Official UK procurement notice
Unpaid Carer Support Service
Authority: Midlothian Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionMidlothian Council seeks a single Provider to be the main service delivering a range of community based unpaid carer support services to relevant carers in Midlothian. The services will support carers in a range of carer roles and circumstances, including carers who are currently underserved within services. The service contract is focussed on delivery of Midlothian Integration Joint Board (IJB) Unpaid Carer Strategy (2025-28), and the Provider will support development and delivery of future strategies in place during the duration of the contract. The Provider is expected to work collaboratively with statutory and Third Sector Providers in Midlothian. The funding to support the contract is fixed over the term.
CPV: Health and social work services · Social work and related services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1The Authority seeks proposals for unpaid carer support services to implement the…
The Authority seeks proposals for unpaid carer support services to implement the Midlothian Integration Joint Board (IJB) Unpaid Carer Strategy (2025-2028) and Action Plan, and Midlothian Integration Joint Board (IJB) Strategic Plan, delivering on priorities and improve outcomes for carers through prevention and early intervention community-based support services. The service will include the operation of a Carer Centre and a range of services offering support to adult carers in a variety of caring roles and circumstances. Services will work collaboratively with others (Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), Council, and Third Sector partners) to be part of a network of carer support, ensuring carers receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.
The service is being commissioned to undertake direct service delivery that will meet the local authority duties under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016, by delivering services to meet identified requirements; including the right to be identified, offered an Adult Carer Support Plan (ACSP), and access to information, advice, and support. Services are being commissioned with the intention of delivering services and outcomes for carers based on the Midlothian IJB Unpaid Carer Strategy 2025-28.
Areas of service include:
- Information and advice services covering a range of themes relevant to the caring role.
- Delivering opportunities for individual, group and peer, carer support including completion of Adult Carer Support Plans, future planning, and breaks from caring.
- Participation in and contribution to activities supporting strategic development and delivery of services and strategies in Midlothian for carers and the wider community.
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).
- Turnover usually expected at this size: about £7,441,598 (twice the annual value).
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 Midlothian Council buys Social work and related services (CPV 8530), and who usually turns up
Midlothian 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: Social work and related services (CPV 8530) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
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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.
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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 Scotland.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in Scotland.
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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 50 days of the bid deadline.
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How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
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?
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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 bid40% / 15%
2–360% / 50%
4–60% / 30%
7+0% / 5%
How did awards compare with estimates?
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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 estimate8%
Within ±2%85%
Above estimate8%
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.
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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 #1The Authority seeks proposals for unpaid carer support services to implement the…CPV 8530Published estimate£3.7m
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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. The bar shows 20 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid15%
2–350%
4–630%
7+5%
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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.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
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.
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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.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
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.
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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.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
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 · publisher note attached- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open for tender
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 18 Jun 2026, 12:15 BST
- Last source update
- 21 Oct 2026, 16:57 BST
- Authority reference
MID/25/85- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-099692- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b7f6Find a Tender
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment
- Performance terms
The contract will be governed by Midlothian Council terms & conditions.
Publisher note: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any situation referred to in regulation 58 of The Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. Financial Viability Test The financial information will be evaluated using the Midlothian Council Financial Viability Test, please see Appendix 4. The Tenderer will require to submit evidence in the form of their audited accounts or equivalent for the most recent 2 years (2 sets of signed, audited accounts), along with details of any significant changes since the last year end. Tenderers must not contact anyone at the Local Authority directly in relation to this tender exercise, doing so may result in your exclusion from any further part in the process. All questions must be raised using the Question & Answer facility within this notice. NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Public Contracts Scotland Web Site at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=846231. The buyer has indicated that it will accept electronic responses to this notice via the Postbox facility. A user guide is available at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/sitehelp/help_guides.aspx. Suppliers are advised to allow adequate time for uploading documents and to dispatch the electronic response well in advance of the closing time to avoid any last minute problems. Community benefits are included in this requirement. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-procurement/ A summary of the expected community benefits has been provided as follows: All Tenderers must sign Schedule 5 - Community Benefits as a commitment to engage with Midlothian Council to identify and deliver community benefits to make positive contributions to people living in Midlothian. The successful Tenderer is required as part of their contract to provide community benefits in compliance with Midlothian Council requirements as set out in Schedule 5 - Community Benefits. (SC Ref:846231) Download the ESPD document here: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/ESPD/ESPD_Download.aspx?id=846231
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via Public Contracts Scotland- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 27 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- —
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
7 Sept 2026 → 27 Nov 2026 · 3 dates- Next notice expected45 days ago7 Sept 2026, 00:00 BST
- Notice publishedearlier today21 Oct 2026, 16:57 BST
- Today22 Oct 2026
- Submission deadlinein 36 days27 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
Notice history
4 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 21 Oct 2026- Published value published: £3,720,79921 Oct 2026, 16:57 BST
- Status changed to active21 Oct 2026, 16:57 BST
- Procurement method changed21 Oct 2026, 16:57 BST
- Deadline published: 27 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT21 Oct 2026, 16:57 BST
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
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Edinburgh Sheriff CourtReview body
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice; the tender pack is on the portal.