Wakefield Community Legal Advice Service

Wakefield Community Legal Advice (CLA) Service: Important Update

Owing to a delay in publishing the draft contract documentation relating to the Wakefield CLA Service the Council and the Legal Services Commission have taken the decision to extend the deadline for submitting tender bids until 12 Noon on Friday 9 July 2010.

This will allow potential bidders to review the draft contract documentation whilst drawing up their bids. All draft contract documents are now available via Wakefield Metropolitan District Council's E-Procurement website. As part of this deadline extension we will allow interested parties to submit questions on the CLA Service Contract documentation. Any questions in relation to any part of the contract documentation should be submitted via the Council's E-Procurement by 12 Noon on Friday 4 June 2010. Answers to any questions submitted will be published on SCMS no later than Tuesday 8 June 2010.

As a result of the deadline extension the anticipated opening of the CLA Service will now be put back by one month until 1st October 2010.

Please note that the published tender documents will not be reissued.

About this tender

The Legal Services Commission and Wakefield Metropolitan District Council are inviting tenders from organisations to set up a Community Legal Advice Service in Wakefield.

The CLA Service will provide an integrated and accessible service for clients across the whole of Wakefield.

It will cover generalist and specialist legal advice and representation.

The LSC and the council will jointly fund the CLA Service.

More about the contract

The CLA Service must start delivering services from 1 September 2010.

The provider will enter into a joint contract with Wakefield Metropolitan District Council and the LSC.

The contract will contain performance standards and key obligations.

Our aim is that the contract will be awarded in July 2010 and will run for 3 years from the service opening date.

About the tender process

IMPORTANT: The tender process will be via Wakefield Metropolitan District Council's E-Procurement website, not the Legal Services Commission website.

This is an open tender.

Any organisation interested in providing the services may apply, providing they meet the criteria set out in the Invitation to Tender.

Organisations such as solicitors, not-for-profit advice agencies and commercial organisations are welcome to tender.

Tenders will be treated equally regardless of the type(s) of organisation tendering.

Where can I find the tender documents?

To access the tender documents or ask questions, you must first register with Wakefield Metropolitan District Council's E-Procurement website:

Visit the Wakefield Metropolitan District Council's E-Procurement website
Select "Register" from the New Users box on the left hand side and following the instructions to register your organisation.

More information on registering can be found on the Wakefield Metropolitan District Council's website.

Should you require any assistance with registration, please contact the helpdesk on 0113 247 4001.

To access the tender documents:

Once registered, tenderers need to use the bulletin board facility on the Wakefield Metropolitan District Council's E-Procurement to locate the tender profile and documents using reference: wmdc13795.

Any questions?

Potential bidders will have the opportunity to submit questions relating to the tender process until noon on Friday 23 April 2010.

Questions must be submitted to via Wakefield Council’s Supplier & Contract Management System (SCMS) which can be found at the Wakefield Metropolitan District Council's E-Procurement website.

Deadline for questions is 12 noon on Friday 23 April.

Deadline for tenders

The deadline for tender applications is 12 noon on Friday 18 June.

Further information

Wakefield Metropolitan District Council is holding a tender launch event, or bidders' conference, on Friday 23 April 2010 at 10:30am - 12:30pm (registration will begin at 10:00am).

This event is taking place at:

The Lofthouse Suite,
Wakefield Town Hall,
Wood Street,
Wakefield,
West Yorkshire,
WF1 2HQ

The launch event will provide interested parties with an opportunity to raise questions and seek clarification on any aspect of the tender process.

Anyone interested in attending this event should contact Mark Cranmer at the Wakefield Metropolitan District Council.

Last updated: 27 May 2010