Notice Information
Notice Title
Shortbreaks and Outreach Framework
Notice Description
Southampton City Council intends to establish a multi provider Short Breaks, Outreach and Support Framework to improve access to high quality services for children and young people with disabilities aged up to 18 years. Before commencing the procurement, the Council is issuing this Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) to invite interested providers to attend online market engagement consultation events. These sessions will offer an overview of the planned Framework, specification requirements, proposed Lots, and the anticipated procurement timetable. They will also give providers the opportunity to give feedback and ask questions. The proposed Framework will include two Lots: Lot 1 - Care Support and Community Outreach This Lot covers personalised care and support delivered in the home or community. Services will help children and young people with disabilities to develop independence, access their community, and maintain their wellbeing, while supporting family stability. The service will include personalised care and community based support, including personal care, delegated health tasks, communication and independence building programmes, behaviour support, community access and, where required, overnight respite. Providers must be able to offer planned, responsive and crisis support across a range of hours. Lot 2 - Specialist Playschemes and Targeted Short Breaks This Lot provides specialist holiday playschemes and targeted short break opportunities for children with substantial or complex needs. These are for children who cannot safely access mainstream provision due to high levels of personal care, complex health needs, autism or behaviour that challenges. Services delivered under this Lot should offer group and community-based activities that support children's social development, independence, wellbeing and enjoyment, while providing families with essential respite. The purpose of the Framework is to deliver consistent, timely, high quality and value for money support, while strengthening family resilience and improving outcomes for children and young people with disabilities. By approving providers onto a single Framework, the Council can quickly match a child's assessed needs with an appropriate supplier, reducing delays and enabling responsive, high quality support across the local area. Full details of the online market engagement events and how to register will be published alongside this PME.
Planning Information
The Authority is issuing this Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) statement to notify the market of an upcoming procurement opportunity for Outreach and Short Breaks services for children and young people with disabilities. Our primary objective is to engage with experienced providers, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprises (VCSEs) to inform the design of a new Framework. We want to ensure that our service specifications are commercially viable, innovative, and, most importantly, capable of meeting the diverse needs of children and young people (0-25) within our region. This engagement is conducted in accordance with Sections 16 and 17 of the Procurement Act 2023. It is not a call for competition, but a collaborative fact-finding exercise to ensure a "best fit" between our requirements and market capability. 2. The Requirement: A Two-Lot Framework We intend to establish a multi-supplier framework divided into two distinct "Lots." Suppliers may apply for one or both lots, provided they meet the specific quality and safeguarding criteria. Lot 1 - Care Support and Community Outreach The aim of Lot 1 is to develop a range of providers who can deliver personalised care and support in the home or community. The outreach service will ensure that children and young people with disabilities can develop independence skills, access their community, and maintain their wellbeing at the same time the family have a break from their caring duties. Lot 2 - Specialist Playschemes and Targeted Short Breaks The goal of Lot 2 is to develop a range of specialist and targeted activities for children and young people in a variety of locations across the city. The activities will provide opportunities for children to try new skills things, develop their social skills and support their overall development whilst giving their parent carers a break from caring. 3. The Procurement Plan The Authority intends to use a Open Framework model. This is designed to be "supplier-friendly," allowing new providers to join at specific intervals throughout the framework's life (e.g., every 12 months). Estimated Contract Term: 4 years + optional 2-year extension. Pricing Model: We are seeking market feedback on sustainable hourly rates vs. "block" funding for group activities. Call-Off Mechanism: Services will be commissioned via Direct Award (for specific 1:1 matches) or Mini-Competition (for larger group-based contracts). Preliminary Market Engagement Events will be held virtually on Microsoft Teams via invite only. These individual sessions will be held on the 5th (12.00 - 14.00); Short Breaks and 10th of Feb (13.00 - 15.00); Outreach. If you are interested in attending either event, please email Scott.Goodhew@southampton.gov.uk with your company name, the name of attendees with relevant email address for the invite, and please inform us which one (or both) you would like to attend. Please be aware when responding each event will be individual based on the Lots with Short breaks on the 5th, and Outreach on the 10th. Thankyou.
Notice Details
Publication & Lifecycle
- Open Contracting ID
- ocds-h6vhtk-0607c7
- Publication Source
- Find A Tender Service
- Latest Notice
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004272-2026
- Current Stage
- Planning
- All Stages
- Planning
Procurement Classification
- Notice Type
- UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
- Procurement Type
- Framework
- 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
75 - Administration, defence and social security services
85 - Health and social work services
98 - Other community, social and personal services
-
- CPV Codes
75200000 - Provision of services to the community
85312000 - Social work services without accommodation
85320000 - Social services
98000000 - Other community, social and personal services
Notice Value(s)
- Tender Value
- £4,500,000 £1M-£10M
- Lots Value
- Not specified
- Awards Value
- Not specified
- Contracts Value
- Not specified
Notice Dates
- Publication Date
- 19 Jan 2026Today
- Submission Deadline
- Not specified
- Future Notice Date
- 28 Feb 20262 months to go
- Award Date
- Not specified
- Contract Period
- 30 Sep 2026 - 30 Sep 2030 4-5 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
- SOUTHAMPTON CITY COUNCIL
- Contact Name
- Not specified
- Contact Email
- procurement@southampton.gov.uk
- Contact Phone
- Not specified
Buyer Location
- Locality
- SOUTHAMPTON
- Postcode
- SO14 7LY
- Post Town
- 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)
- TLJ32 Southampton
- Delivery Location
- TLJ South East (England)
-
- Local Authority
- Southampton
- Electoral Ward
- Bargate
- Westminster Constituency
- Southampton Itchen
Further Information
Notice Documents
-
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004272-2026
19th January 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender -
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004224-2026
19th January 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender -
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/003956-2026
16th January 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)
View full OCDS Record for this contracting process
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.
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