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ITT - Pride In Place Deliberative Engagement

Maidstone Borough Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

21 Jul 2026 at 14:35

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

16 Apr 2026 at 16:42

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

26 Feb 2026 at 11:00

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Maidstone Borough Council commissioned an independent deliberative community engagement service for the Park Wood and Senacre Pride in Place Programme. The work involves designing and facilitating a robust, representative process in which residents consider balanced evidence, explore trade-offs and agree shared values and long-term priorities. Its outputs will establish the community mandate and evidence base for a 10-year neighbourhood plan and initial investment strategy. The engagement will support a community-led Neighbourhood Board made up of residents and local stakeholders, with responsibilities spanning building thriving places, strengthening communities and taking back control. This is a social research and business consultancy service, delivered for the Park Wood and Senacre neighbourhoods in Maidstone.

The procurement is complete and was awarded through a below-threshold open competition. One lot was evaluated on cost at 25%, quality at 50% and interview at 25%; the lot was suitable for SMEs and VCSEs. Enquiries closed on 19 March 2026 at noon and tender submissions closed on 26 March 2026 at noon. The tender value was £50,000 excluding VAT (£60,000 including VAT). Twenty-three bids were received, with three reaching the final stage. The contract was awarded on 16 April 2026 to Forestville Communications Limited for £40,500 excluding VAT (£48,600 including VAT). It was signed on 8 June 2026, with the contract running from 9 June to 31 August 2026.

This award demonstrates demand from Maidstone Borough Council for specialist deliberative engagement rather than conventional consultation. Suppliers well placed for comparable work would combine social research, community engagement design and facilitation with strong business or public-sector consultancy skills. Credibility would depend on showing how residents can be recruited representatively, supported to understand complex evidence, guided through competing priorities and enabled to reach legitimate shared conclusions. Relevant experience should include independent delivery, structured deliberation, stakeholder involvement and production of clear, actionable plans for governance and investment. Organisations able to work with neighbourhood boards and translate community insight into practical long-term priorities would match the capability evidenced by this requirement.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

ITT - Pride In Place Deliberative Engagement

Notice Description

Maidstone Borough Council ("the Council") invites tenders from suitably qualified and experienced organisations to design and deliver an independent, high-quality deliberative community engagement for the Park Wood & Senacre Pride in Place Programme. The Council is seeking a partner capable of designing and facilitating a robust, representative and independently delivered process through which residents can meaningfully shape the 10-year Pride in Place Plan for their neighbourhood. The purpose of this procurement is not to undertake a traditional consultation exercise, but to establish a legitimate community mandate that will guide long-term governance and investment decisions. Pride in Place is a flagship UK Government initiative providing PS20 million of long-term investment over a ten-year period. Unlike short-term grant programmes or transactional engagement approaches, Pride in Place is designed to transfer meaningful influence into the hands of residents and embed community-led governance at the centre of place-based change. The programme represents a shift away from reactive interventions toward sustained, generational change. It seeks to address structural drivers of local challenge through a decade-long investment strategy shaped, prioritised and stewarded by the community itself. Achieving this requires a structured process through which residents are able to engage with balanced evidence, explore trade-offs, deliberate on competing priorities, and develop shared principles to inform strategic decision-making. Central to this model is the establishment of a Neighbourhood Board - a community-led body comprising residents and local stakeholders. The Board will act as steward of the programme and oversee delivery across three core pillars: * Building thriving places * Strengthening communities * Taking back control The deliberative engagement commissioned through this tender will form the foundational evidence base and community mandate upon which the Board's 10-Year Pride in Place Plan and initial Investment Strategy will be developed. This includes establishing a representative and legitimate community voice, articulating shared values and long-term priorities, and producing a clear and actionable roadmap capable of guiding the Neighbourhood Board as it assumes its governance role. Contract commenced 7th of May 2026

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-065ccb
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/068756-2026
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
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

79315000 - Social research services

79410000 - Business and management consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£50,000 Under £100K
Lots Value
£50,000 Under £100K
Awards Value
£40,500 Under £100K
Contracts Value
£40,500 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 Jul 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
26 Mar 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
16 Apr 20264 months ago
Contract Period
9 Jun 2026 - 31 Aug 2026 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Maidstone 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
MAIDSTONE
Postcode
ME15 6JQ
Postcode Area
Rochester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ4 Kent
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ45 Mid Kent
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Maidstone
Electoral Ward
High Street
Westminster Constituency
Maidstone and Malling

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

FORESTVILLE COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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