Official UK procurement notice
Southampton Early Advice and Support (SEAS) Service
Authority: Southampton City Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Southampton Early Advice & Support (SEAS) service aims to transform early intervention and preventative health & care services in the city by adopting a community-focused, integrated approach. This aligns with national policies and local strategies, emphasizing collaboration among the voluntary sector, adult social care, children's social care, the NHS and other partners to improve health outcomes and reduce crisis-driven care. Delivery of this service will require development of an alliance between key voluntary sector organisations as well as a 10-year commitment from all partners to work together and integrate working arrangements. Key areas of focus within SEAS will be support for unpaid carers, Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND), advice & information for children & young people, flexible direct support to meet different population needs as well as advice and navigation in relation to adult social care, welfare & benefits, immigration, employment & fuel poverty. Over the contract lifetime the scope is expected to expand with SEAS becoming the first consideration for commissioning any new community-based preventative services.
- How the procedure runs: Stage 1 Invite to Participate Stage 2 Dialogue Stage 3 Tender High level Stage 3 evaluation criteria has been published in the procurement documents with banded weightings. These will be refined for the commencement of Stage 3.
CPV: Health and social work services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£8,000,000
- Economic & financial standing
The Conditions of Participation are set out in the PSQ which can be obtained in the Proactis e-tendering portal.
- Technical & professional ability
The Conditions of Participation are set out in the PSQ which can be obtained in the Proactis e-tendering portal.
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Potential suppliers will be assessed on a series of Pass/Fail questions in the Procurement Specific Questionnaire. Any Potential Supplier who passes all criterion shall be shortlisted and invited to Stage 2 (dialogue) and subsequently, stage 3 (invitation to tender).
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).
Published award criteria (2)
- Price: The weighting for the Pricing is to be decided by Stage 3 and will be between 0-30%. This is outlined in the Invite to Participate Documentation
- Quality: The weighting for the Pricing is to be decided by Stage 3 and will be between 70-100%. This is outlined in the Invite to Participate Documentation
- Economic & financial standing
The Conditions of Participation are set out in the PSQ which can be obtained in the Proactis e-tendering portal.
- Technical & professional ability
The Conditions of Participation are set out in the PSQ which can be obtained in the Proactis e-tendering portal.
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Potential suppliers will be assessed on a series of Pass/Fail questions in the Procurement Specific Questionnaire. Any Potential Supplier who passes all criterion shall be shortlisted and invited to Stage 2 (dialogue) and subsequently, stage 3 (invitation to tender).
- Price carries 10 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 1 point. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible 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
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 16 Jul 2025, 15:36 BST
- Last source update
- 30 Dec 2025, 17:38 GMT
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 9 Feb 2026
- Authority reference
SCC-ICU-0077- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-065993- Accelerated
- Light touch contract
- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-056086Find a Tender
- How it runs
Stage 1 Invite to Participate
Stage 2 Dialogue
Stage 3 Tender
High level Stage 3 evaluation criteria has been published in the procurement documents with banded weightings. These will be refined for the commencement of Stage 3.
- Risks
Potential Suppliers are advised that a known-unknown risk relating to local government reorganisation may affect this contract during its term. At present, the details of the reorganisation are not confirmed. However, the Council reserves the right to adjust the geographical coverage, scale, and scope of the contract to reflect any changes arising from this reorganisation.
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 24 Oct 2025, 14:00 BST
- Submission deadline
- 24 Oct 2025, 14:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 22 Oct 2025, 14:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
16 Jul 2025 → 1 Apr 2026 · 11 dates- Planning notice published16 Jul 2025, 15:36 BST
- Market engagement1 Sept 2025, 23:59 BST
About SEAS:
The SEAS service will focus on delivering preventative and high-quality Information, Advice, Guidance and direct support to reduce demand on formal children's and adult's social care services. The service will prioritise early intervention, promoting independence, addressing social isolation, for example among older adults (65+) and carers.
Key areas of focus within SEAS will be support for unpaid carers, Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND), advice & information for children & young people, flexible direct support to meet different population needs as well as advice and navigation in relation to adult social care, welfare & benefits, immigration & asylum, employment rights & fuel poverty.
The key objectives of SEAS:
- Embedding services within emerging models for neighbourhood hubs - making advice and support more accessible and community-led.
- Strengthening multi-agency collaboration - aligning Southampton City Council, Adult Social Care, Children's Social Care, NHS Integrated Neighbourhood Working (INW), Public Health, and the VCSE sector.
- Ensuring financial sustainability - shifting resources from crisis response to preventative services.
- Supporting vulnerable communities, including carers, people at risk of social isolation and fuel poverty.
- Maintaining and building on the expertise within local communities and the voluntary sector - recognising the important role of the sector, the challenges it faces and bringing in new investment where possible to boost the local offer.
Indicative Procurement Details:
- Estimated Annual Contract Value: £2.4m
- Procurement Process: This procurement will be conducted under the Procurement Act 2023, subject to the commencement of the new regulations.
- Eligibility: Open to organisations capable of delivering a Lead Provider Partnership Model. The model should consider including Voluntary, Community Groups, Social Enterprise, and Registered Charities (VCSE) collaboration.
Additional information
Market Engagement:
The Council is committed to negotiating with potential providers to refine the service specification and approach. Providers are invited to:
- Participate in a market engagement session to discuss service design and delivery. A session has been arranged for Tuesday 5th August 2025, from 1.30-3.30pm at the Civic Centre in Southampton. To register your interest in attending this event and receive further details of the venue please email:
There is a limit of two attendees per organisation. When registering your interest by email, please provide the name of your organisation, names of your attendees, and the primary reason for your interest in this event. Please also advise if there are any additional or accessibility requirements for your attendance.
Important Notice:
This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a call for competition, nor does it commit Southampton City Council to any particular procurement process or contract award.
- Next notice expected385 days ago29 Sept 2025, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published369 days ago16 Oct 2025, 15:30 BST
- Clarification questions by363 days ago22 Oct 2025, 14:00 BST
- Submission deadline361 days ago24 Oct 2025, 14:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent301 days ago23 Dec 2025
- Latest notice published294 days ago30 Dec 2025, 17:38 GMT
- Standstill ends280 days ago12 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Award decision expected by252 days ago9 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts202 days ago1 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
11 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender · since 16 Jul 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published16 Jul 2025, 15:36 BSTUK2
- Planned procurement notice published11 Aug 2025, 09:30 BSTUK3
- Status changed to planned11 Aug 2025, 09:30 BST
- Procurement method changed11 Aug 2025, 09:30 BST
- Planned procurement notice published11 Sept 2025, 16:40 BSTUK3
- Tender notice published16 Oct 2025, 15:30 BSTUK4
- Published value published: £8,000,00016 Oct 2025, 15:30 BST
- Status changed to active16 Oct 2025, 15:30 BST
- Contract award notice published30 Dec 2025, 17:38 GMTUK6
- Status changed to complete30 Dec 2025, 17:38 GMT
- Contract signature expected15 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Published amendments (1)
This Notice is being amended to advise that the estimated date of publication of Stage One: Conditions of Participation will now be 29th September 2025
Routine re-releases (5)
- 2025-08: 1 release · 11 Aug 2025
- 2025-07: 1 release · 16 Jul 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOUTHAMPTON VOLUNTARY SERVICESSMEVCSE1 Apr 2026 – 31 Mar 2033 · up to 31 Mar 2037Extensions: Two potential extensions on a 24 month, by 24 month basis | £8,000,000 | 22 Dec 2025standstill to 12 Jan 2026 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2final-stage tenders | 2 | 1 | — |
Who bid
- wonSOUTHAMPTON VOLUNTARY SERVICESSMEVCSE · South East England
- did not winCOBALT SYSTEMS LTDSME · North West England
Bidders as named on the Procurement Act 2023 award notice. “Won” means the bidder holds an award on this notice.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
2 commercial parties on the notice · 1 awarded- COBALT SYSTEMS LTDBidder / tenderer
- SOUTHAMPTON VOLUNTARY SERVICESAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (8)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specificationsAccess: Additional responses to Questions will be uploaded via this Notice before the tendering period. Further documentation relating to this Procurement during the tendering period will be published on the Proactis Supplier Portal: https://supplierlive.proactisp2p.com/Account/Login
- Bidding documents and specifications Please see attached the market engagement Question and Answer document from the event held on 5th August 2025- please direct any further questions about this procurement to [email protected]
- Bidding documents and specifications Please see attached the market engagement presentation from the event held on 5th August 2025- please direct any further questions about this procurement to [email protected]
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Planned procurement notice Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- Planned procurement notice Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender