Council Tax, Benefits & Business Rates Services

To enhance and modernize the Council Services administering the billing, collection and recovery of Council Tax from over 99,000 households and Business Rates from approximately 5,800 businesses. Including calculating discounts, exemptions, rate reliefs and Business Improvement District charges in accordance with legislation and Council policies. Determine applications for Housing Benefits, Discretionary Housing Payments and Council Tax Support from new claimants and administering and amending the claims of 12,200 existing claimants when their circumstance change or when reviews are required. Invoicing and recovery of Overpayments of Housing Benefit.

Residents, businesses and the Council require efficient, good quality services. It is hoped that the bidders will be able to deliver the services for less than the current cost of £3.8 million per annum, by implementing processes and systems where customers are able to answer many of their own queries and update their own accounts with information on moves, discounts and other changes in their circumstances. The successful bidder will employ and manage staff and provide and procure the systems needed to administer these services. They will also provide Customers Services for the services, by answering telephone calls for those individuals who are unable to use any self-service systems or with enquiries that are more detailed. Full details relating to the Services are provided in the tender documents.

To participate, Suppliers will need to Register as a Supplier with ProContract, www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk, then Register an Interest before obtaining access to the tender documents. In the event of difficulties registering as a supplier, please refer to the System Administrator Proactis support team [email protected]

Contract Period The contract will be initially for a period of 10 years commencing 1st April 2023 with the option to extend for a further 2 years as per the contract terms and conditions.

Tender Responses Tender Responses are required to be submitted no later than 24th January 2022, 1200 (noon) hrs UK Local time via ProContract tender portal - https://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk/

Tender Clarifications If you require any clarifications on the tender documents, please submit these in writing via Messaging in ProContract tender portal by 17th December 2021, 1200 (noon) hrs UK Local time. The Council's responses to these clarification questions will be uploaded periodically on the ProContract tender portal.

Please note that this project has been advertised on Find a Tender Service, Contracts Finder / other web portals, however, Supplying the South West Portal, https://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk/ is the only portal that includes all the relevant documents required to respond to this opportunity, bearing Project Id: DN579867

No Tender submissions will be considered without completing the tender documents in full including attachments and returning them