Breastfeeding Support Service

{
  "id": "030315-2026",
  "tag": [
    "planningUpdate"
  ],
  "date": "2026-04-01T12:26:13+01:00",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-067176",
  "buyer": {
    "id": "GB-NHS-QVV",
    "name": "NHS DORSET INTEGRATED CARE BOARD"
  },
  "tender": {
    "id": "EOI QVV/327",
    "lots": [
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        "id": "1",
        "status": "planning",
        "contractPeriod": {
          "endDate": "2027-04-30T23:59:59+01:00",
          "startDate": "2026-05-01T00:00:00+01:00"
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    "items": [
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        "relatedLot": "1",
        "deliveryAddresses": [
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            "region": "UKK2",
            "country": "GB",
            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
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        "additionalClassifications": [
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            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "Health and social work services"
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    "title": "Breastfeeding Support Service",
    "value": {
      "amount": 61000,
      "currency": "GBP",
      "amountGross": 61000
    },
    "status": "planning",
    "amendments": [
      {
        "id": "030315-2026",
        "description": "Changes made to the Scope section to clarify the desirable requirement for providers to be delivering an existing Dorset‑wide community offer (outside the scope of this EOI) in the Service Specification and provide further clarity and information on the Mandatory Requirement to demonstrate current or previous experience of working in Dorset.\nThe submission deadline in the Engagement section has been extended to 10/04/2026 and the Timeline updated"
      }
    ],
    "legalBasis": {
      "id": "2023/54",
      "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents",
      "scheme": "UKPGA"
    },
    "description": "This Expression of Interest (EOI) seeks information relating to the Breastfeeding Support Service in order to:\n•\tIdentify capable suppliers\n•\tGauge market interest\n•\tDevelop the authorities' requirements and approach to the procurement\nThis is being conducted in line with the\n•\tThe Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023\nContracting terms to be NHS Standard Contract (Short Form)\nContract Term: 1 year\nProposed start date: 01 May 2026 (earliest)\nBudget: £61,000\nSERVICE SPECIFICATION\nThe breastfeeding support service will  provide in person support as part of the early intervention pathway. The Service will support the birthing population and babies of Dorset.\nThe overarching aim of the breastfeeding support service is to strengthen early prevention and improve long term oral health and infant feeding outcomes for families across Dorset. The service will focus on delivering targeted, evidence based breastfeeding support beginning on maternity and neonatal units and continuing into community settings. This approach ensures continuity of care, increases access to timely support, and helps families adopt healthy behaviours from birth. By prioritising prevention, the model aligns with national NHS 10-year plan ambitions to shift the health system away from treatment focused care towards proactive intervention and healthier lifestyles.\nWithin the scope of this contract, the provider is expected to deliver several outcomes that fall wholly within its control. These include improving the availability and quality of infant feeding support on maternity and neonatal units through dedicated peer support workers, increasing the number of support conversations and practical interventions with families, and offering consistent, seamless support from hospital to community settings. The provider will also be responsible for:\n•\tContributing towards increasing breastfeeding initiation and discharge rates\n•\tContributing towards increasing breastfeeding continuation rates\n•\tDelivering targeted face to face support across maternity and neonatal units, providing practical education and advice on breastfeeding that strengthens healthy behaviours and leads to improved short and long-term health and wellbeing outcomes for both women and babies\n•\tImproving service user satisfaction and confidence in relation to breastfeeding support, which will be measured via quarterly reports, in addition to feedback received from Maternity Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) and trust infant feeding leads\nThe service will be delivered on the maternity and neonatal units at Dorset County Hospital and University Hospitals Dorset and integrated with wider prevention pathways, including public health and oral health programmes. Breastfeeding support will contribute to early-prevention objectives and improved oral-health outcomes for children, with outcomes deliverable and measurable within the contract term.\nThe provider will deliver an in-person service for 18 hours per week, per site; working days and times will be agreed with each unit to address identified resource gaps. Delivery must reflect the clinical nature of breastfeeding support, including direct observation, practical guidance, and individualised assessment. The provider must comply with all relevant NHS Trust policies, guidelines, and standard operating procedures for each maternity and neonatal unit.\nThe provider must maintain a competent, appropriately supervised workforce to deliver infant-feeding and breastfeeding support on maternity and neonatal units. Staff must be trained to an accredited standard (OCN Level 2 or Level 3, or equivalent) and have current or previous knowledge and experience of delivering services on maternity and neonatal units.\nThe provider will work in partnership with maternity and neonatal infant feeding teams to support delivery of evidence-based infant-feeding practice in line with UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) standards. Support will be delivered in person on the units and tailored to individual need, ensuring families receive consistent, accurate information and timely assistance. The provider must maintain an up-to-date understanding of local infant-feeding provision across maternity, neonatal, and community services and of the population served, to ensure support is inclusive and responsive to local need.\nIt is desirable that potential providers already deliver a Dorset‑wide community offer that sits outside the scope of this EoI. When combined with the hospital‑based support service (this EoI) this will support the NHS 10‑Year Plan ambition to shift care from hospital to community settings, strengthening early prevention, and ensuring continuity of care following discharge. It's preferable that the community offer that is already being delivered is across multiple locations in both West and East Dorset, with consideration for rurality and areas of deprivation, to ensure fair and consistent access for all service users.\nThe provider will submit quarterly activity and performance reports that include, as a minimum, the number of support conversations, feeding method(s), service user feedback, and demographic monitoring (language, ethnicity, and deprivation), demonstrating monitoring arrangements and adherence to agreed evidence-based practice, and will produce an annual insight summary setting out key themes, learning, and contributions towards improved outcomes. The provider is responsible for staff 1:1 supervision; line management, mandatory training, and for ensuring all staff hold the required accredited training and current DBS checks.\nKEY MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS\n1. The provider must deliver an in-person breastfeeding peer support service on maternity and neonatal units at Dorset County Hospital and University Hospitals Dorset, for 18 hours per week, per site for with the ability to work flexibly with trust infant feeding teams to agree working days/times with each trust site to address identified capacity gaps and strengthen the overall breastfeeding support provision on the units.\n2. The provider must demonstrate current or previous (within the last 2 years) experience of working with maternity and neonatal staff within NHS Trusts in Dorset or delivering breastfeeding support services and advice to Dorset service users.\nThis requirement reflects the significant transformation across Dorset's maternity and neonatal services over the past two years, which means the local context, pathways and service needs differ from neighbouring areas.\nRecent changes in Dorset include:\n- Hospital relocation\n- Expansion of specialist workforce\n- Development of tailored breastfeeding and infant feeding pathways\n- Recruitment of dedicated roles to provide enhanced specialist support\nBecause of these developments, Dorset‑specific experience is essential to ensure that any provider:\n- Has a current and in‑depth understanding of local service users' needs\n- Can complement and strengthen the specialist services already in place\n- Is familiar with existing pathways, configurations and staff teams\n- Can begin delivering support with minimal induction, which is crucial given the limited duration of the 1‑year contract and the need to avoid disruption to care\n3. The provider must have the skills and resource to develop quarterly activity and performance reports that include, as a minimum, the number of support conversations, feeding method(s), service user feedback, and demographic monitoring (including language, ethnicity, and deprivation), demonstrating monitoring arrangements and adherence to agreed evidence-based practice, and will produce an annual insight summary setting out key themes, learning, and contributions to breastfeeding outcomes.\n4. The provider must operate and maintain their own central support functions and systems to ensure the effective delivery of staff one-to-one supervision, line management, and mandatory training. The provider must also ensure that the staff hold the required accredited training (OCN Level 2 or Level 3, or equivalent). and maintain a current DBS check.",
    "mainProcurementCategory": "services"
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  "parties": [
    {
      "id": "GB-NHS-QVV",
      "name": "NHS DORSET INTEGRATED CARE BOARD",
      "roles": [
        "buyer"
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      "address": {
        "region": "UKK25",
        "country": "GB",
        "locality": "Dorchester",
        "postalCode": "DT1 1XJ",
