Find a TenderPlanned procurementPreliminary market engagement notice
Published 25 Sept 2026, 08:03 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme

Authority: Cumberland Council (Local council)

ServicesLight touch regimeSME suitableVCSE suitable
Planned pipeline valueValue not publishedpipeline notice, not a live tender
Tender notice expected Date not publishedfrom the planned procurement notice
Contract term 2 yrsends 1 Apr 2029 · up to 1 Apr 2031 with extensions · starts 1 Apr 2027
Notice summaryFrom the published notice

Cumberland Council is exploring a new approach to commissioning HAF activities from Summer 2027 onwards. The application process for Easter 2027 will remain unchanged and will follow the current arrangements.

What is being bought

Published requirement description

HAF Provider Engagement: Future Payment Options

Cumberland Council is exploring a new approach to commissioning HAF activities from Summer 2027 onwards. The application process for Easter 2027 will remain unchanged and will follow the current arrangements.

To help providers prepare for future changes, we will be holding two information sessions.

We strongly encourage all providers to attend so that you can understand the proposed process, ask questions, and provide feedback.

A HAF pre market engagement survey to engage with providers was sent out via the Council's e-procurement portal (The Chest). Please use the survey to share your views and explain how different payment arrangements could affect your organisation. This feedback will be essential in helping us develop a fair and practical approach for future HAF commissioning. Responses to be submitted by 7th October 2026.

As part of our ongoing work to develop and strengthen the delivery of Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme activities and Short Breaks for children and young people with disabilities across Cumberland, we are inviting organisations to attend an upcoming online information session.

The way organisations apply for and access future opportunities is changing, and we want to ensure that both existing and prospective providers are supported through the transition. The session will provide practical guidance on registering and using the Council's procurement and commissioning systems, including the Central Digital Platform (CDP) and The Chest Procurement Portal.

Whether you currently deliver HAF or Short Breaks activities or are interested in becoming a provider for the first time, we would strongly encourage you to attend.

We are keen to engage with a wide range of organisations, including voluntary and community groups, charities, sports clubs, arts and leisure providers, and specialist organisations supporting children and young people with disabilities.

For further details use the council's online procurement portal - The Chest - www.the-chest.org.uk ↗.

CPV: Health and social work services

More open work like this

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The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1PlannedRenewal 2 yrsSMEVCSE
Contract period: 1 Apr 2027 – 1 Apr 2029 (2 yrs) · up to 1 Apr 2031 with extensions
Delivery: North WestEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible
Extensions: Extension options published

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

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

How Cumberland Council buys Health and social work services (CPV 85), and who usually turns up

Cumberland 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: Health and social work services (CPV 85) →

1

How the contest usually goes

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

Question for the bid
This buyerCumberland Council · division 85
The marketHealth and social work services (CPV 85) · North West England
What to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
i

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

Buyer: 284 of 368 known-size awards · market: division 85 · North West England, n=1,136
77%57%

Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning. Small firms win more of this buyer’s work than the market’s: 77% against 57%, n=368.

How often do local suppliers win?
i

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

Buyer: 361 of 371 known-location awards · market: division 85 · North West England, n=1,372
97%64%

Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered in the region where that award was delivered. More of this buyer’s work stays local than in this market: 97% against 64%, n=371.

How long to a decision?
i
Buyer: 12 decided notices · market: division 85 · North West England, n=199
50 days51 days

Half of these awards have an award date within 50 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
i

Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.

Buyer: at least 58 of 369 procurements with awards had no recorded rival · market: division 85 · North West England, n=1,214
16%68%

Missing bid counts may hide more single-bid awards. This share is a minimum.

How many bids did past lots attract?

i
This buyer366 lots with bid counts · broad CPV 85
15% had one bid
The market308 lots with bid counts · division 85 · North West England
17% had one bid
% of lots with a published bid count: this buyer (366) / the market (308) · select a colour for counts
1 bid15% / 17%
Buyer: 55 of 366 lots with published bid counts. Market: 53 of 308 lots with published bid counts.
2–332% / 32%
Buyer: 116 of 366 lots with published bid counts. Market: 99 of 308 lots with published bid counts.
4–635% / 30%
Buyer: 129 of 366 lots with published bid counts. Market: 91 of 308 lots with published bid counts.
7+18% / 21%
Buyer: 66 of 366 lots with published bid counts. Market: 65 of 308 lots with published bid counts.

How did awards compare with estimates?

i
This buyer20 lots with estimate and award · broad CPV 85
5% below estimate
The market209 lots with estimate and award · division 85 · North West England
30% below estimate
% of lots with an estimate and award: this buyer (20) / the market (209) · select a colour for counts
Below estimate5% / 30%
Buyer: 1 of 20 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 62 of 209 lots with an estimate and award.
Within ±2%95% / 61%
Buyer: 19 of 20 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 127 of 209 lots with an estimate and award.
Above estimate0% / 10%
Buyer: 0 of 20 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 20 of 209 lots with an estimate and award.
2

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 8524 monthsSME suitableEstimate not published

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

Expected competition
i

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 308 past lots.

—No model forecast yet17% chance of a single bid
Past bids on 308 similar lots
1 bid17%
53 of 308 similar past lots received 1 bid (17%).
2–332%
99 of 308 similar past lots received 2–3 (32%).
4–630%
91 of 308 similar past lots received 4–6 (30%).
7+21%
65 of 308 similar past lots received 7+ (21%).
Comparable past lots usually drew 4 bids.
Commercial price forecast
i

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.

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
25 Sept 2026, 08:03 BST
Last source update
22 Oct 2026, 10:00 BST
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-099796
Latest notice
Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
Classification (CPV)
Health and social work services
Delivery area
North West (UKD1)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077a03 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Submission deadline
—

Timeline

25 Sept 2026 → 1 Apr 2027 · 4 dates
  1. Planning notice published51 days ago
    25 Sept 2026, 08:03 BST
  2. Latest notice published24 days ago
    22 Oct 2026, 10:00 BST
  3. Today
    15 Nov 2026
  4. Market engagementin 24 days
    9 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT

    HAF Provider Engagement: Future Payment Options

    Cumberland Council is exploring a new approach to commissioning HAF activities from Summer 2027 onwards. The application process for Easter 2027 will remain unchanged and will follow the current arrangements.

    To help providers prepare for future changes, we will be holding two information sessions.

    The first session was held on 08th October 2026, and the next planned session will be on 09th Dec 2026 @ 14:00 via Teams

    We strongly encourage all providers to attend so that you can understand the proposed process, ask questions, and provide feedback.

    A HAF pre market engagement survey to engage with providers was sent out via the Council's e-procurement portal (The Chest). Please use the survey to share your views and explain how different payment arrangements could affect your organisation. This feedback will be essential in helping us develop a fair and practical approach for future HAF commissioning. Responses to be submitted by 7th October 2026.

    As part of our ongoing work to develop and strengthen the delivery of Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme activities and Short Breaks for children and young people with disabilities across Cumberland, we are inviting organisations to attend an upcoming online information session.

    The way organisations apply for and access future opportunities is changing, and we want to ensure that both existing and prospective providers are supported through the transition. The session will provide practical guidance on registering and using the Council's procurement and commissioning systems, including the Central Digital Platform (CDP) and The Chest Procurement Portal.

    Whether you currently deliver HAF or Short Breaks activities or are interested in becoming a provider for the first time, we would strongly encourage you to attend.

    We are keen to engage with a wide range of organisations, including voluntary and community groups, charities, sports clubs, arts and leisure providers, and specialist organisations supporting children and young people with disabilities.

    For further details use the council's online procurement portal - The Chest - www.the-chest.org.uk ↗.

  5. Contract startsin 136 days
    1 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST

Notice history

3 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 25 Sept 2026
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    25 Sept 2026, 08:03 BST
    UK2
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    30 Sept 2026, 11:16 BST
    UK2
  3. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    22 Oct 2026, 10:00 BST
    UK2
Published amendments (2)

Details of further engagement sessions are detailed below.

Please note the change of date. The session planned for 3rd November will not be running. Market Engagement Session for Providers Date: 9th December Time: 2pm-3pm Location: Microsoft Teams (link will be sent once you have booked as we need to track attendance) To register for the session, please use our online procurement portal - The Chest (https://www.the-chest.org.uk). Registration on The Ch…

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

Cumberland Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PJGX-9191-DYLV Cumbria House, 107-117 Botchergate, Carlisle, North West, CA1 1RDContact email

Official documents & specifications (3)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure