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Participatory & Deliberative Engagement: A Stronger, Fairer Community in Maidstone Town Centre

Maidstone Borough Council

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Award

17 Aug 2026 at 10:06

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

01 Jun 2026 at 16:25

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
TenderUpdate

09 Apr 2026 at 09:37

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

08 Apr 2026 at 15:55

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Maidstone Borough Council commissioned a participatory and deliberative engagement programme focused exclusively on Maidstone Town Centre. The service covers the design and delivery of engagement intended to support a stronger, fairer community. This is a public-sector consultancy and research opportunity, including community engagement, deliberative methods and related research and development consultancy services. The work is to be delivered in Maidstone, within the borough’s town-centre area. The council is the buying organisation and the requirement is classified as a service. The procurement was suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises, indicating that the council was open to specialist providers as well as larger consultancy organisations.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded following a below-threshold open competition. The tender deadline was 6 May 2026 at noon, with enquiries closing on 29 April 2026 at noon. One lot was evaluated on price at 25%, quality at 50% and interview performance at 25%. The estimated maximum value was £50,000 gross. Maidstone Borough Council awarded the contract to AVEO GROUP LIMITED for £48,660 gross on 1 June 2026. The award contract period runs from 22 June 2026 to 30 September 2026; the signed contract records a period from 8 June 2026 to 30 September 2026 and was signed on 8 June 2026. Twenty-one bids were received, with three reaching the final stage.

This award demonstrates demand from Maidstone Borough Council for a compact, specialist engagement commission combining participatory design, deliberative practice and community-focused research. A credible competitor for similar work would need to show that it can design and deliver structured engagement in a defined town-centre setting, involve communities effectively, and turn participation into useful evidence for local decision-making. Strong quality submissions and confident interview performance mattered alongside price, so providers should be able to explain their methodology, team capability, engagement practice and expected outcomes clearly. The requirement was considered suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises, making relevant specialist experience and practical delivery capability more important than corporate scale.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Participatory & Deliberative Engagement: A Stronger, Fairer Community in Maidstone Town Centre

Notice Description

The design and delivery a participatory and deliberative engagement programme focused exclusively on Maidstone Town Centre.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-067e53
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/077958-2026
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

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

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

CPV Codes

73200000 - Research and development consultancy services

79000000 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£50,000 Under £100K
Lots Value
£50,000 Under £100K
Awards Value
£48,660 Under £100K
Contracts Value
£48,660 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Aug 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
6 May 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
1 Jun 20264 months ago
Contract Period
8 Jun 2026 - 30 Sep 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
TLJ45 Mid Kent
Local Authority
Maidstone
Electoral Ward
High Street
Westminster Constituency
Maidstone and Malling

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

AVEO Group

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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