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NEPO605A - Children's Advocacy, Independent People for Children and Adults Complaints and Secure Reviews - Opening 7

Newcastle City Council

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

23 Jul 2026 at 12:09

Award Notice
Tender

23 Mar 2026 at 14:32

Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Newcastle City Council procured UK-wide health and social work services through a flexible arrangement covering five areas: investigating officers for children’s and adults’ stage-two complaints; independent persons for those complaints; independent chairs for stage-three statutory children’s social care complaints; independent panellists for those stage-three complaints; and independent persons for secure accommodation reviews. The work supports formal complaints investigations, statutory social care complaint panels and reviews of children placed in secure accommodation. The buyer is Newcastle City Council, a local authority based at the Civic Centre in Newcastle upon Tyne. The requirement is for specialist independent practitioners able to undertake sensitive work involving children, adults, social care complaints and secure accommodation decisions.

The procurement is complete and an active award was made to LN Consult Ltd; the associated contract was signed on 3 July 2026. The contract period for each of the five advertised service areas was 1,080 days, with two optional 12-month extensions, although lots 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are recorded as cancelled. The procurement used an open procedure under the light-touch route for social and other specific services, with electronic submission in English. Price was the stated award criterion. Two bids were recorded, with valid bid figures ranging from £0.01 to £0.02. The award-period and bid-opening events were scheduled for 29 April 2026, and the tender submission deadline was 28 April 2026 at 5pm.

This outcome indicates demand for independent complaints and review practitioners serving a local authority, particularly people who can investigate children’s and adults’ stage-two complaints, chair or sit on statutory children’s social care complaint panels, and conduct secure accommodation reviews. Credible competitors would need the professional judgement, independence and communication skills to handle sensitive evidence, contested decisions and the interests of children, adults, families and social care authorities. Organisations should be able to provide suitably experienced investigating officers, independent persons, chairs and panellists as relevant to the service area, and manage assignments across the UK. The award to an SME shows that the requirement can suit a focused specialist consultancy as well as a larger provider.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

NEPO605A - Children's Advocacy, Independent People for Children and Adults Complaints and Secure Reviews - Opening 7

Notice Description

This is the seventh opening of this bespoke flexible procurement originally under find a tender reference 2023/S 000-033961 This bespoke flexible procurement solution is under the Social and Other Specific Services EU procurement route ('Light Touch Regime'), and will be known as the Flexible Procurement Agreement (Contract) for the provision of Services for: Lot 3 - Investigating Officers (Children and Adult Stage Two Complaints) Lot 4 - Independent Persons (Children and Adult Stage Two Complaints) Lot 5 - Independent Chairs for Stage Three Statutory Children's Social Care Complaints Lot 6 - Independent Panellists for Stage Three Statutory Children's Social Care Complaints Lot 7 - Independent Persons for Secure Accommodation Reviews

Lot Information

Investigating Officers (IO) (Children and Adult Stage 2 Complaints)

Investigating officers (children and adult stage two complaints)

Options: 2x 12 month options to extend

Independent Persons (IP) (Children and Adult Stage Two Complaints)

Independent persons (children and adult stage two complaints)

Options: 2x 12 month options to extend

Independent Chairs for Stage Three Statutory Children's Social Care Complaints

Independent chairs for stage 3 statutory children's social care complaints

Options: 2x 12 month options to extend

Independent Panellists for Stage Three Statutory Children's Social Care Complaints

Independent panellists for stage three statutory children's social care complaints

Options: 2x 12 month options to extend

Independent Persons for Secure Accommodation Reviews

Independent persons for secure accommodation reviews

Options: 2x 12 month options to extend

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06718e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069633-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85000000 - Health and social work services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
23 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
28 Apr 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active, Unsuccessful
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Newcastle City 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
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
Postcode
NE1 8QH
Postcode Area
Newcastle upon Tyne
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC43 Tyneside
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Newcastle upon Tyne
Electoral Ward
Monument
Westminster Constituency
Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

LN Consult Ltd

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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