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Holiday Activities and Food Programme 2026

Bedford Borough Council

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

AwardUpdate

21 Jul 2026 at 12:57

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

11 Jun 2026 at 20:54

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

27 Apr 2026 at 12:24

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

17 Feb 2026 at 11:49

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Bedford Borough Council commissioned Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme services for children and young people across Bedford Borough during the Easter, summer and December school holidays, with possible provision during selected half-term holidays. The services are holiday centre and activity provision, including food, delivered through three areas: open-access holiday clubs; bespoke, targeted and non-standard provision; and specialist provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. The council is the buying organisation. Delivery is local to Bedford Borough. The procurement establishes a multi-supplier arrangement so that appointed providers can be considered for individual holiday-period delivery proposals, with allocation based on demand, performance, geographical coverage and available funding.

The procurement is complete and was awarded on 8 June 2026 through an open procedure. It created a framework covering three lots, each evaluated on quality. The award value is £2,400,000 across the three lots; no lot-level monetary values are stated. The framework contract runs from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2028, with two possible 12-month extensions to 30 June 2030. Twenty-five bids were recorded for each lot, including 14 SME bids and six VCSE bids for each. The active award was made to 24 suppliers, including Autism Bedfordshire, Barracudas Activity Day Camps, Bedford Blues Foundation, Greenwich Leisure, One YMCA, Premier Education and other local and regional activity, coaching, childcare and specialist providers.

This award demonstrates sustained local demand for organisations able to run safe, high-quality holiday activities and food provision at substantial programme scale. Relevant suppliers include activity-day and holiday-club operators, sports and coaching providers, performing-arts and outdoor-activity organisations, leisure operators, youth and community organisations, education providers and specialists supporting children with SEND. Credible competitors will need to deliver reliably across Bedford Borough, provide suitable geographical coverage and manage varied provision for open-access, targeted and non-standard requirements. The appointed supplier group shows that both SMEs and VCSEs can compete, alongside larger leisure and childcare organisations. Strong operational capacity, quality delivery, safeguarding, inclusive practice, food provision and evidence of performance would support a future response to this buyer’s requirement.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Holiday Activities and Food Programme 2026

Notice Description

Bedford Borough Council ('The Authority') is seeking to commission a number of local organisations capable of delivering high-quality Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme services across the Bedford Borough during the Easter, summer and December school holidays (there may also be opportunities to deliver provision during selected half-term holidays, subject to review). A bespoke multi-Supplier Framework Agreement will be set up to that effect. The Framework Agreement will be structured across three Lots, reflecting different types of provision, including open access holiday clubs, bespoke targeted provision, and specialist SEND provision. They are as follows: Lot 1: Open Access Holiday Clubs Lot 2: Bespoke, Targeted and Non-Standard Provision Lot 3: SEND Specialist Provision It is anticipated that the Framework Agreement shall commence on 1st July 2026 for a period of two (2) years from the Commencement Date with an option to extend for an additional 24 months (in two 12-month-installments). The Authority intends to re-open the Framework Agreement on an annual basis (typically in March) to allow new Suppliers to apply. Existing Suppliers appointed to the Framework Agreement will not be required to reapply but will continue to be considered for delivery through the Delivery Proposal process. Suppliers appointed to the Framework Agreement will be invited to submit Delivery Proposals ahead of each holiday period (typically issued approximately two months in advance). The HAF programme is funded by the Department for Education. Allocation of provision, including sessions, places and associated funding, will be determined by the Authority based on demand, performance, geographical coverage and available funding.

Lot Information

Lot 1: Open Access Holiday Clubs

Renewal: Two possible extensions in 12-month-installments.

LOT 2: Bespoke, Targeted and Non-Standard Provision

Renewal: Two possible extensions in 12-month-installments.

LOT 3: SEND Specialist Provision

Renewal: Two possible extensions in 12-month-installments.

Planning Information

Please see document summarising the HAF 2026 programme and a few questions the authority would like the market to complete to support in their future planning before going out to tender. Document can be downloaded (free or charge) from Bedford Borough Council e-portal https://in-tendhost.co.uk/bedford/aspx/Home project reference is BBC CH 04141

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0655d7
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/068684-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large, SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

CPV Codes

55241000 - Holiday centre services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£2,400,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
22 May 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
13 Apr 2026Expired
Award Date
8 Jun 20264 months ago
Contract Period
1 Jul 2026 - 30 Jun 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
2028-03-01

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Bedford Borough 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
BEDFORD
Postcode
MK42 9AP
Postcode Area
Milton Keynes
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH24 Bedford
Delivery Location
TLH24 Bedford
Local Authority
Bedford
Electoral Ward
Cauldwell
Westminster Constituency
Bedford

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
23
Supplier Names

Autism Bedfordshire

Barracudas Activity Day Camps

Bedford Blues Foundation

C KNIGHT DANCE DEVELOPMENT LIMITED

Canoe Trail Ltd

Care Consort Ltd

Country Days Ltd

Edu Sports Ltd

Everyone's Gang

Fun 4 Young People (F4YP) Ltd

Greenwich Leisure Limited

Junior Adventures Group

MACCA Sports Academies

NU Focus Education CIC

One YMCA

R&D Coaching

SI FFF Coaching LLP

Spiral Freerun

Sporty Scholars Ltd

SSG Services (Est 2003) Limited

Bowerbirdy

Limitless Sports & Activities Ltd

Premier Education

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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