Provision of Children's Short Breaks Activities and Support (Aiming High)

{
  "id": "069392-2026",
  "tag": [
    "planning"
  ],
  "date": "2026-07-23T06:57:55+01:00",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-06d154",
  "buyer": {
    "id": "GB-PPON-PZDG-2995-QQMD",
    "name": "Staffordshire County Council"
  },
  "tender": {
    "id": "IA3582",
    "lots": [
      {
        "id": "1",
        "status": "planning",
        "hasRenewal": true,
        "suitability": {
          "sme": true,
          "vcse": true
        },
        "contractPeriod": {
          "endDate": "2029-03-31T23:59:59+01:00",
          "startDate": "2027-04-01T00:00:00+01:00",
          "maxExtentDate": "2030-03-31T23:59:59+01:00"
        }
      }
    ],
    "items": [
      {
        "id": "1",
        "relatedLot": "1",
        "deliveryAddresses": [
          {
            "region": "UKG24",
            "country": "GB",
            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
          }
        ],
        "additionalClassifications": [
          {
            "id": "85312120",
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "Daycare services for disabled children and young people"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "title": "Provision of Children's Short Breaks Activities and Support (Aiming High)",
    "value": {
      "amount": 900000,
      "currency": "GBP",
      "amountGross": 1080000
    },
    "status": "planning",
    "legalBasis": {
      "id": "2023/54",
      "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents",
      "scheme": "UKPGA"
    },
    "description": "Staffordshire County Council is undertaking Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) to inform the future recommissioning of its Provision of Children's Short Breaks Activities and Support (known internally as Aiming High SEND Short Breaks Service), currently expected to commence from April 2027.\nThe Council wishes to engage with current and potential providers to better understand market capacity, capability, innovation, and potential delivery models for providing high-quality short breaks and support opportunities for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families across Staffordshire.\nThe Aiming High programme forms part of Staffordshire's wider short breaks offer and aims to:\n•\timprove outcomes for children and young people with SEND;\n•\tpromote independence, inclusion and preparation for adulthood;\n•\tenable children and young people to participate in positive activities within their communities;\n•\tsupport family resilience and help parents and carers continue in their caring role;\n•\tprovide opportunities for social development, friendships and community participation; and\n•\tdeliver timely support that helps prevent the escalation of need wherever appropriate.\nThe Council is seeking feedback from organisations capable of delivering inclusive, high-quality, outcome-focused services and activities for children and young people with SEND aged 0-25 years.\nProviders should have a thorough understanding of, and be able to operate in accordance with, relevant legislation, statutory guidance and local policies, including:\n•\tChildren Act 1989;\n•\tChildren and Families Act 2014;\n•\tCare Act 2014;\n•\tSEND Code of Practice 2015;\n•\tBreaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulations 2011;\n•\tEquality Act 2010;\n•\tMental Capacity Act 2005;\n•\tHuman Rights Act 1998;\n•\tWorking Together to Safeguard Children;\n•\tKeeping Children Safe in Education (where applicable);\n•\tPublic Services (Social Value) Act 2012 (or any successor legislation); and\n•\tStaffordshire's SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy 2026-2029\n•\tStaffordshire's SEND Local Offer.\nThe future service is expected to include a range of accessible and inclusive short break opportunities that are:\n•\tmeaningful, safe and enjoyable;\n•\tappropriate for different ages, abilities and levels of need;\n•\tdelivered during term time (non-school hours) and school holidays;\n•\tavailable through a variety of indoor, outdoor and community-based activities;\n•\tresponsive to local demand;\n•\tdesigned to support independence, confidence and life skills; and\n•\tcapable of delivering positive outcomes for children, young people and their families.\nThe Council is particularly interested in understanding market capacity to support children and young people with more complex disabilities and higher levels of need, including those who may require:\n•\tenhanced supervision and support;\n•\thigher staffing ratios;\n•\tspecialist skills, training or behavioural support approaches;\n•\tadapted environments or activities; and\n•\tmore personalised delivery arrangements.\nAs part of this engagement, the Council is exploring whether future arrangements could include:\n•\tA General Targeted Offer\nCommunity-based short break opportunities for children and young people with lower to moderate support needs.\n•\tAn Enhanced Targeted Offer\nA more specialist strand of provision for children and young people with higher levels of need who may require additional support, specialist expertise, enhanced staffing levels or tailored approaches to participation. \nThe Council is also interested in receiving feedback on potential coordinated delivery models. This may include arrangements where a lead organisation supports the planning, organisation and coordination of a network of providers and may undertake activities such as:\n•\tmanaging bookings and allocations;\n•\tcoordinating delivery across multiple providers;\n•\tsupporting equitable access across Staffordshire;\n•\tmonitoring quality, outcomes and performance;\n•\tsupporting communication and engagement with families; and\n•\thelping to identify and address gaps in provision.\nAccordingly, the Council would particularly welcome engagement from organisations that may be interested in:\n•\tdelivering short break activities directly;\n•\tdelivering specialist or enhanced provision for children and young people with higher levels of need;\n•\tacting as a lead/coordinating provider;\n•\tparticipating in a provider network or partnership model; or\n•\tproviding innovative solutions that improve access, quality, outcomes and value for money.\nThe Council is especially keen to hear from providers able to deliver services in rural and underserved areas of Staffordshire and those with experience of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.\nThis Preliminary Market Engagement exercise is intended solely to inform future commissioning arrangements. No final decisions have been made regarding service design, delivery model, contract structure or procurement approach.",
    "specialRegime": [
      "lightTouch"
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    "aboveThreshold": true,
    "mainProcurementCategory": "services"
  },
  "parties": [
    {
      "id": "GB-PPON-PZDG-2995-QQMD",
      "name": "Staffordshire County Council",
      "roles": [
        "buyer"
      ],
      "address": {
        "region": "UKG24",
        "country": "GB",
        "locality": "Stafford",
        "postalCode": "ST16 2DH",
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "streetAddress": "1 Staffordshire Place, Tipping Street,"
      },
      "details": {
        "url": "https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk",
        "classifications": [
          {
            "id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
            "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
            "description": "Public authority - sub-central government"
          }
        ]
      },
      "identifier": {
        "id": "PZDG-2995-QQMD",
        "scheme": "GB-PPON"
      },
      "contactPoint": {
        "email": "commercial.team@staffordshire.gov.uk"
      }
    }
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "planning": {
    "documents": [
      {
        "id": "069392-2026",
        "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069392-2026",
        "format": "text/html",
        "noticeType": "UK2",
        "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
        "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
        "datePublished": "2026-07-23T06:57:55+01:00"
      }
    ],
    "milestones": [
      {
        "id": "engagement",
        "type": "engagement",
        "status": "scheduled",
        "dueDate": "2026-08-24T23:59:59+01:00",
        "description": "Staffordshire County Council wishes to hear from you in connection with our PME for the Provision of Children's Short Breaks Activities and Support.\n•\tProviders will be able to access a document with the existing specification or service provision and a link to a MS Forms Survey. These documents will be available via our e-tendering portal Proactis. \n•\tPlease ensure that you are registered on Proactis: https://supplierlive.proactisp2p.com/Account/Login \n•\tYou can view the opportunity by searching for \"Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for Provision of Children's Short Breaks Activities and Support\". The information will then be found in the \"request documents\" section.\n•\tOnce you have digested the contents of the existing specification or service provision then you can ask any immediate questions via the dialogue part of Proactis. \n•\tA summarised Q&A log for all questions and their responses will be uploaded to Proactis for reference and clarity of approach. This log will be version controlled, and a refreshed version will be provided at appropriate points during the consultation process. \n•\tFollowing the questions and responses, you are requested to complete the MS Forms Survey, which will relate to our PME consultation.\n•\tThe Council intends to respond to all questions and a summarised version of all responses received through the MS Forms Survey will be made available as part of any future tender documents."
      }
    ]
  },
  "initiationType": "tender"
}