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "streetAddress": "County Hall, Colliton Park"
      },
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      "contactPoint": {
        "email": "dorsetprocurement@nhsdorset.nhs.uk"
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          "scheme": "GB-PPON"
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  "language": "en",
  "planning": {
    "documents": [
      {
        "id": "030315-2026",
        "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030315-2026",
        "format": "text/html",
        "noticeType": "UK2",
        "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
        "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
        "datePublished": "2026-04-01T12:26:13+01:00"
      }
    ],
    "milestones": [
      {
        "id": "engagement",
        "type": "engagement",
        "status": "scheduled",
        "dueDate": "2026-04-10T23:59:59+01:00",
        "description": "NHS Dorset ICB requires information on your capability and capacity to provide a Breastfeeding Support Service.\nPlease advise if you are interested in delivering this service by responding via email to Ellie.Pollock@nhsdorset.nhs.uk and confirming you will be able to deliver requirements described in the Service Specification and can meet the Key Mandatory Requirements detailed in the Scope Section. Please use EOI QVV/327 Breastfeeding Support Service as the email title\nIf you are not interested in delivering this service, please provide reason(s) as this will be valuable feedback for NHS Dorset ICB.\nAt the end of the EOI period responses will be reviewed to determine the procurement strategy and next steps.\nEOI TIMETABLE\n23/03/2026\tPublication of the Expression of Interest\n23/03/2026\tEconomic Operators Clarification period starts\n27/03/2026\tEconomic Operators Clarification period closes\n31/03/2026\tDeadline for the publication of responses to EOI Clarification questions\n10/04/2026\tDeadline for submission of a EOI Response\n13/04/2026- 10/04/2026 \tAnalysis of EOI responses\n15/04/2026\tConfirm next steps to EOI Respondents\nQUESTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS\nPotential Providers may raise questions or seek clarification regarding any aspect of this EOI document at any time prior to the Response Deadline. Questions must be submitted via email to Ellie.Pollock@nhsdorset.nhs.uk Please use EOI QVV/327 Breastfeeding Support Service as the email title.\nTo ensure that all potential Economic Operators have equal access to information regarding this Procurement, responses to questions raised by potential Economic Operators will be published in a questions and answers document, which will be circulated by email.\nResponses to questions will not identify the originator of the question.\nIf a potential Economic Operator wishes to ask a question or seek clarification without the question and answer being published in this way, then the potential Economic Operator must notify NHS Dorset ICB us and provide its justification for withholding the question and any response. If NHS Dorset ICB does not consider that there is sufficient justification for withholding the question and the corresponding response, the potential Economic Operator will be invited to decide whether:\n- the question/clarification and the response should in fact be published; or\n- It wishes to withdraw the question/clarification.\nRIGHT TO CANCEL OR VARY THIS EXPRESSION OF INTEREST\nNHS Dorset ICB reserves the right to:\n- Cancel all or part of this EOI at any stage and at any time;\n- Amend, clarify, add to or withdraw all or part of the EOI at any time\n- Not proceed with a contract award. Nothing shall constitute a commitment to ordering unless NHS Dorset ICB undertake a procurement process that results in the award of a contract.\nGENERAL\nAny and all costs associated with the production of such a response to an EOI must be borne by the potential Economic Operator. We will not contribute in any way to meeting production costs of any response.\nInformation contained within this document is confidential and must not be revealed to any third party without prior written consent from us.\nWe expect that all responses to this EOI will be provided by potential Economic Operator in good faith to the best of their ability in the light of information available at the time of their response.\nGENERAL CONTACT POINT FOR THIS EOI:\nEOI Lead\nName:\tEllie Pollock\nPosition:\tService Improvement Officer\nMaternity- NHS Dorset\nEmail Address:\tEllie.Pollock@nhsdorset.nhs.uk"
      }
    ]
  },
  "initiationType": "tender"
}

{
  "id": "027669-2026",
  "tag": [
    "planningUpdate"
  ],
  "date": "2026-03-26T09:27:40Z",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-067176",
  "buyer": {
    "id": "GB-NHS-QVV",
    "name": "NHS DORSET INTEGRATED CARE BOARD"
  },
  "tender": {
    "id": "EOI QVV/327",
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    "title": "Breastfeeding Support Service",
    "value": {
      "amount": 61000,
      "currency": "GBP",
      "amountGross": 61000
    },
    "status": "planning",
    "amendments": [
      {
        "id": "027669-2026",
        "description": "Contact email address changed in the Engagement section to Ellie.Pollock@nhsdorset.nhs.uk. All responses to go to this email address."
      }
    ],
    "legalBasis": {
      "id": "2023/54",
      "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents",
      "scheme": "UKPGA"
    },
    "description": "This Expression of Interest (EOI) seeks information relating to the Breastfeeding Support Service in order to:\n•\tIdentify capable suppliers\n•\tGauge market interest\n•\tDevelop the authorities' requirements and approach to the procurement\nThis is being conducted in line with the\n•\tThe Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023\nContracting terms to be NHS Standard Contract (Short Form)\nContract Term: 1 year\nProposed start date: 01 May 2026 (earliest)\nBudget: £61,000\nSERVICE SPECIFICATION\nThe breastfeeding support service will  provide in person support as part of the early intervention pathway. The Service will support the birthing population and babies of Dorset.\nThe overarching aim of the breastfeeding support service is to strengthen early prevention and improve long term oral health and infant feeding outcomes for families across Dorset. The service will focus on delivering targeted, evidence based breastfeeding support beginning on maternity and neonatal units and continuing into community settings. This approach ensures continuity of care, increases access to timely support, and helps families adopt healthy behaviours from birth. By prioritising prevention, the model aligns with national NHS 10-year plan ambitions to shift the health system away from treatment focused care towards proactive intervention and healthier lifestyles.\nWithin the scope of this contract, the provider is expected to deliver several outcomes that fall wholly within its control. These include improving the availability and quality of infant feeding support on maternity and neonatal units through dedicated peer support workers, increasing the number of support conversations and practical interventions with families, and offering consistent, seamless support from hospital to community settings. The provider will also be responsible for:\n•\tContributing towards increasing breastfeeding initiation and discharge rates\n•\tContributing towards increasing breastfeeding continuation rates\n•\tDelivering targeted face to face support across maternity and neonatal units, providing practical education and advice on breastfeeding that strengthens healthy behaviours and leads to improved short and long-term health and wellbeing outcomes for both women and babies\n•\tImproving service user satisfaction and confidence in relation to breastfeeding support, which will be measured via quarterly reports, in addition to feedback received from Maternity Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) and trust infant feeding leads\nThe service will be delivered on the maternity and neonatal units at Dorset County Hospital and University Hospitals Dorset and integrated with wider prevention pathways, including public health and oral health programmes. Breastfeeding support will contribute to early-prevention objectives and improved oral-health outcomes for children, with outcomes deliverable and measurable within the contract term.\nThe provider will deliver an in-person service for 18 hours per week, per site; working days and times will be agreed with each unit to address identified resource gaps. Delivery must reflect the clinical nature of breastfeeding support, including direct observation, practical guidance, and individualised assessment. The provider must comply with all relevant NHS Trust policies, guidelines, and standard operating procedures for each maternity and neonatal unit.\nThe provider must maintain a competent, appropriately supervised workforce to deliver infant-feeding and breastfeeding support on maternity and neonatal units. Staff must be trained to an accredited standard (OCN Level 2 or Level 3, or equivalent) and have current or previous knowledge and experience of delivering services on maternity and neonatal units.\nThe provider will work in partnership with maternity and neonatal infant feeding teams to support delivery of evidence-based infant-feeding practice in line with UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) standards. Support will be delivered in person on the units and tailored to individual need, ensuring families receive consistent, accurate information and timely assistance. The provider must maintain an up-to-date understanding of local infant-feeding provision across maternity, neonatal, and community services and of the population served, to ensure support is inclusive and responsive to local need.\nThe provider must also operate an equitable and accessible Dorset-wide community offer. This community offer must support the ambition of the NHS 10-Year Plan to shift from hospital to community, supporting early prevention, and ensuring continuity of care following discharge. The provider's community offer must span multiple locations across West and East Dorset, taking account of rurality and areas of deprivation to ensure consistent and fair access for all service users.\nThe provider will submit quarterly activity and performance reports that include, as a minimum, the number of support conversations, feeding method(s), service user feedback, and demographic monitoring (language, ethnicity, and deprivation), demonstrating monitoring arrangements and adherence to agreed evidence-based practice, and will produce an annual insight summary setting out key themes, learning, and contributions towards improved outcomes. The provider is responsible for staff 1:1 supervision; line management, mandatory training, and for ensuring all staff hold the required accredited training and current DBS checks.\nKEY MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS\n1. The provider must deliver an in-person breastfeeding peer support service on maternity and neonatal units at Dorset County Hospital and University Hospitals Dorset, for 18 hours per week, per site for with the ability to work flexibly with trust infant feeding teams to agree working days/times with each trust site to address identified capacity gaps and strengthen the overall breastfeeding support provision on the units.\n2. The provider must demonstrate current or previous (within the last 2 years) experience of working with maternity and neonatal staff within NHS Trusts in Dorset, delivering breastfeeding support services and advice to service users.\n3. The provider must have the skills and resource to develop quarterly activity and performance reports that include, as a minimum, the number of support conversations, feeding method(s), service user feedback, and demographic monitoring (including language, ethnicity, and deprivation), demonstrating monitoring arrangements and adherence to agreed evidence-based practice, and will produce an annual insight summary setting out key themes, learning, and contributions to breastfeeding outcomes.\n4. The provider must operate and maintain their own central support functions and systems to ensure the effective delivery of staff one-to-one supervision, line management, and mandatory training. The provider must also ensure that the staff hold the required accredited training (OCN Level 2 or Level 3, or equivalent). and maintain a current DBS check.",
    "mainProcurementCategory": "services"
  },
  "parties": [
    {
      "id": "GB-NHS-QVV",
      "name": "NHS DORSET INTEGRATED CARE BOARD",
      "roles": [
        "buyer"
      ],
      "address": {
        "region": "UKK25",
        "country": "GB",
        "locality": "Dorchester",
        "postalCode": "DT1 1XJ",
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "streetAddress": "County Hall, Colliton Park"
      },
      "details": {
        "classifications": [
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            "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
            "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
            "description": "Public authority - central government"
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      "identifier": {
        "id": "QVV",
        "scheme": "GB-NHS"
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  "language": "en",
  "planning": {
    "documents": [
      {
        "id": "027669-2026",
        "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/027669-2026",
        "format": "text/html",
        "noticeType": "UK2",
        "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
        "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
        "datePublished": "2026-03-26T09:27:40Z"
      }
    ],
    "milestones": [
      {
        "id": "engagement",
        "type": "engagement",
        "status": "scheduled",
        "dueDate": "2026-04-07T23:59:59+01:00",
        "description": "NHS Dorset ICB requires information on your capability and capacity to provide a Breastfeeding Support Service.\nPlease advise if you are interested in delivering this service by responding via email to Ellie.Pollock@nhsdorset.nhs.uk and confirming you will be able to deliver requirements described in the Service Specification and can meet the Key Mandatory Requirements detailed in the Scope Section. Please use EOI QVV/327 Breastfeeding Support Service as the email title\nIf you are not interested in delivering this service, please provide reason(s) as this will be valuable feedback for NHS Dorset ICB.\nAt the end of the EOI period responses will be reviewed to determine the procurement strategy and next steps.\nEOI TIMETABLE\n23/03/2026\tPublication of the Expression of Interest\n23/03/2026\tEconomic Operators Clarification period starts\n27/03/2026\tEconomic Operators Clarification period closes\n31/03/2026\tDeadline for the publication of responses to EOI Clarification questions\n07/04/2026\tDeadline for submission of a EOI Response\n07/04/2026- 10/04/2026 \tAnalysis of EOI responses\n13/04/2026\tConfirm next steps to EOI Respondents\nQUESTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS\nPotential Providers may raise questions or seek clarification regarding any aspect of this EOI document at any time prior to the Response Deadline. Questions must be submitted via email to Ellie.Pollock@nhsdorset.nhs.uk Please use EOI QVV/327 Breastfeeding Support Service as the email title.\nTo ensure that all potential Economic Operators have equal access to information regarding this Procurement, responses to questions raised by potential Economic Operators will be published in a questions and answers document, which will be circulated by email.\nResponses to questions will not identify the originator of the question.\nIf a potential Economic Operator wishes to ask a question or seek clarification without the question and answer being published in this way, then the potential Economic Operator must notify NHS Dorset ICB us and provide its justification for withholding the question and any response. If NHS Dorset ICB does not consider that there is sufficient justification for withholding the question and the corresponding response, the potential Economic Operator will be invited to decide whether:\n- the question/clarification and the response should in fact be published; or\n- It wishes to withdraw the question/clarification.\nRIGHT TO CANCEL OR VARY THIS EXPRESSION OF INTEREST\nNHS Dorset ICB reserves the right to:\n- Cancel all or part of this EOI at any stage and at any time;\n- Amend, clarify, add to or withdraw all or part of the EOI at any time\n- Not proceed with a contract award. Nothing shall constitute a commitment to ordering unless NHS Dorset ICB undertake a procurement process that results in the award of a contract.\nGENERAL\nAny and all costs associated with the production of such a response to an EOI must be borne by the potential Economic Operator. We will not contribute in any way to meeting production costs of any response.\nInformation contained within this document is confidential and must not be revealed to any third party without prior written consent from us.\nWe expect that all responses to this EOI will be provided by potential Economic Operator in good faith to the best of their ability in the light of information available at the time of their response.\nGENERAL CONTACT POINT FOR THIS EOI:\nEOI Lead\nName:\tEllie Pollock\nPosition:\tService Improvement Officer\nMaternity- NHS Dorset\nEmail Address:\tEllie.Pollock@nhsdorset.nhs.uk"
      }
    ]
  },
  "initiationType": "tender"
}

{
  "id": "026296-2026",
  "tag": [
    "planning"
  ],
  "date": "2026-03-23T14:01:35Z",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-067176",
  "buyer": {
    "id": "GB-NHS-QVV",
    "name": "NHS DORSET INTEGRATED CARE BOARD"
  },
  "tender": {
    "id": "EOI QVV/327",
    "lots": [
      {
        "id": "1",
        "status": "planning",
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          "endDate": "2027-04-30T23:59:59+01:00",
          "startDate": "2026-05-01T00:00:00+01:00"
        }
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    "items": [
      {
        "id": "1",
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        "deliveryAddresses": [
          {
            "region": "UKK2",
            "country": "GB",
            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
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        "additionalClassifications": [
          {
            "id": "85000000",
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "Health and social work services"
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    ],
    "title": "Breastfeeding Support Service",
    "value": {
      "amount": 61000,
      "currency": "GBP",
      "amountGross": 61000
    },
    "status": "planning",
    "legalBasis": {
      "id": "2023/54",
      "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents",
      "scheme": "UKPGA"
    },
    "description": "This Expression of Interest (EOI) seeks information relating to the Breastfeeding Support Service in order to:\n•\tIdentify capable suppliers\n•\tGauge market interest \n•\tDevelop the authorities' requirements and approach to the procurement\nThis is being conducted in line with the \n•\tThe Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 \nContracting terms to be NHS Standard Contract (Short Form)\nContract Term: 1 year\nProposed start date: 01 May 2026 (earliest)\nBudget: £61,000\nSERVICE SPECIFICATION\nThe breastfeeding support service will  provide in person support as part of the early intervention pathway. The Service will support the birthing population and babies of Dorset.\nThe overarching aim of the breastfeeding support service is to strengthen early prevention and improve long term oral health and infant feeding outcomes for families across Dorset. The service will focus on delivering targeted, evidence based breastfeeding support beginning on maternity and neonatal units and continuing into community settings. This approach ensures continuity of care, increases access to timely support, and helps families adopt healthy behaviours from birth. By prioritising prevention, the model aligns with national NHS 10-year plan ambitions to shift the health system away from treatment focused care towards proactive intervention and healthier lifestyles.