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Regulation 44 Visits by an Independent Person

Durham County Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

24 Aug 2026 at 11:48

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

28 Jul 2026 at 16:50

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

04 Jun 2026 at 13:32

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Durham County Council procured independent Regulation 44 visits for its residential children’s services. The work involves rigorous, impartial monthly assessments of safeguarding arrangements and the promotion of children’s welfare in community children’s homes and Aycliffe Secure Centre. The requirement covers 15 Council-maintained community homes, including a short-breaks service and a step-down-from-secure home, plus five homes within Aycliffe Secure Centre. The Council plans to develop up to five further community children’s homes, which could change the number of locations covered. This is a health and social work service (CPV 85000000), delivered across County Durham. The requirement supports the Council’s responsibilities as the corporate parent for children in its care and the regulatory obligations applying to children’s residential homes.

The procurement is complete: Durham County Council awarded the single lot to The National Youth Advocacy Service on 28 July 2026, and the contract was signed on 19 August 2026. The contract runs from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2031, with possible extension to 31 August 2034 through three 12-month renewal periods, subject to commissioner and budget approval. Its value is £1,060,000 excluding VAT and £1,272,000 including VAT. The open procedure was evaluated using 70% technical questions and 30% price. Technical scoring covered service delivery, quality assurance and performance monitoring. Pass/fail requirements included safeguarding, Prevent, right-to-work, DBS, ICO registration, UK GDPR, lone working, IT practices and TUPE. Four bids were received, with three at final stage.

This award demonstrates sustained demand from Durham County Council for independent regulatory monitoring of children’s residential care. Suppliers seeking to compete when the requirement next returns would need credible experience in Regulation 44 visiting, children’s safeguarding and impartial assessment of residential-home arrangements. They would also need robust policies and procedures covering e-safety, Prevent, right to work, DBS checks, data protection, UK GDPR, lone working, violence and aggression, IT security and TUPE considerations. The evaluation shows that service delivery, quality assurance and performance monitoring carry more weight than price, so bidders need a well-evidenced operating model, consistent reporting and effective oversight across multiple homes. The contract’s flexibility around changing home numbers also favours organisations able to scale visiting capacity while maintaining independence and quality.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Regulation 44 Visits by an Independent Person

Notice Description

This contract is for Regulation 44 Visits by an Independent Person. The Community Children's Homes maintained by Durham County Council provide support and care for some of our most vulnerable children. Durham County Council is committed to be the best parent we can be for Children in our Care and strives to ensure that we deliver support and care that is as good as every good parent. In addition to this we also host Aycliffe Secure Centre within County Durham for both male and females who have been admitted by courts or councils on a welfare and youth custody basis, this may be due to a risk to themselves or others or because there is a concern about involvement with criminal activities. The Children's Homes Regulations 2015 (Regulation 44) require all providers of Children's Residential Homes, to secure monthly visits (as a minimum) by an Independent Person to undertake a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home's arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home's care. There are currently 15 Community Children's Homes maintained by Durham County Council, including a Short Breaks Service and a Step-Down from Secure home. Each of these homes requires monthly Regulation 44 visits conducted by an Independent Person. In addition, Aycliffe Secure Centre comprises a further five homes. Over the course of the contract, the Council plans to develop up to five additional Community Children's Homes. It is anticipated that the scope and value of the contract will be adjusted accordingly as each new home is developed and registered with Ofsted, ensuring ongoing compliance with Regulation 44 requirements. The view of the Council is that the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) will apply to this contract. However, Bidders should seek their own legal advice as to the applicability of TUPE and as to the effect of the TUPE clause contained in the contract Terms and Conditions.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: The number of homes may increase / decrease over the life of the contract and the successful organisation requires flexibility to this contract to accommodate this. Over the course of the contract, the Council plans to develop up to five additional Community Children's Homes. It is anticipated that the scope and value of the contract will be adjusted accordingly as each new home is developed and registered with Ofsted, ensuring ongoing compliance with Regulation 44 requirements. The separate governance arrangements for the Secure Centre and Community Children's Homes may need to be reviewed when considering any contract extension. In particular, a decision may be made as to whether it remains appropriate for a single contract to continue covering both services, or whether they should be commissioned separately to better reflect their distinct operational and regulatory frameworks.

Renewal: 3 periods of 12 months each subject to commissioner and budget approval

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ad88
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080267-2026
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
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
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
£1,060,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,060,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£1,060,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£1,060,000 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
24 Aug 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
6 Jul 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
28 Jul 20262 months ago
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2031 Over 5 years
Recurrence
2034-01-02

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Durham 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
DURHAM
Postcode
DH1 5WB
Postcode Area
Durham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC41 Durham
Delivery Location
TLC14 Durham
Local Authority
County Durham
Electoral Ward
Framwellgate & Newton Hall
Westminster Constituency
City of Durham

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

National Youth Advocacy Service

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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