Request for Quotation - North Northamptonshire Council - Severe Mental Health Illness (SMI) and Mental Health Inequalities Project

This tender outlines a community-focused mental health program with clear service objectives and an innovation focus. However, it suffers from significant deficiencies in transparency and completeness, notably the absence of explicit evaluation criteria and inconsistencies in key data, which could hinder fair competition.

The tender defines its procedure type and CPV code appropriately. The submission window of 19 days from today's date is generally reasonable for a below-threshold RFQ. However, the absence of specified evaluation criteria is a significant legal transparency requirement for open competitions. The 'Required: No' status for the main PDF document raises concerns about full legal disclosure.

The description of the program, its objectives, and the division into Lots is clear and understandable. However, the tender significantly lacks clarity regarding how bids will be evaluated, as no evaluation criteria are specified. Detailed supplier requirements are also not explicitly provided in the summary.

Basic information such as title, reference, organization, deadlines, value, and duration are present. However, the 'Liable Person' field is empty. Crucially, the main tender document (PDF) is marked as 'Required: No,' which is a fundamental flaw if it contains the full terms. The absence of explicit evaluation criteria and detailed supplier requirements also indicates incompleteness.

The tender's value is disclosed, and the service requirements appear generic, not tailored. However, the lack of specified evaluation criteria severely compromises fairness, as bidders cannot understand the basis for award. The submission via email rather than a formal e-procurement platform may also present challenges for equal access and auditability. The ambiguous access to the full tender document ('Required: No' for PDF) is also a concern.

Electronic submission via email is supported, and key dates (contract start, duration) and financing information are clearly stated. However, the absence of a direct URL for the tender documents makes access less straightforward than ideal. Email submission, while functional, lacks the structured benefits of a dedicated e-procurement portal.

The tender exhibits several inconsistencies. The estimated value is stated as 70,000.00 EUR in the basic information but £70,000 in the description, which is a significant currency discrepancy. The 'Value Classified: Yes' contradicts the fact that the value is disclosed. The 'Required: No' status for the main PDF document is also highly inconsistent with a functional tender process. The 'Liable Person' field is unpopulated.

The tender's core purpose is to address mental health inequalities and improve outcomes for people with Severe Mental Illness, which is a strong social aspect. It also explicitly highlights an 'Innovation Focus.' While it does not specify green procurement criteria or additional social clauses for suppliers, its inherent nature contributes positively to sustainability.