The Executive Office (TEO) Communities in Transition (CIT) Addressing the Impact of Paramilitarism on the Physical Landscape in the North Down CIT Area

Description

The Executive Office (TEO) is seeking to establish a Contract for the provision of a programme that will remove / reimage paramilitary symbols in communities, removing / reducing the sense of legitimacy of paramilitary control within the North Down CIT Area; this relates to Kilcooley and Rathgill (a map of the designated area is attached at Annex A of the Specification). The programme will focus on the impact of paramilitarism on the physical landscape. In doing so, the programme will help to: • Remove/Reimage negative paramilitary symbols/images in the community • Remove the sense of legitimacy of paramilitary control in the area • Reduce coercive control that different groups wield in their respective areas • Increase community confidence in the area This tender is linked to the Communities in Transition (CIT) Project which had been due to end in March 2024 however the Executive made a commitment to extend the overall Executive Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime (EPPOC) to March 2027. As CIT is a key element of EPPOC, it has also been extended to 31 March 2027. This phase of delivery is classed as Phase 3 of CIT and will operate from 01 April 2025 – 31 March 2027. Phase 1 of the Project provided a firm foundation for continuing to address the issues that allow Paramilitarism, criminality and coercive control to persist within communities. Phase 2 presented an opportunity to further refine the work under a thematic approach as we move forward. Phase 3 will see delivery move from a thematic approach to an issues-based approach focusing on the key issues caused by paramilitarism in communities. This Contract falls under Phase 3 and will support the Department in its overall delivery of the CIT Project. The Contractor’s programme will incorporate and deliver a number of programme activities, described at paragraph 6.4 of the Specification. The Contractor must not be reimaging murals/symbols which are not paramilitary in nature, activities must be clearly linked to addressing issues which have arisen as a result of living in a community with high levels of paramilitary activity, criminality and organised crime and, to the Benefits Framework (as listed at paragraph 6.5 of the Specification). Full details of all the requirements for this Contract are provided for within the Specification of Requirements Schedule. It is anticipated that the Contract will commence in May 2025 and run until March 2026 with the option to extend for a further period of 12 months, up to 31 March 2027.