Official UK procurement notice
DOL - Children's Services Advocacy Support and Legal Representation
Authority: Scottish Government (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Scottish Government has awarded a contract to provide a demand led service for both Advocacy Support and Legal Advice service to children, aged 12-15.
The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (2004 Act) provides the legal framework for the provision of additional support for learning. The Education (Scotland) Act 2016 (2016 Act) amends the 2004 Act to provide that children (aged between 12-15 with capacity) can access certain rights conferred on them by the 2004 Act.
CPV: Legal representation services · Legal services · Welfare services for children and young people
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1This service provision consists of the management/ administration and delivery of the…AwardedRenewal
This service provision consists of the management/ administration and delivery of the following:
- Advocacy support – to support children to prepare to use their rights, use their rights and understand the outcome of using their rights, and to support children to understand the outcome where their parents have used their rights in relation to the child.
- Legal representation – to provide advice and representation in support of children using their rights to make a reference to the Additional Support Needs jurisdiction of the Health and Education Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (ASN Tribunal).
These must be able to be delivered in partnership with the Advice and Information service provided by Enquire and the service which seeks children’s views. All organisations involved in delivering the four elements of the service will work collaboratively to support children in accessing their rights, in relation to additional support for learning.
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 award criteria (2)
- Quality: 70
- Price: 30
- Suitability
For the Advocacy requirement, the Service Provider is a full member of the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance (SIAA) and agrees to abide by the SIAA Principles and Standards for Independent Advocacy and the SIAA Code of Practice for Independent Advocacy.
For the Legal Representation service, the Service Provider holds a legal qualification which is compliant with Scots Law and is a qualified solicitor (LLB plus Diploma in Professional Legal Practice) and a member of the Law Society of Scotland. The Service Provider is regulated by the Law Society for Scotland.
- Economic & financial standing
Financial Ratio
Insurances
Minimum: Financial Ratio - Current Ratio is equal to or greater than 1.0 (Current Assist / Current Liabilities Insurances Professional Indemnity 2,000,000 GBP Public Liability 2,000,000 GBP Employers Liability 2,000,000 GBP - Technical & professional ability
4C.4 - Supply Chain Management/Tracking Systems Used
4C.7 - Environmental Management Measures
4C.10 - Proportion (%) to be Sub-Contracted
Minimum: 4C.4 - If bidders intend to use a supply chain to deliver the requirements detailed in the Contract Notice, they should confirm they have (or have access to) the relevant supply chain management and tracking systems to ensure a resilient and sustainable supply chain. This will in…
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- 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
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 16 Dec 2025, 14:48 GMT
- Last source update
- 11 Mar 2026, 14:02 GMT
- Award evaluation window
- 20 Jan 2026 – …
- Authority reference
799886- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-021797- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f6e1Find a Tender
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed
Publisher note: The commitment has been made by the contractor, as part of a package of Fair Work Practices, to pay staff involved with the delivery of this contract the rate the real Living Wage, the rate set independently and updated annually by the Living Wage Foundation. (SC Ref:826289)
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 20 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bid validity
- 180 days from the deadline
- Bids opened
- 20 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
Timeline
20 Jan 2026 → 11 Mar 2026 · 3 dates- Submission deadline273 days ago20 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Bids opened273 days ago20 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Notice published223 days ago11 Mar 2026, 14:02 GMT
Notice history
1 event · 2 releases on Find a Tender- Status changed to complete11 Mar 2026, 14:02 GMT
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partners in AdvocacySME | £1,241,350 † | — | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 021797-2026-799886-1 · Partners in AdvocacySME
- Signed
- 6 Mar 2026
- Value
- £1,241,350
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1bids · 1 electronic | 1 | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Edinburgh Sheriff CourtReview body
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Partners in AdvocacyAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.