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Welfare Benefits Helpline and Specialist Benefits Advice Service in East Sussex

East Sussex County Council

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Award

20 Oct 2026 at 14:26

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

03 Jun 2026 at 12:01

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

20 May 2026 at 09:39

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Planning

29 Apr 2026 at 12:09

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

East Sussex County Council has procured a welfare benefits helpline and specialist benefits advice service for people in East Sussex. The service is intended to provide telephone access to welfare benefits guidance alongside specialist advice. It is classified as health and social work services. The buyer is the county council, and delivery is across East Sussex. This is a single service requirement rather than a collection of separately described work packages. The selected provider is Citizens Advice 1066, based in St Leonards-on-Sea. The service sits within the council’s wider provision of welfare benefits support; the procurement description also identifies the provider as a strategic partner.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded to Citizens Advice 1066. The award date was 20 October 2026. The awarded value is £2,567,462 excluding VAT (£3,080,954 including VAT). The contract is scheduled to run from 1 April 2027 to 30 April 2030, with an option to extend for up to three years if funding is made available; the stated maximum extent date is 31 March 2033. It was run as an open procedure. There was one lot. Evaluation weighted quality, including social value, at 85% and price at 15%. Two relevant nationally recognised assurance standards were required: the Advice Quality Standard (AQS) and the Specialist Quality Mark (SQM); all delivery partners must hold either standard before the contract starts. Two bids were received.

For suppliers considering similar work for East Sussex County Council, this award demonstrates demand for a strategic partner able to combine a welfare benefits helpline with specialist benefits advice across the county. A credible provider needs to deliver accessible advice at county-wide scale and have the operational capacity to sustain the service over a multi-year contract. Quality and social value carried substantially more evaluation weight than price, so evidence of reliable advice delivery, positive outcomes and wider community benefit would matter alongside a competitive, defensible price. The stated participation requirement makes recognised service assurance central: the lead provider and delivery partners need AQS or SQM accreditation before service commencement. The award to a Citizens Advice organisation and the two bids received also indicate that specialist advice capability and relevant assurance are important in this market.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Welfare Benefits Helpline and Specialist Benefits Advice Service in East Sussex

Notice Description

East Sussex County Council is undertaking an award for a Strategic Partner to provide a Welfare Benefits Helpline and Specialist Benefits Advice Service in East Sussex.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: A extension period of up to 36 months will be included within the contract terms.

Planning Information

Welfare Benefits contract: Virtual Market Engagement Event Wednesday 13 May 2026, 14:00 - 15:00 Register your place via email: allyson.king@eastsussex.gov.uk Please include organisation and names and email addresses of those due to attend. Please let us know if you wish to attend by 5pm 11 May 2026.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-068dd7
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099057-2026
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
Large

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
£2,567,462 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£2,567,462 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£2,567,462 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
20 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
10 Jul 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
3 Jun 2026Expired
Award Date
20 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 30 Apr 2030 3-4 years
Recurrence
2026-10-05

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
East Sussex County 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
LEWES
Postcode
BN7 1UE
Postcode Area
Brighton
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ22 East Sussex CC
Delivery Location
TLJ22 East Sussex CC
Local Authority
Lewes
Electoral Ward
Lewes Priory
Westminster Constituency
Lewes

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Citizens Advice 1066

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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