Planning

Public Mental Wellbeing Programme - Community Bereavement Support Service for Children and Families (Lot 1); Community Bereavement Support Service for Adults (Lot 2)

BLACKBURN WITH DARWEN BOROUGH COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

16 Dec 2025 at 11:44

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Blackburn With Darwen Borough Council is in the planning stage of procuring two Community Bereavement Support Services aimed at enhancing the public mental wellbeing programme. This tender, identified as URN185, falls under the services category and is specifically targeted at community health services in Blackburn, UKD41 region, United Kingdom. The procurement process is currently focused on pre-market engagement, scheduled to take place online via Microsoft Teams on 12th January 2026. Interested parties must register individually for these sessions, catering to two separate service areas: Children and Families and Adults Bereavement Support Service, with registration closing at noon on 9th January 2026. These engagement events are designed to gather insights and inform service specifications for the upcoming tender, which holds a gross contract value of £648,000 with a start date slated for 1st April 2026.

This procurement presents significant opportunities for businesses involved in community health services, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs). The services are intended to offer emotional and practical support to bereaved individuals, complementing existing mental health initiatives in Blackburn. Businesses with expertise in delivering early intervention support and specialised bereavement care can leverage this tender to expand their operations in the region. Furthermore, by participating in the engagement events, businesses can gain valuable insights into the procurement requirements and contribute to developing innovative service delivery models, thus positioning themselves favourably for the formal tender process set to commence shortly.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Public Mental Wellbeing Programme - Community Bereavement Support Service for Children and Families (Lot 1); Community Bereavement Support Service for Adults (Lot 2)

Notice Description

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council is looking to procure two Community Bereavement Support Services and is holding online pre-market engagement events on Monday 12th January 2026. These engagement events aim to develop a clearer understanding of the market and gather insight into supplier capabilities, innovations, and delivery models for the provision of bereavement support services in Blackburn with Darwen. The sessions will also support providers in understanding procurement requirements and will help inform the development of value-driven service specifications. The engagement events will cover the following separate service areas: 1) Children and Families Bereavement Support Service (Lot 1) 2) Adults' Bereavement Support Service (Lot 2) Each service will be discussed in a separate engagement session. Suppliers are welcome to attend either session or both, depending on their areas of interest, skills, and expertise. BACKGROUND The intended aims of both proposed services would be to provide low level emotional and practical support to those who have been bereaved; reducing stigma, supporting them to grieve, and preventing the escalation of distress by offering early intervention. Both lots will be delivered independently but remain connected to Blackburn with Darwen's wider Public Mental Wellbeing Programme, complementing two existing contracted services already being delivered: (1) Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Training and Engagement (2) Men's Mental Wellbeing Service MEETING INFORMATION The pre-market engagement events will be held ONLINE on Microsoft Teams on Monday 12th January 2026. The times will be as follows: * Children and Families = 11:00-12:00 * Adults = 13:00-14:00 If you would like to attend either or both online meetings, please complete the relevant registration form: * Children and Families = https://forms.office.com/e/qHZ6zhWktN * Adults Bereavement Service = https://forms.office.com/e/1Qz5SJwSKb Once registered, you will be sent a MS Teams invite in advance of the meeting, with joining instructions included. Each attendee who wishes to attend should register individually. Registration closes at 12:00 noon on Friday 9th January 2026.

Planning Information

MEETING INFORMATION The pre-market engagement events will be held ONLINE on Microsoft Teams on Monday 12th January 2026. The times will be as follows: • Children and Families = 11:00-12:00 • Adults = 13:00-14:00 If you would like to attend either or both online meetings, please complete the relative form to register yourself for the event: • Children and Families = https://forms.office.com/e/qHZ6zhWktN • Adults Bereavement Service = https://forms.office.com/e/1Qz5SJwSKb Once registered, you will be sent a MS Teams invite in advance of the meeting, with joining instructions included. Each attendee who wishes to attend should register individually. Registration closes at 12:00 noon on Friday 9th January 2026.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f68b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083274-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85323000 - Community health services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£540,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Dec 20251 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
26 Jan 20264 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
BLACKBURN WITH DARWEN BOROUGH COUNCIL
Contact Name
Joe Roscow
Contact Email
contracts@blackburn.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
BLACKBURN
Postcode
BB1 7DY
Post Town
Blackburn
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD4 Lancashire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD41 Blackburn with Darwen
Delivery Location
TLD41 Blackburn with Darwen
Local Authority
Blackburn with Darwen
Electoral Ward
Blackburn Central
Westminster Constituency
Blackburn

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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. 

