Specialist Financial Advice Service

Essex County Council (ECC) are committed to investing in a quality financial Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) offer for our residents that enables the provision of accredited, regulated and specialist as well as maximising the role of communities to deliver preventative support.

Our vision is to deliver high-quality Financial IAG support to Essex residents to improve their financial wellbeing, increase their resilience to withstand future financial shocks, and address the root causes of financial hardship.

The primary scope for the Specialist Financial Advice is predicated on investing in a partner who can provide a strategic, lead provider relationship with ECC:-

• To maximise the funding and resources aligned to the 'Resilience' and 'Community Connections' strands of the ECC Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) programme. Key to this is being able to monitor and track progress across multiple offers and services and provide impartial advice on future steps.

• Development of a financial education programme to create more 'financial confidence' in Essex. Education is central to prevention. It builds confidence and capability to make informed decisions, recognise problems early, and seek help before crisis. By equipping individuals with financial literacy skills to help with things like budgeting and saving, we can reduce demand for high-cost, specialist interventions.

• System Development - Community partners play a key role in prevention, early intervention, and post-advice support. They have trusted relationships with residents and can spot early signs of financial stress, can act as first-contact navigators and referrers, and provide ongoing wraparound support. Building this capacity can allow Accredited, Regulated & Specialist providers to focus their resources on more complex needs.

The partner is required to:-

• Act as a source of 'warm referrals' from the CRF crisis payment scheme, tracking cases over providers to ensure household get the advice they need, and can achieve the results they need to lessen and avoid future crisis.

• Advice must be appropriately accredited - i.e. regulated financial activity should be authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), unless appropriate exemptions or exclusions are in place.

• The service must offer multiple access routes (online, in-person, telephone) with clear signposting to referral points; ensures inclusion for digitally excluded and those needing face-to-face support.

• The intention is to procure this via an outcomes-based specification, with space for evolution of the activities in collaboration with the successful bidder.

• The delivery approach for all services under this contract must be person-centred, needs-based, trauma-informed.

The outcomes expected from the contract are:-

• Increased savings,

• Reduced priority debt, reduced need for emergency food parcels,

• Reduced material deprivation,

• Maximised income,

• Fewer repeat crisis applications,

• Increased access to appropriate and quality advice services.

The expected deliverables are:-

• Accessible referrals routes and triage methods so residents can be moved seamlessly between IAG support and wraparound services (such as affordable food, skills and employment, Housing etc.).

• Standardised referral and triage frameworks with clear escalation pathways - helps to foster "no wrong door" approach to ensure residents receive holistic support regardless of entry point into system.

• A single case management tool which can be used by all partners is not essential but a significant advantage.

• Ensure consistent quality Financial IAG standards across the county (no postcode lotteries). Assurance will be from not only your submissions, but feedback from households engaged in the services and other service providers.

• Self-serve digital/website options provided for those that can and want to access - i.e. benefits calculators, resources, signposting to national helplines - provides clear, jargon-free, and trusted financial Information advice and guidance.

• Practical tools such as budget planners, debt management guides, and benefit eligibility checkers.

• The above resources also available in non-digital formats.

• Data-led approach to target support to vulnerable households. Being able to collect ,store and displays such information in a GDPR compliant manner.

• Work with system partners to engage and support with priority cohorts. You will be lead provider bringing together the necessary expertise from across the system to deliver the outcomes.

• Provide outreach support to community locations such as libraries, food banks, community supermarkets, community hubs.

• Accessible learning formats such as online modules, community workshops, and integrated modules with other educational actors in the sector, such as (but not limited to) ECC adult community learning and ECC Libraries.

• Cohort-specific content such as options for young people, families and those transitioning through life events (i.e. retirement, job losses or armed forces personnel leaving service).

• Foundational training for community staff and volunteers on basic financial literacy, benefits awareness, and signposting to create 'Money Advice Champions' embedded in community settings.

• Developing a countywide knowledge hub with best practice guides, templates, and data insights to support community partners.

• A "Community Advice Partner" recognition scheme to ensure light-touch quality assurance of IAG in community settings.

Prospective bidders are advised that the Council will finalise the scope of the forthcoming procurement opportunity following the conclusion of the market engagement stage and reserves the right to amend the scope of this service accordingly.

For the avoidance of any further doubt, please be advised that any dates for the proposed procurement opportunity are provided for indicative purposes only and the Council reserves the right to amend this information following confirmation of the procurement timetable for this project. Full details of the structure of this procurement and associated timetable will be detailed within the corresponding Contract Notice in due course.