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SEND Specific Fun and Food Programme for Children in Receipt of Benefits-related Free School Meals (Easter 2026)

Durham County Council

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

26 Mar 2026 at 12:29

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Tender

23 Jan 2026 at 09:48

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Durham County Council, based in Durham, United Kingdom, has successfully completed the procurement process for the "SEND Specific Fun and Food Programme for Children in Receipt of Benefits-related Free School Meals" for Easter 2026, focusing on services within the health and social work sector. This initiative, supported by Department for Education funding, aims to provide various enriching activities to school-aged children eligible for free school meals. The award was made to Karbon Homes, a large supplier located in Newcastle, with the contract active from 7th to 17th April 2026. The procurement method was open competition, specifically below the threshold, and managed under a light-touch regime.

The programme presents a significant opportunity for businesses specialising in health, social services, education, and recreational activities to expand their service offerings within County Durham. Companies able to offer innovative solutions in food provision, physical activities, and nutritional education, particularly those accommodating children with special educational needs, would be well-suited for such contracts. With potential extensions covering Summer and Christmas holiday periods, successful providers may see extended business growth. SMEs and VCSEs are encouraged to apply, given their suitability criteria, with future funding opportunities potentially expanding beyond the scope of current benefits-related free school meals.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

SEND Specific Fun and Food Programme for Children in Receipt of Benefits-related Free School Meals (Easter 2026)

Notice Description

The Council wishes to seek multiple Providers to deliver the Fun and Food programme to Children with SEND in Receipt of Benefits-related Free School Meals within the boundaries of County Durham. This project utilises Department for Education (DfE) funding which is for school aged children in receipt of benefits related free school meals. All providers must meet DfE framework of standards as below: * Food Provision * Enrichment Activities * Physical Activities * Increasing Awareness of Healthy Eating, healthy lifestyles, and positive behaviours * Signposting and referrals and supporting families * Safeguarding * Policies and Procedures Please note - sessions do not need to be exclusively for children in receipt benefits related Free School Meals, alternative funding may be sourced by the organisation to fund children ineligible for DfE funding i.e parents/carers may be charged for sessions by the activity organisation.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: Successful Providers' contracts, as delivered under the Easter 2026 holiday provision, may be extended/varied to cover delivery in the Summer and or Christmas school holiday period. At the sole discretion of the Council, providers will be identified and approached for Summer and or Christmas delivery, this is likely to be dependent on successful achievement from Easter 2026 delivery under this contract and Commissioners professional judgement. If Successful Providers meet the threshold that the Commissioner deems as successful delivery, they will be emailed a proposal form for completion for the next school holiday period. The same evaluation criteria will be applied to the subsequent proposals. There is also a possibility that DCC may acquire funding from different sources that may be used for main school holidays, half term holidays or funding for participants to attend that are not in receipt of Benefits-related Free School Meals. Where this is the case successful providers will be updated regarding the scope of delivery. Further details of the requirements are set out in Document 3A Specification.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-060cf6
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/027879-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

85 - Health and social work services

92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

98 - Other community, social and personal services

CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

85000000 - Health and social work services

92000000 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

98000000 - Other community, social and personal services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£250,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£250,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£1,905 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
26 Mar 20265 months ago
Submission Deadline
20 Feb 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
26 Mar 20265 months ago
Contract Period
7 Apr 2026 - 17 Apr 2026 30 days
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Durham 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
DURHAM
Postcode
DH1 5WB
Postcode Area
Durham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC41 Durham
Delivery Location
TLC14 Durham
Local Authority
County Durham
Electoral Ward
Framwellgate & Newton Hall
Westminster Constituency
City of Durham

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Karbon Homes

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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