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-05f68b-2025-12-16T11:44:17Z",
    "date": "2025-12-16T11:44:17Z",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-05f68b",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PYGR-1856-CVXM",
            "name": "Blackburn With Darwen Borough Council",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PYGR-1856-CVXM"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Town Hall, King WIlliam Street",
                "locality": "Blackburn",
                "postalCode": "BB1 7DY",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKD41"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "name": "Joe Roscow",
                "email": "contracts@blackburn.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "http://www.blackburn.gov.uk",
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - sub-central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PYGR-1856-CVXM",
        "name": "Blackburn With Darwen Borough Council"
    },
    "planning": {
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "engagement",
                "type": "engagement",
                "description": "MEETING INFORMATION The pre-market engagement events will be held ONLINE on Microsoft Teams on Monday 12th January 2026. The times will be as follows: * Children and Families = 11:00-12:00 * Adults = 13:00-14:00 If you would like to attend either or both online meetings, please complete the relative form to register yourself for the event: * Children and Families = https://forms.office.com/e/qHZ6zhWktN * Adults Bereavement Service = https://forms.office.com/e/1Qz5SJwSKb Once registered, you will be sent a MS Teams invite in advance of the meeting, with joining instructions included. Each attendee who wishes to attend should register individually. Registration closes at 12:00 noon on Friday 9th January 2026.",
                "dueDate": "2026-01-12T23:59:59Z",
                "status": "scheduled"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "083274-2025",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083274-2025",
                "datePublished": "2025-12-16T11:44:17Z",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "URN185",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "Public Mental Wellbeing Programme - Community Bereavement Support Service for Children and Families (Lot 1); Community Bereavement Support Service for Adults (Lot 2)",
        "description": "Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council is looking to procure two Community Bereavement Support Services and is holding online pre-market engagement events on Monday 12th January 2026. These engagement events aim to develop a clearer understanding of the market and gather insight into supplier capabilities, innovations, and delivery models for the provision of bereavement support services in Blackburn with Darwen. The sessions will also support providers in understanding procurement requirements and will help inform the development of value-driven service specifications. The engagement events will cover the following separate service areas: 1) Children and Families Bereavement Support Service (Lot 1) 2) Adults' Bereavement Support Service (Lot 2) Each service will be discussed in a separate engagement session. Suppliers are welcome to attend either session or both, depending on their areas of interest, skills, and expertise. BACKGROUND The intended aims of both proposed services would be to provide low level emotional and practical support to those who have been bereaved; reducing stigma, supporting them to grieve, and preventing the escalation of distress by offering early intervention. Both lots will be delivered independently but remain connected to Blackburn with Darwen's wider Public Mental Wellbeing Programme, complementing two existing contracted services already being delivered: (1) Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Training and Engagement (2) Men's Mental Wellbeing Service MEETING INFORMATION The pre-market engagement events will be held ONLINE on Microsoft Teams on Monday 12th January 2026. The times will be as follows: * Children and Families = 11:00-12:00 * Adults = 13:00-14:00 If you would like to attend either or both online meetings, please complete the relevant registration form: * Children and Families = https://forms.office.com/e/qHZ6zhWktN * Adults Bereavement Service = https://forms.office.com/e/1Qz5SJwSKb Once registered, you will be sent a MS Teams invite in advance of the meeting, with joining instructions included. Each attendee who wishes to attend should register individually. Registration closes at 12:00 noon on Friday 9th January 2026.",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "85323000",
                        "description": "Community health services"
                    }
                ],
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UKD41",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amountGross": 648000,
            "amount": 540000,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "specialRegime": [
            "lightTouch"
        ],
        "aboveThreshold": false,
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true,
                    "vcse": true
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-04-01T00:00:00+01:00",
                    "endDate": "2028-03-31T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "maxExtentDate": "2030-03-31T23:59:59+01:00"
                },
                "hasRenewal": true,
                "status": "planning"
            }
        ],
        "communication": {
            "futureNoticeDate": "2026-01-26T23:59:59Z"
        },
        "status": "planning"
    },
    "language": "en"
}