Official UK procurement notice
AT1487 Independent Foster Agencies Provision
Authority: Luton Borough Council (Local council)·Consortium: 4 public authorities
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionLuton Council are leading on the procurement on behalf of the four Local Authority
Partners, Central Bedfordshire Council, Bedford Borough Council and Hertfordshire
County Council (the Partnership Authorities).
Luton, Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Councils are working
collaboratively to re-open and expand the Approved Provider List (APL) for Independent
Fostering Agencies to serve all authorities. The APL will support the authorities to deliver
suitable foster care placements at the right time, in the right location and with the right
support, to improve the overall outcomes for children looked after.
We are seeking independent Foster Care provision must be in in Beds/Herts and
surrounding areas eg Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes, Northamptonshire,
Cambridgeshire. Providers must be Ofsted registered as Good or Outstanding and act in
accordance with the guidance contained in Working Together to Safeguard Children
(2018) and any subsequent guidance.
This is being procured under the Light Touch Regime under Public Contract Regulations
2015 as the original APL was procured before the Procurement Act 2023 came into force.
CPV: Social work and related services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Awarded
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 (2)
- Price: 100
- price: 100
Published award criteria (2)
- Price: 100
- Price: 100
- Price carries 200 of 200 points: a 10% discount moves about 20 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes
- First published
- 13 Mar 2026, 09:03 GMT
- Last source update
- 23 Jun 2026, 08:56 BST
- Award evaluation window
- 14 Apr 2026 – …
- Authority reference
DN807169- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-058751- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-066924Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 14 Apr 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bid validity
- 120 days from the deadline
- Bids opened
- 14 Apr 2026, 12:05 BST
Timeline
14 Apr 2026 → 23 Jun 2026 · 3 dates- Submission deadline191 days ago14 Apr 2026, 12:00 BST
- Bids opened191 days ago14 Apr 2026, 12:05 BST
- Notice published121 days ago23 Jun 2026, 08:56 BST
Notice history
1 event · 2 releases on Find a Tender- Status changed to complete23 Jun 2026, 08:56 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| FOSTER CARE LINK LIMITEDSME | — | — | Awarded |
| ST CHRISTOPHER'S FELLOWSHIPSME | — | — | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 058751-2026-AT1487 Independent Foster Agencies Provision-1 · FOSTER CARE LINK LIMITEDSME
- Signed
- 23 Jun 2026
- Value
- —
- Status
- active
Contract 058751-2026-AT1487 Independent Foster Agencies Provision-2 · ST CHRISTOPHER'S FELLOWSHIPSME
- Signed
- 23 Jun 2026
- Value
- —
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6bids · 6 electronic | 6 | — | £115,000,000 – £120,000,000 |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
4 public bodies on the noticeConsortium members and other public bodies
- BEDFORD BOROUGH COUNCILContracting authority
- CENTRAL BEDFORDSHIRE COUNCILContracting authority
- HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCILContracting authority
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- HIGH COURT OF JUSTICEReview body
Bidders & participating suppliers
2 commercial parties on the notice- FOSTER CARE LINK LIMITEDAwarded supplier
- ST CHRISTOPHER'S FELLOWSHIPAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.