Award of Direct Payment Support Services Contract to The Penderels Trust Ltd by Essex County Council

About

Essex County Council awarded a contract to The Penderels Trust Ltd for the provision of a Direct Payments Support Service (DPSS) to enable individuals ordinarily resident within Essex (excluding Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea) to manage their direct payments.

The procurement was conducted as an open, single-stage process and incorporated two lots: Lot 1 – Independent Information and Advice Service and Personal Assistant (PA) Support Hub, and Lot 2 – Payment/Payroll/Account Management services.

The Council acted akin to a central purchasing body in conjunction with Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT), which will access but not formally be a party to the contract.

The service will primarily support people with social care and/or mental health needs to manage their personal budgets via a Direct Payment, and is also open to NHS Healthcare users (including local Integrated Care Systems) within Essex.

The contract has an initial three-year term with an option to extend for a further two years at the Council's sole discretion, resulting in a maximum possible duration of five years.

The total contract value is £4,081,327.63, reflecting the cumulative pricing for both lots across the maximum five-year duration, net of the Council's Accelerated Payment Rebate Scheme (APRS) which the successful bidder opted into.