Official UK procurement notice
Regulation 44 Visits by an Independent Person
Authority: Durham County Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThis contract is for Regulation 44 Visits by an Independent Person.
The Community Children's Homes maintained by Durham County Council provide support and care for some of our most vulnerable children. Durham County Council is committed to be the best parent we can be for Children in our Care and strives to ensure that we deliver support and care that is as good as every good parent. In addition to this we also host Aycliffe Secure Centre within County Durham for both male and females who have
been admitted by courts or councils on a welfare and youth custody basis, this may be due to a risk to themselves or others or because there is a concern about involvement
with criminal activities.
The Children's Homes Regulations 2015 (Regulation 44) require all providers of Children's Residential Homes, to secure monthly visits (as a minimum) by an Independent Person to undertake a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home's arrangements for
safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home's care.
There are currently 15 Community Children's Homes maintained by Durham County Council, including a Short Breaks Service and a Step-Down from Secure home. Each of these homes requires monthly Regulation 44 visits conducted by an Independent Person.
In addition, Aycliffe Secure Centre comprises a further five homes.
Over the course of the contract, the Council plans to develop up to five additional Community Children's Homes. It is anticipated that the scope and value of the contract will be adjusted accordingly as each new home is developed and registered with Ofsted, ensuring ongoing compliance with Regulation 44 requirements.
The view of the Council is that the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) will apply to this contract. However, Bidders should seek their own legal advice as to the applicability of TUPE and as to the effect of the TUPE clause contained in the contract Terms and Conditions.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 2 Jan 2034, 23:59 GMT.
CPV: Health and social work services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£1,060,000
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).
- Technical Questions
- Price
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Light touch regime
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 2 Jan 2034
- First published
- 4 Jun 2026, 13:32 BST
- Last source update
- 24 Aug 2026, 11:48 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 17 Jul 2026
- Authority reference
003404- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-052811- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ad88Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 6 Jul 2026, 10:00 BST
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
4 Jun 2026 → 1 Sept 2026 · 7 dates- Tender notice published141 days ago4 Jun 2026, 13:32 BST
- Submission deadline109 days ago6 Jul 2026, 10:00 BST
- Award decision expected by97 days ago17 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
- Assessment summaries sent87 days ago28 Jul 2026, 00:00 BST
- Standstill ends76 days ago7 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
- Latest notice published60 days ago24 Aug 2026, 11:48 BST
- Contract starts52 days ago1 Sept 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 4 Jun 2026- Tender notice published4 Jun 2026, 13:32 BSTUK4
- Contract award notice published28 Jul 2026, 16:50 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete28 Jul 2026, 16:50 BST
- Contract signature expected15 Aug 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published24 Aug 2026, 11:48 BSTUK7
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| THE NATIONAL YOUTH ADVOCACY SERVICESME1 Sept 2026 – 31 Aug 2031 · up to 31 Aug 2034Extensions: 3 periods of 12 months each subject to commissioner and budget approval · Options: The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. The number of homes may increase / decrease over the life of the contract and the successful organisation requires flexibility to this contract to accommodate this. Over the course of the contract, the Council plans to develop up to five additional Community Children's Homes. It is anticipated that the scope and value of the contract will be adjusted accordingly as each new home is developed and registered with Ofsted, ensuring ongoing compliance with Regulation 44 requirements. The separate governance arrangements for the Secure Centre and Community Children's Homes may need to be reviewed when considering any contract extension. In particular, a decision may be made as to whether it remains appropriate for a single contract to continue covering both services, or whether they should be commissioned separately to better reflect their distinct operational and regulatory frameworks. | £1,060,000 | 28 Jul 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 1 · THE NATIONAL YOUTH ADVOCACY SERVICESME
- Signed
- 19 Aug 2026
- Value
- £1,060,000
- Period
- 1 Sept 2026 – 31 Aug 2031 · up to 31 Aug 2034 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- 3 periods of 12 months each subject to commissioner and budget approval
- Options
- The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. The number of homes may increase / decrease over the life of the contract and the successful organisation requires flexibility to this contract to accommodate this. Over the course of the contract, the Council plans to develop up to five additional Community Children's Homes. It is anticipated that the scope and value of the contract will be adjusted accordingly as each new home is developed and registered with Ofsted, ensuring ongoing compliance with Regulation 44 requirements. The separate governance arrangements for the Secure Centre and Community Children's Homes may need to be reviewed when considering any contract extension. In particular, a decision may be made as to whether it remains appropriate for a single contract to continue covering both services, or whether they should be commissioned separately to better reflect their distinct operational and regulatory frameworks
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3final-stage tenders · 4 at stage one | 3 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- THE NATIONAL YOUTH ADVOCACY SERVICEAwarded 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
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender