Official UK procurement notice
Provision of Communicator Guide and Intervenor Services
Authority: Hertfordshire County Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThis is an 18 month contract to provide communicator guide and intervenor services. Communicator guides work with people who acquire deafblindness, helping them with everyday tasks such as shopping, going to the doctors and going to the gym. The guides are trained in safe guiding skills to support with mobility. They will help the Deafblind person to adjust to life as their eyesight and hearing gets worse. For example, they might train the person to use hands-on signing or the Deafblind manual alphabet. Intervenors work with children and adults who have had deafblindness from birth. Their role is similar to a communicator guide but they will also help to develop a special communication system.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Awarded
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Light touch regime
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award (no call for competition)
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 22 Apr 2025, 14:08 BST
- Last source update
- 8 May 2025, 12:00 BST
- Authority reference
HCC2516830- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-019673- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0505acFind a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Urgency
- Published justification
The current provider of these services gave sudden and unexpected notice to the Council on 29th January 2025 that they would not provide these services beyond 31st March 2025. The Council sought to negotiate a 4 month extension to this, which was refused, however the provider did agree to extend for a shorter period.
The Council is therefore making an urgent direct award to a single replacement provider.
The service is required to enable the Council to fulfil its legal obligations - local authorities are required to act under the "Care and Support for Deafblind Children and Adults Policy
Guidance" under Section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 (for children) and section 78 of the Care Act 2014 (for adults). They have to:
- provide appropriate services for deafblind people
- provide specially trained one-to-one support workers when necessary
- provide accessible information for deafblind people
Notice history
4 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 22 Apr 2025- Transparency notice published22 Apr 2025, 14:08 BSTUK5
- Contract award notice published22 Apr 2025, 14:18 BSTUK6
- Contract signature expected2 May 2025, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published8 May 2025, 12:00 BSTUK7
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action Deafness3 May 2025 – 31 Oct 2026 | £904,000 inc. VAT | 22 Apr 2025 | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 1 · Action Deafness
- Signed
- 2 May 2025
- Value
- £904,000 inc. VAT
- Period
- 3 May 2025 – 31 Oct 2026
- Status
- active
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- ACTION DEAFNESSAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender