Official UK procurement notice
Tender for Community Family Help Service for Children and Families in Herefordshire
Authority: Herefordshire Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionHerefordshire Council is seeking to appoint a single provider to deliver a countywide Community Family Help Service for children, young people and families with multiple and/or complex needs who require Family Help support. The Service will provide targeted, relationship-based, whole-family interventions that promote resilience, improve outcomes for children and help prevent escalation into statutory services.
The successful Provider will act as a key delivery partner within Herefordshire's Family Help model, providing Family Help Lead Practitioners, coordinating multi-agency support, undertaking Family Help assessments and plans, and working closely with statutory, community and voluntary sector organisations. The Service will support a minimum of 150 Family Help referrals and 30 Reducing Parental Conflict cases per annum and will include the delivery of partnership training to strengthen local practice.
The contract is expected to commence on 1 February 2027, with an initial mobilisation and implementation period prior to service commencement on 1 April 2027. The initial contract term will be three years, with an option to extend for up to a further two years. The procurement is being conducted under the Procurement Act 2023 using the Open Procedure and is subject to the Light Touch Regime.
The maximum available Contract Value for the core Community Family Help Service is £1,550,000 (excluding VAT) over the full potential 5-year term. Subject to demand, additional funding and internal governance, the Council may also purchase additional referrals and/or training up to a maximum value of further £1,650,000 (excluding VAT). These additional purchases are not guaranteed. The maximum potential Contract Value is therefore up to £3,200,000 (excluding VAT). Note the service is being partially funded by Department for Education Grants.
TUPE information:
TUPE is expected to apply to this contract, and bidders should ensure that the implications of TUPE, including the associated employment and cost implications, are fully considered and reflected in their tender.
Bidders must request access to the TUPE information well in advance of the tender closing date. To access the Employee's information, bidders are required to complete and sign the Completion Document 5 (TUPE Confidentiality Letter Agreement) included within the tender pack, and return it via ProContact messaging system at www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk ↗. The TUPE information will be provided following receipt of the completed agreement.
Bidders are responsible for ensuring that they request the TUPE information sufficiently early to enable them to take it into account when preparing their Tender. Failure to request or review the TUPE information will not relieve the successful Bidder of its obligations in relation to TUPE.
CPV: Health and social work services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£3,200,000
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).
Published award criteria (2)
- Quality
- Price
No conditions of participation were published on the notice; check the tender documents.
- Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- Turnover usually expected at this size: about £2,022,584 (twice the annual value).
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula. Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How Herefordshire Council buys Health and social work services (CPV 85), and who usually turns up
Herefordshire Council’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. 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.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Here, local means registered in West Midlands.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in West Midlands.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards were announced within 34 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.
Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
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 bid38% / 17%
2–338% / 22%
4–613% / 18%
7+13% / 43%
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.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate17% / 29%
Within ±2%67% / 64%
Above estimate17% / 7%
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 #1Published estimate£3.2m
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 bid39%
2–335%
4–619%
7+8%
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.
Based on 223 comparable awards. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Middle 50%£3.1m–£3.2m
Estimate£3.2m
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
ACTION FOR CHILDRENLarge | £144m33 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 7 live · £8.2m 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. | at estimate n=17 |
VICTIM SUPPORTLarge | £87m28 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 11 live · £20m 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 |
| £18m12 awards in 36m · last 6 months ago | 7 live · £5.0m 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=5 | |
Wye Valley NHS TrustLarge | £87m7 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | None on file | no comparable pairs |
| £500k6 awards in 36m · last 6 months ago | 2 live · £15m 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=2 |
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- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open for tender
- 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
- 28 May 2026, 12:58 BST
- Last source update
- 8 Oct 2026, 17:10 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 19 Jan 2027
- Authority reference
DN832337- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-095421- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06a796Find a Tender
- Risks
The Council has identified the following known risks as risks which could affect the satisfactory performance of the Contract, but which because of their nature and uncertainty as to the impact or extent, cannot be fully addressed or quantified.
