Surrey Appropriate Adult Volunteering Service (SAAVS) Request For Information

Surrey County Council (SCC, the Council) is required under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 and the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to provide a statutory service of an Appropriate Adult. The presence of an Appropriate Adult provides one of the essential checks and balances within the criminal justice process and ensures that the rights of children, young people and vulnerable adults are protected.

To meet this statutory service, SCC is planning to commission a high-quality Appropriate Adult Service which safeguards the interests, rights, entitlements and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults in Surrey who are suspected of a criminal offence, by ensuring that they are treated in a fair and just manner and are able to participate effectively where parents/carers, or the person with parental responsibility, are unable or unwilling to attend.

To understand the current market and supplier landscape (before launching any formal tender opportunity), Surrey County Council is issuing a Request For Information (RFI). The RFI will help us to gather detailed insights from potential suppliers regarding their capabilities, capacity and interest in meeting the requirements for Surrey Appropriate Adult Volunteering Service (SAAVS).

SCC envisage that the new contract will start on 1st April 2026 with a proposed contract term of 3 years, however this is subject to change. SCC is looking at different pricing options, including fixed budget envelope. In this instance, all costs associated with delivery of this service including but not limited to expenses, administrative, IT/equipment etc. will need to be met within the fixed price envelope.

This means that the contract is structured as a flat-rate agreement and not as a per-appointment billing model (i.e. there will be no payments per individual appointments). More information about this RFI and how to respond can be found on Proactis, the e-tendering portal (supplierlive.proactisp2p.com/Account/Login) under project reference RFX1000794 - SCC AW Surrey Appropriate Adult Volunteering Service RFI. Please note that this RFI is not an invitation to tender.

All information provided in this document is indicative and for information purposes only. All responses will be treated with confidentiality. Potential bidders will not be prejudiced by any response or failure to respond to the soft market testing.

Potential bidders must also note that a response to this soft market testing exercise does not guarantee an invitation to participate in this or any future procurement exercise that the Council may conduct. For the avoidance of doubt no information provided in response to this questionnaire will be used by the Council in assessing providers during any future procurement process.