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Award of Contracts
The Council and NHS Lothian, through the EHSCP, have a statutory duty to provide access to independent advocacy services to people who meet the requirements of Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000, the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) act 2007, the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016, The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 and the Mental Health (Care and Treatment)(Scotland) Act 2003. Section 259 of the 2003 Act sets out the main provisions for independent advocacy. Independent advocacy supports an advocacy partner's right to have their own voice heard in decisions made about their health and well-being. Independent advocacy enables vulnerable people to be heard and promotes social inclusion.
Independence is key in the advocacy partners right to advocacy, because it is vital that the role of independent advocacy is not compromised in any way. Independence ensures that the advocacy services provided are divorced from the interests of those persons concerned with the advocacy partner's care and welfare.
Independent advocacy services can only be provided by organisations who meet the requirements of the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance (SIAA) or equivalent. The SIAA define an independent advocacy organisation as “an organisation that only provides independent advocacy and all the activities it undertakes are about providing, promoting, supporting and defending independent advocacy. Independence means that it does not provide any other services and is structurally, financially and psychologically separate from other organisations and interests”.
Information about independent advocacy services will need to be communicated to advocacy partners in a way which each advocacy partners can understand, taking account of any special communication needs they may have. Such needs may arise, for example, where the advocacy partners is deaf or hard of hearing or has a visual impairment, a learning disability or where their first language is not English. n addition, any information provided in writing should be clear and in a style and language which can be easily understood by the individual advocacy partner.
The Service shall be predominately provided face to face to Advocacy Partners within the city of Edinburgh from either the office premises or in an agreed venue or space within the locality where the Advocacy Partner resides. If the Advocacy Partner is in a hospital ward, then the Service shall be delivered there.
| Supplier | Identifier | Award Value | Lots Won | Cross-References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AdvoCard | OSCR: SC023181 | ~£3,267,269 estimated from lot values | 2 lots Lot 1a - Individual Independent advocacy services for people with mental health issues · Lot 2a - Individual Independent advocacy services for people with problematic substance use issues | - |
| Partners in Advocacy | OSCR: SC027857 Companies House: SC185467 | ~£1,813,514 estimated from lot values | 1 lot Lot 3a - Individual Independent advocacy services for people with a learning/ intellectual disability, autistic people, older people, dementia and physical disability or sensory impairment | - |
| VoiceAbility | - | ~£1,014,985 estimated from lot values | 1 lot Lot 4a - Individual Adult Unpaid Carers Independent Advocacy Service | - |
This procurement was divided into 8 lots, each awarded separately. 8 bids were received in total.
| Lot | Value | Bids Received | Awarded To | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 1 Lot 1a - Individual Independent advocacy services for people with mental health issues Apr 2023 – Mar 2030 | £3,025,467 £3,781,834 initial term | 2 | AdvoCard | complete |
| Lot 2 Lot 1b - Collective Independent advocacy services for people with mental health issues Apr 2023 – Mar 2030 | £756,367 | - | - | active |
| Lot 3 Lot 2a - Individual Independent advocacy services for people with problematic substance use issues Apr 2023 – Mar 2030 | £241,802 £322,399 initial term | 2 | AdvoCard | complete |
| Lot 4 Lot 2b - Collective Independent advocacy services for people with problematic substance use issues Apr 2023 – Mar 2030 | £80,600 | - | - | active |
| Lot 5 Lot 3a - Individual Independent advocacy services for people with a learning/ intellectual disability, autistic people, older people, dementia and physical disability or sensory impairment Apr 2023 – Mar 2030 | £1,813,514 £2,015,013 initial term | 2 | Partners in Advocacy | complete |
| Lot 6 Lot 3b - Collective Independent advocacy services for people with a learning/ intellectual disability, autistic people, older people, dementia and physical disability or sensory impairment Apr 2023 – Mar 2030 | £201,501 | - | - | active |
| Lot 7 Lot 4a - Individual Adult Unpaid Carers Independent Advocacy Service Apr 2023 – Mar 2030 | £1,014,985 £1,259,696 initial term | 2 | VoiceAbility | complete |
| Lot 8 Lot 4b - Collective Adult Unpaid Carers Independent Advocacy Service Apr 2023 – Mar 2030 | £253,746 | - | - | active |
Government spending data: These suppliers have received £1,972,193 in 22 payments (over £25k) from Scottish Government (2018-03-19 to 2025-01-17).