Find a TenderPlanned procurementPreliminary market engagement notice

Published 8 Sept 2026, 09:50 BST

Official UK procurement notice

CBC-2138-RFI-SK ( Request for Information) Social Isolation and Loneliness)

Official notice

Competition analysis

Authority: Central Bedfordshire Council (Local council)

ServicesLight touch regimeSME suitableVCSE suitable

Sectors: Health & Social Care (85) Delivery: East of England (UKH25)

Planned pipeline valueValue not publishedpipeline notice, not a live tender

Tender notice expected 1 Nov 2026from the planned procurement notice

Contract term 1 yrends 31 Mar 2028 · up to 1 Apr 2029 with extensions · starts 1 Apr 2027

Notice summaryFrom the published notice

Central Bedfordshire Council is undertaking a Request for Information (RFI) to inform the future commissioning of a Social Isolation and Loneliness Service. The purpose of this RFI is to engage with the market, gather information on potential service delivery models, and understand supplier capability and innovation.

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The proposed service will support adults experiencing loneliness, social isolation, or reduced community engagement through outreach, befriending, signposting, wellbeing activities, and community-based interventions. The service aims to improve social connectedness, enhance wellbeing, increase access to local support and services, and enable individuals to live independently within their communities.

This RFI does not constitute a call for competition and is intended solely to inform future procurement activity.

CPV: Community health services · Guidance and counselling services · Social work services · Welfare services for the elderly · Welfare services not delivered through residential institutions

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published

Lot #1PlannedRenewal 1 yrSMEVCSE

Contract period: 1 Apr 2027 – 31 Mar 2028 (1 yr) · up to 1 Apr 2029 with extensions

Delivery: East of EnglandEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible

Extensions: Extension options published

85310000 Social work services 85311100 Welfare services for the elderly 85312300 Guidance and counselling services 85312400 Welfare services not delivered through residential institutions 85323000 Community health services

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published

How Central Bedfordshire Council buys Social work services (CPV 8531), and who usually turns up

Central Bedfordshire Council’s published record next to the market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Social work services (CPV 8531) →

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bid

This buyerCentral Bedfordshire Council · division 85

The marketSocial work services (CPV 8531) · East of England

What to do with it

How often do SMEs win?

The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.

Buyer: 10 of 13 known-size awards · market: CPV 8531 · East of England, n=119

77%50%

Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.

How often do local suppliers win?

Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered. The market figure counts awards delivered in East of England.

Buyer: 2 of 4 known-location awards · market: CPV 8531 · East of England, n=137

2 of 449%

Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered in the region where that award was delivered.

How long to a decision?

Buyer: no decision dates published · market: CPV 8531 · East of England, n=36

—60 days

Half of these awards have an award date within 60 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?

The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.

Buyer: exactly 2 of 8 procurements with awards had no recorded rival · market: CPV 8531 · East of England, n=144

25%54%

Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.

How many bids did past lots attract?

This buyer6 lots with bid counts · broad CPV 85

0% had one bid

The market56 lots with bid counts · CPV 8531 · East of England

27% had one bid

% of lots with a published bid count: this buyer (6) / the market (56) · select a colour for counts

1 bid0% / 27%

Buyer: 0 of 6 lots with published bid counts. Market: 15 of 56 lots with published bid counts.

2–333% / 18%

Buyer: 2 of 6 lots with published bid counts. Market: 10 of 56 lots with published bid counts.

4–633% / 30%

Buyer: 2 of 6 lots with published bid counts. Market: 17 of 56 lots with published bid counts.

7+33% / 25%

Buyer: 2 of 6 lots with published bid counts. Market: 14 of 56 lots with published bid counts.

How did awards compare with estimates?

This buyer19 lots with estimate and award · all categories

32% below estimate

The market40 lots with estimate and award · CPV 8531 · East of England

48% below estimate

% of lots with an estimate and award: this buyer (19) / the market (40) · select a colour for counts

Below estimate32% / 48%

Buyer: 6 of 19 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 19 of 40 lots with an estimate and award.

Within ±2%53% / 43%

Buyer: 10 of 19 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 17 of 40 lots with an estimate and award.

Above estimate16% / 10%

Buyer: 3 of 19 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 4 of 40 lots with an estimate and award.

Assess each lot
i

Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list

Lot #1CPV 8512 monthsSME suitableEstimate not published

This lot lists more than one class in CPV 85. The comparison uses that group.

Expected competition

Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 277 past lots.

—No model forecast yet18% chance of a single bid

Past bids on 277 similar lots

1 bid18%

50 of 277 similar past lots received 1 bid (18%).

2–331%

85 of 277 similar past lots received 2–3 (31%).

4–630%

83 of 277 similar past lots received 4–6 (30%).

7+21%

59 of 277 similar past lots received 7+ (21%).

Comparable past lots usually drew 4 bids.

Commercial price forecast

No comparable awards for this lot yet.

—Estimate not published

The buyer published no estimate for this lot, so there is nothing to forecast against. A price prediction here would be a number about a number we do not have.

Who has supplied this buyer on similar work?
i

No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.

Who could compete for this lot?
i

Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.

About this data

Estimates, labelled. The price range, possible competitors and earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards, not published facts, win chances or price advice. The buyer’s own record and the wider market are shown apart, never mixed.
Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender and Contracts Finder), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0, updated through the day and rebuilt nightly. Not every figure uses both feeds, and each one shows how many records it rests on: see the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

Coming up in this sector

Contracts ending within 12 months · Retender Radar, sector filter set

Contracts ending in Health & Social CareRetender Radar, CPV 85: incumbents and end dates for the next 12 months

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record

Legal basis: UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category: Services
Notice status: Planned procurement
Procurement threshold: Unspecified in notice
Regulatory regime: Light touch regime
Commercial structure: Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type: Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered: Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement: Unspecified in notice
First published: 8 Sept 2026, 09:50 BST
Last source update: 8 Sept 2026, 09:50 BST
Authority reference: CBC-2138-RFI-SK
FTS notice number: 2026/S 000-084715
Latest notice: Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
Classification (CPV): Community health servicesGuidance and counselling servicesSocial work servicesWelfare services for the elderlyWelfare services not delivered through residential institutions
Delivery area: East of England (UKH25)
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06f42e Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice

Submission deadline: —

Timeline

8 Sept 2026 → 1 Apr 2027 · 4 dates

Planning notice published67 days ago
8 Sept 2026, 09:50 BST
Market engagement50 days ago
25 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
Interested organisations are invited to complete and submit the RFI questionnaire via the In-Tend portal by the stated deadline. Responses will be used to inform the Council's understanding of the market and potential future procurement options. Participation is voluntary and does not form part of any formal procurement or evaluation process.
Tender notice expected12 days ago
1 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
Today
14 Nov 2026
Contract startsin 136 days
1 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender

Preliminary market engagement notice published
8 Sept 2026, 09:50 BST
UK2

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Pipeline notice

Awards (0): No award published
Contracts (0): No contract published
Bid statistics: No aggregate bid statistics published

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Central Bedfordshire Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PVNH-1137-QJBX Priory House, Monks Walk, Chicksands, Shefford, East of England, SG17 5TQContact name, email, phone

Official documents & specifications (1)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

Preliminary market engagement notice planningPreliminary market engagement noticeUK2Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender8 Sept 2026, 09:50 BST