that their organisation`s details are correct and kept up to date. Is a Recurrent Procurement Type? : No