Award

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

Gateshead Advocacy Services

Gateshead Borough Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

31 Jul 2026 at 15:16

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

12 May 2026 at 13:10

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

14 Apr 2026 at 10:11

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Gateshead Borough Council procured a single-provider advocacy service for people who need support with health and social care decisions and complaints in Gateshead. The service covers statutory, non-statutory and general advocacy, including Care Act advocacy, Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA), Relevant Person’s Representative (RPR) services, Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA), NHS complaints advocacy, Rule 1.2 representative advocacy and general advocacy. It is classified as health and social work services (CPV 85000000). The council chose one contract so people can access different forms of advocacy from one provider, with consistent support and coordinated transitions between statutory, issue-based and specialist advocacy. The requirement is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community or social enterprises.

The procurement has reached the award stage following an above-threshold open procedure under the light-touch regime. One contract was awarded to YOUR VOICE COUNTS on 31 July 2026, subject to a standstill period ending 12 August 2026. The awarded value is £1,720,000 excluding VAT and £2,064,000 including VAT. The contract is scheduled to run from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2029, with an option to extend by up to 24 months, in further or separate periods, to a maximum end date of 30 September 2031. Two bids were received and both reached the final stage. Evaluation was based on quality at 90% and social value at 10%.

This award demonstrates established demand from Gateshead for a broad, integrated advocacy service rather than a single specialist intervention. Suppliers well placed for a future competition would need to deliver the full range of Care Act, mental capacity, mental health, NHS complaints, representative and general advocacy, while managing referrals and transitions between these service types. Credibility would depend on a consistent approach for people whose needs change during their advocacy journey, alongside the operational capacity to provide timely and coordinated support through one organisation. The opportunity is explicitly suitable for SMEs and VCSEs, so a specialist community or social enterprise with relevant advocacy delivery experience may be well positioned, provided it can cover the whole requirement.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Gateshead Advocacy Services

Notice Description

Gateshead Council has recommissioned a contract to deliver advocacy services. The proposed contract will include the following statutory, non-statutory and general elements: - Care Act - IMCA - RPR - IMHA - NHS Complaints - Rule 1.2 Representative Advocacy - General Advocacy. Following consideration of the service requirements and the needs of people who access advocacy, it was decided that the advocacy contract be procured as a single contract rather than divided into lots. This approach is justified as many individuals require access to more than one type of advocacy during their journey (e.g., statutory advocacy, issue-based advocacy, and specialist advocacy). Delivering these through one provider enables cohesive support for individuals, including a consistent advocacy approach and smooth transitions between different advocacy types, ensuring timely and coordinated support.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: 36 Months with option to extend for a further period or separate periods up to a maximum of 24 months

Planning Information

We would like to gain your views through the following: • Completion of the Market Engagement Questionnaire. • Attendance at an online event, including the possibility of one-to-ones. All responses should be provided by completing the questionnaire and uploading your responses via the Open e-tendering system https://www.open-uk.org/ before the deadline of 20th April 2026. This can be found by searching 'Adult Advocacy Services' or using project number OPEN2026742.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0681a1
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/072822-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
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
£1,700,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,700,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£1,720,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
31 Jul 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
9 Jun 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
20 Apr 2026Expired
Award Date
31 Jul 20263 weeks ago
Contract Period
1 Oct 2026 - 30 Sep 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
2031-09-30

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Gateshead 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
GATESHEAD
Postcode
NE8 1HH
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
TLC22 Tyneside
Local Authority
Gateshead
Electoral Ward
Bridges
Westminster Constituency
Gateshead Central and Whickham

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

YOUR VOICE COUNTS

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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.

Loading OCDS record...