Award

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

Independent Fostering Agencies

Hampshire County Council

This public procurement record has 32 releases in its history.

Award

07 Aug 2026 at 10:32

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

07 Aug 2026 at 10:23

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

07 Aug 2026 at 10:13

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

06 Jul 2026 at 15:49

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

06 Jul 2026 at 15:39

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
AwardUpdate

15 May 2026 at 06:17

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
AwardUpdate

15 May 2026 at 06:15

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
AwardUpdate

15 May 2026 at 06:13

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
AwardUpdate

14 May 2026 at 16:10

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
AwardUpdate

14 May 2026 at 16:04

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
AwardUpdate

14 May 2026 at 15:56

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

29 Apr 2026 at 21:58

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

29 Apr 2026 at 21:51

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

29 Apr 2026 at 21:45

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

29 Apr 2026 at 21:38

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

29 Apr 2026 at 21:30

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

29 Apr 2026 at 21:20

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

29 Apr 2026 at 21:08

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

23 Apr 2026 at 16:25

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

11 Mar 2026 at 07:13

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

11 Mar 2026 at 07:06

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

11 Mar 2026 at 06:58

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

10 Mar 2026 at 21:14

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

10 Mar 2026 at 20:53

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

10 Mar 2026 at 20:42

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

10 Mar 2026 at 20:31

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

06 Mar 2026 at 11:46

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

17 Dec 2025 at 16:29

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

20 Oct 2025 at 11:29

UK4 - Tender Notice
PlanningUpdate

30 Jul 2025 at 09:34

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

21 Jul 2025 at 09:44

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

08 Apr 2025 at 08:58

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Hampshire County Council commissioned independent fostering agency services for looked-after children and young people through its Children Services Directorate. The requirement covers standard foster placements, including respite, parent-and-child placements, children with complex or challenging behaviours, children with disabilities or complex healthcare needs, and separated children. The framework can accommodate additional fostering requirements as they emerge. Placements are intended primarily to be in Hampshire, supporting children’s education, training, contact with others, and existing networks of friends and family. This is a health and social work service (CPV 85000000), delivered across Hampshire and the wider Hampshire area. The council will use call-offs to match agencies to different fostering arrangements before making individual placements.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded through an open procedure as a light-touch framework. The framework has one lot and was evaluated on a pass/fail basis, requiring an Ofsted rating of Good or Outstanding. The framework award date was 4 December 2025, with contracts signed from 9 January 2026; later appointments were signed on 1 April, 23 June and 4 August 2026. The framework value is £203,000,000, with a contract period from 9 January 2026 to 7 January 2030 and one possible four-year extension to 7 January 2034. Twenty agencies were appointed: Action for Children, Banya Family Placement Agency, Blue Sky Fostering, Brighter Futures Foster Care, Capstone Foster Care, Compass Fostering South, Fair Ways, Family Placement.com, Five Rivers Child Care, Foster Care Associates, Fostering Solutions, Fusion Fostering, Integrated Services Programme, Liberty Foster Care, Lotus Foster Care, National Fostering Agency, Orange Grove Fostercare, Sunbeam Fostering Agency, The Adolescent & Children’s Trust, and Children’s Family Trust.

This award demonstrates sustained demand from Hampshire County Council for independent fostering agencies able to provide a broad range of placements, including respite, parent-and-child care, complex or challenging behaviour support, disability and complex healthcare provision, and placements for separated children. A credible future competitor would need an Ofsted rating of Good or Outstanding and the operational capacity to accept referrals through council call-offs and deliver suitable placements in Hampshire. The appointed supplier group includes large agencies, small and medium-sized businesses, and voluntary-sector organisations, showing that the requirement can be met by different organisational models. Providers should be able to support children’s education, training, family and professional contact, and continuity of established support networks while adapting to additional fostering needs.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Independent Fostering Agencies

