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All Age Advocacy Services

Suffolk County Council

This public procurement record has 5 releases in its history.

TenderUpdate

01 Oct 2026 at 13:38

UK4 - Tender Notice
TenderUpdate

01 Oct 2026 at 13:18

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

01 Oct 2026 at 12:46

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

03 Jun 2026 at 08:32

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

11 May 2026 at 11:35

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Suffolk County Council is buying an integrated independent advocacy service for adults, children and young people across Suffolk. The service is intended to meet the council’s statutory duties and provide flexible, high-quality, cost-effective advocacy. This is a health and social care service (CPV 85000000). Delivery is county-wide in Suffolk. The scope includes advocacy for both adults and children, with the provider expected to understand the legislation governing these services and work in line with data protection requirements. The contract may be transferred or divided between successor local authorities if local government structures change; the buyer also flags possible devolution affecting the authorities and service area. These changes could alter the geographical coverage or scale of services, while remaining broadly related to the current requirement.

The buyer invited tenders through an open procedure. This is a single-lot procurement, and Suffolk County Council has set an estimated maximum value of £5,438,400 excluding VAT for the full term. The initial contract period runs from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2030, with up to three optional one-year extensions, giving a possible end date of 31 March 2033. Clarification questions were due by 14 October 2026 at 5pm; tender submissions were due by 29 October 2026 at 11am through Suffolk Sourcing. The anticipated award decision date is 14 December 2026. Evaluation is weighted 80% on quality and 20% on price. Pricing above the stated maximum budget will not proceed to evaluation.

The opportunity is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses and voluntary, community or social enterprises. Bidders need experience delivering advocacy services, including a county-wide service, and must demonstrate understanding of advocacy legislation for both children and adults, as well as experience complying fully with GDPR. The main provider must be able to achieve and maintain the Advocacy Quality Performance Mark throughout the contract. Required insurance cover is £10 million public liability, £5 million employers’ liability and £2 million professional indemnity; suppliers may already hold this cover or commit to obtaining it before award. A minimum Creditsafe score of 50 is required at evaluation, although the council may assess other financial information if the score is unavailable or below threshold. Suppliers must be registered on the Government Central Digital Platform.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

All Age Advocacy Services

Notice Description

Suffolk County Council is seeking tenders from sufficiently experienced and qualified contractors for the provision of All Age Advocacy Service. The Suffolk Independent All Age Advocacy Service to provide an integrated, high quality, flexible and cost-effective advocacy service which meets all the statutory requirements placed on Suffolk County Council for the provision of independent advocacy for adults, children and young people. The maximum contract value is PS5,438,400 exclusive of VAT for the duration of the contract including extension. The VAT amount included is 20% standard rate, however in some circumstances VAT may be exempt or chargeable at a different rate. The contract term is three years (36 months) with an option to extend for up to a further three x 1-year extensions (36 months). The Deadline date for submission of the tender is 29/10/2026 at 11.00AM. Tender Submission will be electronically via the Suffolk Sourcing e-Tendering System at; https://supplier.in-tend.co.uk/suffolksourcing/tenders/details/3058c7b7-3420-469b-8516-f7b4cfdcb335 Please note late returns will NOT be permitted. The deadline for clarification questions is 14/10/2026 at 5.00pm, which must be generated via the correspondence option within Suffolk Sourcing.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: Allowed modifications throughout the life of contract.

Renewal: Three x one year optional extensions available giving 6 months notice

Planning Information

The aims of the market engagement are to: Understand the level of market interest in the proposed procurement. Identify potential suppliers. Provide a high-level overview of the project and its objectives. Gather market feedback on the initial draft scope of services and proposed delivery model. Interested parties are invited to attend a Teams event at 2pm on Tuesday 16th June 2026. Please contact felicity.tate@suffolk.gov.uk no later than 12.00 noon on 15th June 2026 to request a Teams invitation (providing email contacts for your attendees).

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-069574
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092851-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Dynamic
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

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
£5,438,400 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£5,438,400 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 Oct 20265 days ago
Submission Deadline
29 Oct 20264 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
1 Aug 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2030 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Suffolk 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
IPSWICH
Postcode
IP1 2BX
Postcode Area
Ipswich
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH6 Suffolk
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH62 Ipswich
Delivery Location
TLH East (England)
Local Authority
Ipswich
Electoral Ward
Gipping
Westminster Constituency
Ipswich

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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