Official UK procurement notice
Adult Advocacy Service — UK public procurement notice
Authority: Swindon Borough Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionAdult Advocacy Service
Swindon Borough Council invites expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced service providers for the provision of adult advocacy service.
Project Description
The Council is seeking to award a single supplier contract for the provision of an integrated Adult Advocacy Service. This requirement will not be divided into Lots. TUPE does apply. The contract will be for an initial period of three years, with the option to extend for up to a further two years.
Swindon Borough Council is seeking to commission an independent, person-centred and out-come-focused Adult Advocacy Service that enables people to have their voices heard, under-stand and exercise their rights, and participate fully in decisions that affect their lives. The ser-vice will support adults to access appropriate care, support and services and ensure that they are able to influence decisions affecting their health, wellbeing and independence.
Advocacy plays a vital role in promoting independence, protecting individual rights and ensuring that people can express their views, wishes and feelings. The service will support individuals who may experience barriers to participation, including people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs, dementia, physical or sensory impairments, older people, and those experiencing disadvantage or vulnerability.
Read the full description (1,600 more characters)
The successful provider will be required to deliver a range of statutory advocacy functions through an integrated service model, including:
• Independent Care Act Advocacy (ICAA)
• Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA)
• Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)
• Independent Health Complaints Advocacy (IHCA)
• Independent Social Care Complaints Advocacy
• Court of Protection Representation and Advocacy
• Relevant Person's Representative (RPR) type role
• Support to the Learning Disability Partnership Board (LDPB) and associated engagement activities.
The Council is seeking a provider that can deliver a high-quality, accessible and responsive advocacy service that promotes voice, choice and control, reduces inequalities, safeguards rights and improves outcomes for people who may otherwise struggle to engage with complex health and social care systems.
The successful provider will work collaboratively with Swindon Borough Council, health partners, care providers, the voluntary and community sector and other stakeholders to ensure advocacy is embedded within wider care and support pathways. The provider will adopt a rights-based approach, actively tackle barriers to inclusion and ensure equitable access to advocacy services across the Borough.
The Council's vision is to commission a sustainable and high-quality advocacy service that supports people to live independent and fulfilling lives whilst contributing to the wider ambitions of the Swindon Plan and Adult Services Strategy, including promoting independence, reducing inequalities and ensuring people have "Lives, Not Services".
- How the procedure runs: Stage 1 competitive conditions of participation with closing date of 13th October 2026. Stage 2 tenders will be invited with closing date of 16th November 2026.
CPV: Health and social work services · Other community, social and personal services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1Lot 1RenewalPublished value£2,341,819
- Value
- £2,341,819 exc. VAT · £2,810,183 inc. VAT
- Extensions
- option to extend contract 2x 12 months
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published — the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (6)
- Day One Readiness and Mobilisation — 10%
- Service Delivery Model and Capacity Management — 25%
- Swindon Working Together principals and Co-production — 15%
- Outcomes and Quality Assurance — 15%
- Price — 20%
- Social Value — 15%
No conditions of participation were published on the notice; check the tender documents.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How Swindon Borough Council buys Health and social work services (CPV 85) — and who usually turns up
Swindon Borough Council’s own published record, next to the South West England market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Health and social work services (CPV 85) →
How the contest usually goes
Left: this authority. Right: the market where the work is delivered. Bids and award-vs-estimate pairs are per lot, from contested contracts only — direct awards (including PA 2023 transparency notices) report one bid by definition and are left out. On Procurement Act 2023 notices the count is the tenders assessed at the final stage, not every submission received; pairs compare like with like (VAT-exclusive, or VAT-inclusive on both sides). Empty means nothing was published, not filled in from elsewhere.
Swindon Borough Council
contract notices in 36 months: 47 in division 85 (26 route not published) · 143 in all categories (4 without competition · 61 route not published)
i
How many companies usually bid for work like this.
Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.
Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 85), last 36 months: 7 lots. 5 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 5) and 2 from older notices (bids received, middle 4).
Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.
i
How often only one company bid.
Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.
Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 85), last 36 months: 7 lots.
High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.
i
Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.
Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.
Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 85), last 36 months: 3 pairs.
A past pattern, not a price to bid.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 85), last 36 months: 6 notices.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
i
How often this buyer changes a notice after publishing it.
Middle number of amendments per notice. Deadline extensions and corrections both count.
Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 24 months: 180 notices.
i
How often this buyer awards without a competition.
Direct or limited awards as a share of its notices that say which procedure was used. These routes are legal in defined cases. This is just the record.
Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 85), last 36 months: 21 notices.
South West England · Health and social work services (CPV 85)
contract notices delivered in South West England in 36 months: 1,856 in division 85 (492 competed, 301 route not published)
i
How many companies usually bid for work like this.
Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.
Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 85), last 36 months: 393 lots. 157 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 3) and 236 from older notices (bids received, middle 3).
Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.
i
How often only one company bid.
Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.
Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 85), last 36 months: 393 lots.
High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.
i
Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.
Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.
Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 85), last 36 months: 202 pairs.
A past pattern, not a price to bid.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 85), last 36 months: 133 notices.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
i
How much of this market goes to small and medium firms.
SME bidders where buyers published the split, otherwise SME winners.
Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 85), last 36 months: 252 lots.
i
How much work like this goes to companies based in the delivery region.
Awards in this category delivered here where the winner’s registered address is in the region.
Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 85), last 36 months: 1,909 awards.
Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.
i
Where this tender’s estimate would land if the usual pattern repeats.
We apply the buyer’s usual movement between estimate and award (or the region’s) to the estimate on this notice.
Based on 3 lots, so only the direction is shown, not a pound figure.
A benchmark, not a price to bid.
Coverage and what to read with care
- Each tile explains itself. The on a figure says what it is, how it is counted and which scope this notice’s own record came from (class, division, all categories, or the authority’s 24-month row). The two columns are never blended and nothing is filled from a UK-wide figure; an empty tile means the source published nothing usable. Long form: Methodology.
- Coverage. Roughly 40 % of notices publish a bid count; about half publish an ITL1 delivery location, so the market column reads the authority’s registered region when the notice has none (labelled). About 30 % of award-vs-estimate pairs are exact matches — the buyer published the award at the estimate. n is on every figure; a thin sample is muted, never hidden.
- “Match” and “relevance” are model scores from the nightly matcher, not published facts. Find a Tender does not publish who is bidding. Never shown: contact details, payment behaviour, or a recommended price.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open for expressions of interest
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Light touch regime
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 22 Sept 2026, 10:31 BST
- Last source update
- 22 Sept 2026, 10:31 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end — 7 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Authority reference
DN830367- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b59aFind a Tender
- How it runs
- Stage 1 competitive conditions of participation with closing date of 13th October 2026. Stage 2 tenders will be invited with closing date of 16th November 2026.
How to participate & submission route
Official notice- Expression of interest (EOI)
- 13 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Tender submission deadline
- 13 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 6 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
8 published dates · Europe/London- Planning notice published98 days ago16 Jun 2026, 10:28 BST
- Market engagement85 days ago29 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
Swindon Borough Council invites you to contribute to preliminary market engagement in relation to Adult Advocacy Services and welcomes the views of providers on the questions set out in the accompanying questionnaire. The purpose of this engagement is to gather feedback from the market to help more…
shape the final service specification and commercial model, ensuring the procurement delivers high-quality, legally compliant, and person-centred advocacy services. Service Overview Swindon Borough Council is seeking to commission a single supplier to deliver a comprehensive Adult Advocacy Service for residents of Swindon. The service will support adults to have their voice heard, rights upheld, and interests represented in line with statutory duties. The provider will be required to deliver a range of advocacy services across multiple legislative frameworks. The commissioned service will include the following components: Required Services The provider may be required to deliver all the following services: 1. Independent Care Act Advocacy (ICAA) Supporting individuals who have substantial difficulty in being involved in Care Act assessments, care planning, reviews, and safeguarding processes, where there is no appropriate person to support them. 2. Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA) Supporting individuals who lack capacity to make specific decisions and have no appropriate representation, in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. 3. Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) Supporting qualifying patients under the Mental Health Act 1983 to understand and exercise their rights. 4. Independent Health Complaints Advocacy (IHCA) Supporting individuals to make complaints about NHS services and navigate the NHS complaints process. 5. Independent Social Care Complaints Advocacy Supporting individuals to raise complaints regarding adult social care services. 6. Rule 1.2 (Rule 3A) Representative Advocacy Providing representation within the Court of Protection where required. 7. Litigation Friend Advocacy Supporting individuals in legal proceedings where a litigation friend is required. 8. Learning Disability Partnership Board Facilitation of the quarterly, face-to-face board. - Tender notice publishedearlier today22 Sept 2026, 10:31 BST
- Clarification questions byin 14 days6 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Expressions of interest byin 21 days13 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadlinein 21 days13 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Award decision expected byin 107 days7 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 190 days1 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Notice history
5 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 16 Jun 2026- Tender notice published22 Sept 2026, 10:31 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £2,341,81922 Sept 2026, 10:31 BSTwas £1,050,000
- Status changed to active22 Sept 2026, 10:31 BST
- Procurement method changed22 Sept 2026, 10:31 BST
- Preliminary market engagement notice published16 Jun 2026, 10:28 BSTUK2
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Conflict of interest declaration
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender