Planning

Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) Support Services

HOME OFFICE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

31 Mar 2026 at 08:12

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Home Office is currently in the planning stage for a procurement process titled "Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) Support Services" aimed at providing essential services for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children arriving in the UK. This initiative falls under the public authority central government category and will primarily operate in Kent and potentially other regions of the United Kingdom. Interested suppliers must express their interest by 24th April 2026 via email, following which they will sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement to access further information. The procurement method involves preliminary market engagement with potential suppliers, including opportunities for industry days and one-to-one sessions. The process will be detailed further before the future notice date of 18th May 2026.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specializing in welfare and social work services for children and young people. SMEs and VCSEs are particularly encouraged to participate due to the suitability criteria of the procurement process, which aims to deliver services not tied to accommodation, alongside administrative social services. The procurement has an estimated contract value of £4,500,000 with the potential for renewal, ensuring sustained business growth and collaboration possibilities with the Home Office and other service providers. The services required are diverse, covering areas such as immediate needs support upon arrival and future orientation services, allowing businesses in these sectors to leverage their expertise and expand their operational scope in delivering high-impact social services.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) Support Services

Notice Description

The Home Office (the Authority) has a statutory duty under Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 to discharge its immigration and asylum functions having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the UK. This includes Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) who arrive in the UK and enter the immigration system without a parent or guardian. The Support Services for UASC ensure that their immediate needs are met upon arrival in Kent, or elsewhere, prior to entering the care of a local authority. Additionally, there is a need to ensure UASC have access to information and support to help them navigate the asylum process. The services will operate alongside, and in collaboration with the Authority and a range of other services and Authority suppliers, to enable the effective operation of the system to manage and support UASC. It is recognised that service users may require only one, or a combination of these services at any given time. Therefore, all services areas must be available, but would be delivered on an as-required basis, according to the needs of each individual case. The core service areas are: Service Area 1: Deliver Services at Kent Intake Unit (KIU) Service Area 2: Delivery of Future Orientation Sessions The Home Office is still considering all of its options with regards to aggregation and disaggregation. One optional service line that may be included within the procurement is: Service Area 3: Signposting, Advice and/or Referral Services. Information relating to the delivery of this service will be included within the market engagement, and a decision will be made regarding its inclusion closer to the publication of the ITT. The content of this Notice, including the estimated contract value and indicative contract timelines, is subject to change.

Planning Information

Note: Any previous expression of interest or signed NDA associated with Project 19042 will need to be renewed and previous participation in market engagement will not result in automatic inclusion in this new preliminary market engagement and any subsequent tender process. It is our intention to invite those suppliers that express an interest in this procurement to complete an initial Supplier Questionnaire, subject to parties signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Following receipt of responses, the Authority will decide whether to conduct further market engagement activities. These may include an Industry Day, one-to-one engagement sessions with prospective bidders, or the issuing of clarifying questions to suppliers. How to Express Interest 1. Register on the Home Office eSourcing Portal Suppliers must be registered on the Home Office eSourcing Suite to participate. If your organisation is not yet registered, please do so at: https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html Select the "To register click here" link and follow the instructions. Note: You must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun & Bradstreet) for the organisation that will be entering into any subsequent contract. 2. Submit an Expression of Interest via Email Send an email to: AsylumSupportProcurementTeam@homeoffice.gov.uk Use the subject line: Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) Support Services – Expression of Interest Please include the following details in the body of the email, using the format below: Organisation name: [Insert name] Contact name: [Insert name] Email address: [Insert email] Telephone number: [Insert number] Next Steps Following Expression of Interest 3. NDA Issuance Once your Expression of Interest has been received, your organisation will be invited to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), which must be completed prior to receiving further materials. 4. Access to Further Information Suppliers will be unable to participate in preliminary market engagement or any subsequent tender process without returning a signed NDA via the Home Office eSourcing Portal. Upon receipt of the signed NDA, you will be provided with access to a Background Note providing further detail on the potential scope of services, along with a Supplier Questionnaire to complete.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-067882
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029405-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
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

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85310000 - Social work services

85311300 - Welfare services for children and young people

85312000 - Social work services without accommodation

85312400 - Welfare services not delivered through residential institutions

85321000 - Administrative social 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
31 Mar 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
18 May 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Jan 2027 - 31 Dec 2029 3-4 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
HOME OFFICE
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 4DF
Post Town
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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