Preliminary Market Engagement: Youth Treatment - Community Based Service for Children and Young People who are identified as having Substance Use issues, and their Families.

****Preliminary Market Engagement Exercise**** The Business Services Organisation (BSO), Procurement and Logistic Service (PaLS), on behalf of the Public Health Agency (PHA), is conducting this Preliminary Market Engagement exercise to engage with suppliers who are interested in delivering this service. The Public Health Agency (PHA) plans to conduct a covered procurement for a Youth Treatment - Community Based Service for Children and Young People who are identified as having Substance Use issues, and their Families.

This service is a Step 2 community-based service, supporting children and young people aged 11-17 years who are identified as having substance use issues. In some cases, the Service will see young people aged between 18 and 21 years who are eligible where they have been identified as vulnerable or have difficulty integrating into the adult treatment system, for example, a history of disengagement and vulnerability.

The Service may also include community-based structured family support, should it be required, to family members / carers who have direct caring responsibilities for the child/young person with substance use issues, as well as siblings. The purpose of this preliminary market engagement is to develop the PHA's requirements and approach to the procurement; to prepare the tender notice and associated tender documents; to identify suppliers that may be able to supply the service required; and to build capacity among suppliers in relation to the contract that may be awarded.

The intended outcome of this preliminary market engagement is to raise awareness in the market of this upcoming covered procurement, gauge the level of market interest in the provision of such services; engage and receive feedback from the market by outlining the PHA's proposals for the delivery of this service, its procurement plans and requirements, in advance of any formal tender process. In addition, the PHA wishes to gain a better understanding within the market of the feasibility of the service requirements, the risks and potential issues relating to the service, the applicable social value initiatives; current market practices in respect of Sustainability and Net Zero; and cybersecurity.

The information gathered as part of this engagement will be used by the PHA to clarify and develop its requirements, assess the market's capacity and develop its procurement strategy. Interested parties shall bear their own costs of participation in this market engagement and PaLS/PHA shall not be liable for any costs, expenses or losses howsoever arising from this engagement exercise.

Note - Any interest shown in the preliminary market engagement does not constitute a commitment to participate in a procurement exercise. Non-participation in this preliminary market engagement process does not preclude any supplier from participating in the covered procurement tendering process.

This covered procurement is governed by the Procurement Act 2023. The service being tendered is classified as a Light Touch Service. There is no guarantee that a procurement exercise will be initiated in respect of this service.