Official UK procurement notice
Northamptonshire Children's Trust: Provision of Independent Fostering Arrangements and Children's Homes for Children and Young People in our Care DPS (Reopening)
Authority: Northamptonshire Children's Trust (Public body)
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionNorthamptonshire Children's Trust (hereafter referred to as the "Children's Trust") is re-opening their Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for the supply of services in respect of this requirement.
This specification covers providing Homes for Children and Young People in Our Care, Independent Fostering Arrangements and Children's Homes.
The primary role of Independent Fostering Arrangements and Children's Homes is to provide homes to ensure children in our care have a place that is safe and suitable for their individual needs, where they are supported by people who care for them and about them to achieve their full potential, develop resilience, enjoy good health and wellbeing and develop into adulthood.
The Children's Trust previously set up the DPS which commenced on 1st February 2024 with an initial term of 4 years and 2 months (i.e. to 31st March 2028), with an option to extend for up to an additional 3 years (until 31st March 2031).
Services will be categorised by the following lots that are described further in the specification:
Lot 1: Independent Fostering Agency placements for Children in Care
- Category 1.1 - Standard
- Category 1.2 - Enhanced
- Category 1.3 - Complex Needs
- Category 1.4 - Emergency
- Category 1.5 - Transition to Family Care from Children's Homes
- Category 1.6 - Parent and Child
Lot 2: Children's Homes placements for Children in Care
- Category 2.1 - Standard Homes
- Category 2.2 - Specialist Homes
- Category 2.3 - Complex Needs
- Category 2.4 - Emergency
Potential Providers can apply for one or more Lots and Categories.
Please note: this contract originally started on 1st February 2024.
The Light Touch Regime (LTR) applies to the Services under this DPS, as per Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
CPV: Health and social work services
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · no lot values publishedLot #1Independent Fostering Arrangements
The primary role of Independent Fostering Arrangements and Children's Homes is to provide homes to ensure children in our care have a place that is safe and suitable for their individual needs, where they are supported by people who care for them and about them to achieve their full potential, develop resilience, enjoy good health and wellbeing and develop into adulthood.
The Children's Trust previously set up the DPS which commenced on 1st February 2024 with an initial term of 4 years and 2 months (i.e. to 31st March 2028), with an option to extend for up to an additional 3 years (until 31st March 2031).
Services will be categorised by the following lots that are described further in the specification:
Lot 1: Independent Fostering Agency placements for Children in Care
- Category 1.1 - Standard
- Category 1.2 - Enhanced
- Category 1.3 - Complex Needs
- Category 1.4 - Emergency
- Category 1.5 - Transition to Family Care from Children's Homes
- Category 1.6 - Parent and Child
Potential Providers can apply for one or more Lots and Categories.
Please note: this contract originally started on 1st February 2024.
The Light Touch Regime (LTR) applies to the Services under this DPS, as per Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
Lot #2Children's Homes
The primary role of Independent Fostering Arrangements and Children's Homes is to provide homes to ensure children in our care have a place that is safe and suitable for their individual needs, where they are supported by people who care for them and about them to achieve their full potential, develop resilience, enjoy good health and wellbeing and develop into adulthood.
The Children's Trust previously set up the DPS which commenced on 1st February 2024 with an initial term of 4 years and 2 months (i.e. to 31st March 2028), with an option to extend for up to an additional 3 years (until 31st March 2031).
Lot 2: Children's Homes placements for Children in Care
- Category 2.1 - Standard Homes
- Category 2.2 - Specialist Homes
- Category 2.3 - Complex Needs
- Category 2.4 - Emergency
Potential Providers can apply for one or more Lots and Categories.
Please note: this contract originally started on 1st February 2024.
The Light Touch Regime (LTR) applies to the Services under this DPS, as per Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
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).
- “Northamptonshire Children's Trust: Provision of Independent Fostering…” is a dynamic market: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How Northamptonshire Children's Trust buys Health and social work services (CPV 85), and who usually turns up
Northamptonshire Children's Trust has little published record in this market. Compared with other frameworks and DPS only. Whole-market view: Health and social work services (CPV 85) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
No supplier sizes published for this authority.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered. The market figure counts awards delivered in East Midlands.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
No winner locations published for this authority. Local means a registered address in the region where that award was delivered.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 71 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
No awards recorded for this authority in this market.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid0% / 1%
2–30% / 11%
4–60% / 24%
7+100% / 64%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS: the price is set later, on each call-off.
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1Independent Fostering ArrangementsCPV 85Estimate not published
This lot lists more than one class in CPV 85. The comparison uses that group.
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid1%
2–36%
4–67%
7+87%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| £187k12 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 12 live · £210m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 3% below n=2 | |
| £172k8 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 1 live · £203m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs | |
| £109k13 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 8 live · £204m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs | |
| £136k6 awards in 36m · last 8 months ago | 5 live · £208m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs | |
| £135k5 awards in 36m · last 8 months ago | 1 live · £203m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs |
Lot #2Children's HomesCPV 85Estimate not published
This lot lists more than one class in CPV 85. The comparison uses that group.
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid1%
2–35%
4–66%
7+88%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Why listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Action for Children Services LimitedWorked for this buyer | Call for Competition (hereafter referred to as an Expression of Interest (EOI)) For a: Northamptonshire Children's Trust Partner to deliver 2 x Childrens Homes for 2 children in Northampton (with potential to increase to 3 children)notice published Sept 2024 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
Keys PCE LimitedLarge | £24m11 awards in 36m · last 5 months ago | 4 live · £3.7m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=4 |
| £45m26 awards in 36m · last 7 months ago | 11 live · £26m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=16 | |
| £1.8m36 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 15 live · £5.2m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs | |
| £187k12 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 12 live · £210m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 3% below n=2 | |
| 1 award in 36m · last 33 months ago | 1 live iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs |
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open admission
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Dynamic market
- Who may use this agreement
- Any qualifying supplier may apply while the market is open
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 30 Oct 2026, 13:04 GMT
- Last source update
- 30 Oct 2026, 13:04 GMT
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-103203- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0794a3Find a Tender
Publisher note: Submission address and any special instructions The Council is utilising an electronic tendering tool to manage this procurement process. All documents and communications issued by the Council Procurement Team can be accessed via the Council's e-Procurement portal, ProContract. The Council require any potential organisation to submit their interest via the Council's e-procurement portal, ProContract. The link is below: https://procontract.due-north.com/Login ProContract Reference ID: DN831815 The deadline for submission of bids is 12:00pm on Friday, 27 November 2026
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Apply via ProContract (Due North)- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Admission period ends
- 27 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- —
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission","written"}
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
30 Oct 2026 → 27 Nov 2026 · 2 dates- Notice published11h ago30 Oct 2026, 13:04 GMT
- Today31 Oct 2026
- Admission / appointment period endsin 27 days · period end, not a bid countdown27 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice; the tender pack is on the portal.