Where responsibility for such risks is not otherwise allocated within the Contract (including Change in Law or Force Majeure), these may give rise to lawful modifications in accordance with Schedule 8 of the Procurement Act 2023, subject to the Variation Procedure.
Risks may include, but are not limited to:
- fluctuations in referral volumes and service demand;
- changes in legislation, statutory guidance or national policy;
- Changes to funding arrangements, including the level of funding, continuation and conditions of the funding available, including the Department for Education Grants
- Workforce and sector capacity challenges
Where such risks materialise, the Council may make modifications to the Contract, including adjustments to service scope, delivery model, capacity, performance requirements, or contract value, where necessary to maintain satisfactory performance. Any such modifications will be limited to what is necessary and will comply with statutory requirements, including value thresholds and transparency obligations.
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via ProContract (Due North)- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 17 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 4 Nov 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Herefordshire Council has published this contract opportunity on the 'Supplying the Southwest Portal' (project reference DN832337).
Interested parties are invited to review the tender documentation by registering on the portal (ProContract) and expressing an interest in the opportunity.
Please note that tenders must be submitted exclusively via the Procontract e-tendering portal at www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk ↗ by the closing date and time as indicated in the timetable. Submissions received by any other means will not be considered.
To register with ProContract on the Supplying the Southwest Portal, click on the link below or copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar: www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk ↗
Timeline
28 May 2026 → 1 Feb 2027 · 8 dates- Planning notice published145 days ago28 May 2026, 12:58 BST
- Market engagement63 days ago17 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
Date & Time: 19 August 2026 10:00am - 12:30pm
Venue: HARC (Herefordshire Archive and Record Centre), Fir Tree Lane, Rotherwas Industrial Estate, Hereford, HR2 6LA.
Closing date for registration - 12 noon on Monday 17 August 2026
ALL SUPPLIERS WHO WISH TO ATTEND should email [email protected] and confirm:
- Your organisation name
- Name, position and e-mail address of your attendee(s).
Please use subject heading "Family First Service Engagement Event"
Please note, due to the room size, a maximum of 2 representatives per organisation may attend.
Herefordshire Council has published this market engagement notice on the 'Supplying the Southwest Portal', project reference DN823431. To view the documentation related to this Market Engagement Event you will need to register on the portal if you are not already registered with Procontract, and express an interest in the opportunity.
To register with Procontract on the Supplying the Southwest Portal, click on the link below or copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar: www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk ↗
- Next notice expected32 days ago17 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published12 days ago8 Oct 2026, 17:10 BST
- Today20 Oct 2026
- Clarification questions byin 15 days4 Nov 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Submission deadlinein 28 days17 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Award decision expected byin 92 days19 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 104 days1 Feb 2027
Notice history
11 events · 6 releases on Find a Tender · since 28 May 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published28 May 2026, 12:58 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published23 Jul 2026, 15:26 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published24 Jul 2026, 09:19 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published4 Aug 2026, 14:34 BSTUK2
- Pipeline notice published4 Sept 2026, 09:14 BSTUK1
- Status changed to planned4 Sept 2026, 09:14 BST
- Procurement method changed4 Sept 2026, 09:14 BST
- Tender notice published8 Oct 2026, 17:10 BSTUK4
- Published value published: £3,200,0008 Oct 2026, 17:10 BST
- Status changed to active8 Oct 2026, 17:10 BST
- Deadline published: 17 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT8 Oct 2026, 17:10 BST
Published amendments (2)
Please note that the contact email address provided in the original notice was incorrect and has now been updated; suppliers should use the revised contact details shown in this notice.
Please note that, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Meet the Buyer / Market Engagement Event has been rescheduled. The event will now take place on 19 August 2026 from 10:00am to 12:30pm. The venue has also changed and will now be held at: HARC (Herefordshire Archive and Record Centre), Fir Tree Lane, Rotherwas Industrial Estate, Hereford, HR2 6LA. The deadline for registration has been extende…
Routine re-releases (6)
- 2026-07: 2 releases · 23 Jul 2026, 24 Jul 2026
- 2026-05: 1 release · 28 May 2026
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 (6)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender