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Published 29 Jan 2026, 16:34 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

Empowering Families · UK public procurement notice

Official notice

Authority: Southend-on-Sea City Council (Local council)

ServicesBelow threshold - open competitionBelow thresholdLight touch regimeSME suitableVCSE suitable
Sectors: Health & Social Care (85)Community & Cultural Services (98) Delivery: East of England (UKH31)
Published estimate£200,000≈ £109k / year · £200,000 inc. VAT · 1 value update23.5% below published estimate
Submissions closed 3 Mar 2026awarded 24 Apr 2026
Awarded to Volunteering Matters
Contract term 1 yr 10 moends 31 Mar 2028 · up to 31 Mar 2029 with extensions · starts 1 Jun 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Southend-on-Sea City Council have awarded to Volunteering Matters to deliver a volunteer mentor service for vulnerable families in the Southend-on-Sea City area.

The contract duration is as follows: 1st June 2026 - 31st March 2028 (with option to extend to up to 31st March 2029).

Volunteer Mentors for a minimum of 50 vulnerable families across a 12-month period. The number of matched mentors and families may increase dependent on demand and changing needs. The expectation is that volunteer mentors will commit to at least one

year of weekly engagement with the Service Provider. They will have at least one contact with a family in any given week of an average engagement, dependent on identified needs and the family's progress.

CPV: Other community, social and personal services · Social work and related services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1AwardedRenewal 1 yr 10 moSMEVCSEPublished value£200,000
Contract period: 1 Jun 2026 – 31 Mar 2028 (1 yr 10 mo) · up to 31 Mar 2029 with extensionsValue: £200,000 exc. VAT · £200,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: East of EnglandEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible
Extensions: One (1) twelve month extension following the initial term.
85300000 Social work and related services98000000 Other community, social and personal services

What it takes to win
i

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 more
How bids were scored
Quality: 70%Price: 30%
Published sub-criteria (2)
  • Technical Questionnaire: 70%
  • Commercial Questionnaire: 30%
Published award criteria (2)
  • Technical Questionnaire: 70% Overall Score Quality responses relating to added value and social value.
  • Commercial Questionnaire: 30% Overall Score Costs submitted by Bidders which are then ranked as per the ITT Document.
What this means for your bid
  • 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
Procedure method
Below threshold - open competition
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Awarded
Procurement threshold
Below threshold
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
29 Jan 2026, 16:34 GMT
Last source update
28 Sept 2026, 10:55 BST
Authority reference
DN806229
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-011729
Latest notice
Contract details notice (UK7)
Classification (CPV)
Other community, social and personal servicesSocial work and related services
Delivery area
East of England (UKH31)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-061269 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: portal not identified
Electronic submission allowed
Submission deadline
3 Mar 2026, 15:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
24 Feb 2026, 15:00 GMT
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

procurement.southend.gov.uk ↗

Please complete your tender submission in full and ensure it is received by the stated Tender Submission deadline to Southend City Council's procurement portal procontract.due-north.com ↗ - Procurement Ref:DN806229 Commissioning - Empowering Families (Family Mentor Service)

Timeline

29 Jan 2026 → 28 Sept 2026 · 8 dates
  1. Planning notice published266 days ago
    29 Jan 2026, 16:34 GMT
  2. Market engagement261 days ago
    2 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT

    Please contact [email protected] should you wish to express an interest in this tender opportunity.

  3. Next notice expected259 days ago
    4 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
  4. Tender notice published254 days ago
    10 Feb 2026, 11:02 GMT
  5. Clarification questions by240 days ago
    24 Feb 2026, 15:00 GMT
  6. Submission deadline233 days ago
    3 Mar 2026, 15:00 GMT
  7. Contract starts143 days ago
    1 Jun 2026, 00:00 BST
  8. Latest notice published24 days ago
    28 Sept 2026, 10:55 BST

Notice history

10 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 29 Jan 2026
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    29 Jan 2026, 16:34 GMT
    UK2
  2. Tender notice published
    10 Feb 2026, 11:02 GMT
    UK4
  3. Published value published: £200,000
    10 Feb 2026, 11:02 GMT
  4. Status changed to active
    10 Feb 2026, 11:02 GMT
  5. Procurement method changed
    10 Feb 2026, 11:02 GMT
  6. Deadline published: 3 Mar 2026, 15:00 GMT
    10 Feb 2026, 11:02 GMT
  7. Contract award notice published
    24 Apr 2026, 16:01 BST
    UK6
  8. Status changed to complete
    24 Apr 2026, 16:01 BST
  9. Contract signature expected
    11 May 2026, 23:59 BST
    scheduled
  10. Contract details notice published
    28 Sept 2026, 10:55 BST
    UK7
Routine re-releases (4)
  • 2026-01: 1 release · 29 Jan 2026

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 1
Awarded value £153,0761 award exc. VAT
Bids received 55 from SMEs
Contracts signed 1latest 1 Jun 2026
Awarded toValueDateStatus
Volunteering MattersSME1 Jun 2026 – 31 Mar 2028 · up to 31 Mar 2029Extensions: Additional 1 year extension may be utilised depending on performance, demand and budget.£153,07624 Apr 2026Awarded

Contracts

  • Contract 1 · Volunteering MattersSME

    Signed
    1 Jun 2026
    Value
    £153,076
    Period
    1 Jun 2026 – 31 Mar 2028 · up to 31 Mar 2029 with extensions
    Status
    active
    Extensions
    Additional 1 year extension may be utilised depending on performance, demand and budget

Bid statistics published by the authority

BidsSMEVCSEValid bid range
5final-stage tenders50—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Southend-on-Sea City Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PJDT-6566-GZNX Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend On Sea, Essex, Southend-on-Sea, East of England, SS2 6FAContact email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice
  • VOLUNTEERING MATTERSAwarded supplierGB-CHC: 291222GB-COH: 01435877 The Levy Centre, London, London, E5 0PDContact email

Official documents & specifications (6)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Technical specifications tenderTechnical specificationsPlease complete your tender submission in full and ensure it is received by the stated Tender Submission deadline to Southend City Council's procurement portal https://procontract.due-north.com/ - Procurement Ref: DN806229 Commissioning - Empowering Families (Family Mentor Servic…
  • Bidding documents and specifications tenderBidding documents and specificationsPlease complete your tender submission in full and ensure it is received by the stated Tender Submission deadline to Southend City Council's procurement portal https://procontract.due-north.com/ - Procurement Ref: DN806229 Commissioning - Empowering Families (Family Mentor Servic…

Notices published for this procedure