\nWithin the scope of this contract, the provider is expected to deliver several outcomes that fall wholly within its control. These include improving the availability and quality of infant feeding support on maternity and neonatal units through dedicated peer support workers, increasing the number of support conversations and practical interventions with families, and offering consistent, seamless support from hospital to community settings. The provider will also be responsible for:\n•\tContributing towards increasing breastfeeding initiation and discharge rates\n•\tContributing towards increasing breastfeeding continuation rates\n•\tDelivering targeted face to face support across maternity and neonatal units, providing practical education and advice on breastfeeding that strengthens healthy behaviours and leads to improved short and long-term health and wellbeing outcomes for both women and babies\n•\tImproving service user satisfaction and confidence in relation to breastfeeding support, which will be measured via quarterly reports, in addition to feedback received from Maternity Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) and trust infant feeding leads\nThe service will be delivered on the maternity and neonatal units at Dorset County Hospital and University Hospitals Dorset and integrated with wider prevention pathways, including public health and oral health programmes. Breastfeeding support will contribute to early-prevention objectives and improved oral-health outcomes for children, with outcomes deliverable and measurable within the contract term.\nThe provider will deliver an in-person service for 18 hours per week, per site; working days and times will be agreed with each unit to address identified resource gaps. Delivery must reflect the clinical nature of breastfeeding support, including direct observation, practical guidance, and individualised assessment. The provider must comply with all relevant NHS Trust policies, guidelines, and standard operating procedures for each maternity and neonatal unit.\nThe provider must maintain a competent, appropriately supervised workforce to deliver infant-feeding and breastfeeding support on maternity and neonatal units. Staff must be trained to an accredited standard (OCN Level 2 or Level 3, or equivalent) and have current or previous knowledge and experience of delivering services on maternity and neonatal units.\nThe provider will work in partnership with maternity and neonatal infant feeding teams to support delivery of evidence-based infant-feeding practice in line with UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) standards. Support will be delivered in person on the units and tailored to individual need, ensuring families receive consistent, accurate information and timely assistance. The provider must maintain an up-to-date understanding of local infant-feeding provision across maternity, neonatal, and community services and of the population served, to ensure support is inclusive and responsive to local need.\nThe provider must also operate an equitable and accessible Dorset-wide community offer. This community offer must support the ambition of the NHS 10-Year Plan to shift from hospital to community, supporting early prevention, and ensuring continuity of care following discharge. The provider's community offer must span multiple locations across West and East Dorset, taking account of rurality and areas of deprivation to ensure consistent and fair access for all service users.\nThe provider will submit quarterly activity and performance reports that include, as a minimum, the number of support conversations, feeding method(s), service user feedback, and demographic monitoring (language, ethnicity, and deprivation), demonstrating monitoring arrangements and adherence to agreed evidence-based practice, and will produce an annual insight summary setting out key themes, learning, and contributions towards improved outcomes. The provider is responsible for staff 1:1 supervision; line management, mandatory training, and for ensuring all staff hold the required accredited training and current DBS checks.\nKEY MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS\n1. The provider must deliver an in-person breastfeeding peer support service on maternity and neonatal units at Dorset County Hospital and University Hospitals Dorset, for 18 hours per week, per site for with the ability to work flexibly with trust infant feeding teams to agree working days/times with each trust site to address identified capacity gaps and strengthen the overall breastfeeding support provision on the units.\n2. The provider must demonstrate current or previous (within the last 2 years) experience of working with maternity and neonatal staff within NHS Trusts in Dorset, delivering breastfeeding support services and advice to service users. \n3. The provider must have the skills and resource to develop quarterly activity and performance reports that include, as a minimum, the number of support conversations, feeding method(s), service user feedback, and demographic monitoring (including language, ethnicity, and deprivation), demonstrating monitoring arrangements and adherence to agreed evidence-based practice, and will produce an annual insight summary setting out key themes, learning, and contributions to breastfeeding outcomes. \n4. The provider must operate and maintain their own central support functions and systems to ensure the effective delivery of staff one-to-one supervision, line management, and mandatory training. The provider must also ensure that the staff hold the required accredited training (OCN Level 2 or Level 3, or equivalent). and maintain a current DBS check.",
    "mainProcurementCategory": "services"
  },
  "parties": [
    {
      "id": "GB-NHS-QVV",
      "name": "NHS DORSET INTEGRATED CARE BOARD",
      "roles": [
        "buyer"
      ],
      "address": {
        "region": "UKK25",
        "country": "GB",
        "locality": "Dorchester",
        "postalCode": "DT1 1XJ",
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "streetAddress": "County Hall, Colliton Park"
      },
      "details": {
        "classifications": [
          {
            "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
            "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
            "description": "Public authority - central government"
          }
        ]
      },
      "identifier": {
        "id": "QVV",
        "scheme": "GB-NHS"
      },
      "contactPoint": {
        "email": "dorsetprocurement@nhsdorset.nhs.uk"
      },
      "additionalIdentifiers": [
        {
          "id": "PGWM-4538-ZGJR",
          "scheme": "GB-PPON"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "planning": {
    "documents": [
      {
        "id": "026296-2026",
        "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026296-2026",
        "format": "text/html",
        "noticeType": "UK2",
        "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
        "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
        "datePublished": "2026-03-23T14:01:35Z"
      }
    ],
    "milestones": [
      {
        "id": "engagement",
        "type": "engagement",
        "status": "scheduled",
        "dueDate": "2026-04-07T23:59:59+01:00",
        "description": "NHS Dorset ICB requires information on your capability and capacity to provide a Breastfeeding Support Service. \nPlease advise if you are interested in delivering this service by responding via email to f6a2209f.nhsdorsetccg.onmicrosoft.com@uk.teams.ms and confirming you will be able to deliver requirements described in the Service Specification and can meet the Key Mandatory Requirements detailed in the Scope Section. Please use EOI QVV/327 Breastfeeding Support Service as the email title\nIf you are not interested in delivering this service, please provide reason(s) as this will be valuable feedback for NHS Dorset ICB.\nAt the end of the EOI period responses will be reviewed to determine the procurement strategy and next steps. \nEOI TIMETABLE \n23/03/2026\tPublication of the Expression of Interest\n23/03/2026\tEconomic Operators Clarification period starts\n27/03/2026\tEconomic Operators Clarification period closes\n31/03/2026\tDeadline for the publication of responses to EOI Clarification questions\n07/04/2026\tDeadline for submission of a EOI Response\n07/04/2026- 10/04/2026 \tAnalysis of EOI responses\n13/04/2026\tConfirm next steps to EOI Respondents\nQUESTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS \nPotential Providers may raise questions or seek clarification regarding any aspect of this EOI document at any time prior to the Response Deadline. Questions must be submitted via email to f6a2209f.nhsdorsetccg.onmicrosoft.com@uk.teams.ms. Please use EOI QVV/327 Breastfeeding Support Service as the email title.\nTo ensure that all potential Economic Operators have equal access to information regarding this Procurement, responses to questions raised by potential Economic Operators will be published in a questions and answers document, which will be circulated by email.\nResponses to questions will not identify the originator of the question.\nIf a potential Economic Operator wishes to ask a question or seek clarification without the question and answer being published in this way, then the potential Economic Operator must notify NHS Dorset ICB us and provide its justification for withholding the question and any response. If NHS Dorset ICB does not consider that there is sufficient justification for withholding the question and the corresponding response, the potential Economic Operator will be invited to decide whether:\n- the question/clarification and the response should in fact be published; or\n- It wishes to withdraw the question/clarification.\nRIGHT TO CANCEL OR VARY THIS EXPRESSION OF INTEREST\nNHS Dorset ICB reserves the right to:\n- Cancel all or part of this EOI at any stage and at any time;\n- Amend, clarify, add to or withdraw all or part of the EOI at any time\n- Not proceed with a contract award. Nothing shall constitute a commitment to ordering unless NHS Dorset ICB undertake a procurement process that results in the award of a contract.\nGENERAL\nAny and all costs associated with the production of such a response to an EOI must be borne by the potential Economic Operator. We will not contribute in any way to meeting production costs of any response.\nInformation contained within this document is confidential and must not be revealed to any third party without prior written consent from us.\nWe expect that all responses to this EOI will be provided by potential Economic Operator in good faith to the best of their ability in the light of information available at the time of their response.\nGENERAL CONTACT POINT FOR THIS EOI:\nEOI Lead\nName:\tEllie Pollock\nPosition:\tService Improvement Officer\nMaternity- NHS Dorset\nEmail Address:\tEllie.Pollock@nhsdorset.nhs.uk"
      }
    ]
  },
  "initiationType": "tender"
}