P0165 - Provision of an Associates Framework Agreement - Tranche 4

Birmingham City Council has a requirement to utilise the services of individual specialist contractors who will provide the Council with an additional mechanism to engage niche professional resources. The panels that will be engaged are: • Strategy • Finance • Human Resources • Procurement • Legal • Property • ICT • Acivico (PPD) • Transportation • Safeguarding & Development, Customer Relations services For the purpose of this procurement activity the wider definition of an Associate is an off-payroll individual who is self-employed, a sole trader or who has set up a limited company (but does not employ anyone other than themselves).

An Associate must be a qualified and experienced professional, providing advice and guidance for specific time limited projects. The work undertaken will include the identification of options with recommendations as well as supporting the implementation of a solution or end product.

Associates cannot offer the services of another individual or 3rd parties, as this framework is solely for an off-payroll individual (defined as above). This framework excludes the following organisations, as they are already catered for in existing ongoing contracts: • SME’s • Micro-businesses • Partnerships (of any description) • Multi-national organisations Associates are not Council employees and therefore there is no obligation on the Council to provide regular or guaranteed work and no mutuality of obligation.

The engagement process will include verification of self-employed / limited company status and the relevant HMRC checks and indemnities from the individual will be secured. This framework agreement commenced on 30th June 2014 for a 2 year period.

The Contract end day will be 31st March 2016 (unless terminated under the terms and conditions of contract). Note that there is no provision to extend this framework.

To ensure suitably experienced and qualified individuals are available, the Find-It-In-Birmingham advert will remain open throughout the life of the framework. Individuals will be able to join the framework once their application has been processed and accepted.

This Qualifying Criteria Stage Questionnaire (QCS) is being issued using the Council’s e-tendering system ‘in-tend’ and interested parties must ensure that they are registered to use the ‘in-tend’ system to enable access to the QCS documents. Registration and use of in-tend is free.

If you are already a registered user, you do not have to re-register. If you are una...