Notice Description

Hampshire County Council's Children Services Directorate is seeking to commission a range of IFA (independent fostering agencies) to support our looked after children cohort. The new framework will as a minimum include fostering arrangements for; Standard Foster Placements including Respite Parent & Child Foster Placements Children with Complex/Challenging Behaviours Children with Disabilities/Complex Healthcare Needs Separated Children This list is not exhaustive and the framework will be flexible to capture additional fostering requirements that may emerge. The Framework is being established as a light touch framework using the flexibilities allowed under the Procurement Act 2023. The Framework will be open for the initial period as set out in paragraph 4.1. Following the initial award it will then be reopened in January 2026 and remain open for the initial term. The Council will run call offs to establish which suppliers can meet the different fostering arrangements before making individual placements to suppliers who have been awarded call off contracts. Further details can be seen in Annex 2 - Framework Overview Providers who have been accepted onto the Framework and wish to add additional registered branches/offices during the life of the contract can amend and resubmit their Framework questionnaire to include these. The priority of any arrangements will be to secure Hampshire placements for Hampshire children and Young People to support with their education, training, contact, and in order to maintain other existing support networks such as friends and other family members.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: There is 1 contract extension with a maximum duration of 4 years and 0 month, and a value ex VAT of PS 105,000,000

Planning Information

Hampshire County Council would like to invite interested Independent Fostering Agencies to an online market engagement session to help inform the Council's future commissioning arrangements specifically regarding "Staying Put" The session will be 90 minutes. The session will take place at 13:30 on Tuesday the 5th August and be held via MS Teams. Following the event the Council will share a questionnaire with all suppliers attached to the project on intend to father their feedback. Suppliers wishing to attend should register (if not already registered) on the Council's e-tendering platform, In-tend (https://in-tendhost.co.uk/hampshire/aspx/Home) and 'Express Interest' against the project 'CS26659 Independent Fostering Agencies'. Please then use the Correspondence function for the project and provide the name of attendees and their email addresses that invitations can be issued to. Suppliers wishing to attend need to confirm with the Council, via the correspondence function of In-tend, by 9:00 on Friday 1st August 2025.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-04fe75
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/075154-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large, SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85000000 - Health and social work services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£203,000,000 £100M-£1B
Lots Value
£203,000,000 £100M-£1B
Awards Value
£203,000,000 £100M-£1B
Contracts Value
£203,000,000 £100M-£1B

Notice Dates

Publication Date
7 Aug 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
24 Nov 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
20 Oct 2025Expired
Award Date
4 Dec 20258 months ago
Contract Period
4 Aug 2026 - 7 Jan 2030 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Hampshire County Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
WINCHESTER
Postcode
SO23 8UJ
Postcode Area
Southampton
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ36 Central Hampshire
Delivery Location
TLJ South East (England), TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Local Authority
Winchester
Electoral Ward
St Michael
Westminster Constituency
Winchester

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
21
Supplier Names

Action for Children

BANYA FAMILY PLACEMENT AGENCY LIMITED

BLUE SKY FOSTERING LIMITED

BRIGHTER FUTURES FOSTER CARE LTD

CAPSTONE FOSTER CARE (SOUTH WEST) LIMITED

CHILDREN'S FAMILY TRUST(THE)

COMPASS FOSTERING SOUTH LIMITED

FAMILY FIRST FOSTERING LTD

FAMILY PLACEMENT.COM LIMITED

FIVE RIVERS CHILD CARE LIMITED

FOSTER CARE ASSOCIATES LIMITED

FOSTERING SOLUTIONS LIMITED

FUSION FOSTERING LIMITED

Fair Ways Community Benefit Society

INTEGRATED SERVICES PROGRAMME

LIBERTY FOSTER CARE LIMITED

LOTUS FOSTER CARE LTD

ORANGE GROVE FOSTERCARE LTD

SUNBEAM FOSTERING AGENCY LIMITED

THE NATIONAL FOSTERING AGENCY LIMITED

The Adolescent & Children's Trust

Further Information

Notice Documents

Notice URLs

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

Loading OCDS record...