Gwent Regional Advocacy service for children and young people who are looked after - the Active Offer of Advocacy and issue-based advocacy support.

CAERPHILLY COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

19 Jun 2026 at 10:41

Award

16 Jun 2026 at 09:03

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process led by Caerphilly County Borough Council is for the provision of the Gwent Regional Advocacy Service catering to children and young people in care. This service aims to deliver independent advocacy, including the Active Offer and issue-based advocacy support. Located in the Gwent region of Wales, this procurement falls under the health and social work services industry category. Currently at the award stage, this process involves a direct award to National Advocacy Youth Service (NYAS) and commences on 1 July 2026, with the contract running for 12 months and an option to extend for a further 12 months. The procurement method utilised is a direct award, and the buying organisation is part of a collaboration among multiple local authorities within Wales looking to ensure continuity of essential statutory services, pending national framework discussions.

This tender provides potential for significant growth opportunities, especially for organisations familiar with providing advocacy services, particularly within statutory frameworks and regulatory requirements set by Care Inspectorate Wales. Businesses capable of ensuring consistent service delivery and willing to engage with future competitive procurement processes will find this opportunity beneficial. The collaborative nature of the contract, partnered with the potential for involvement in a broader regional or national framework, opens possibilities for businesses to establish a foothold in the sector, engage in vital public service activities, and position themselves for future market engagements. The anticipated discussions with the Welsh Government about a National Advocacy Framework suggest that those well-acquainted with strategic regulatory dynamics could leverage substantial benefits.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Gwent Regional Advocacy service for children and young people who are looked after - the Active Offer of Advocacy and issue-based advocacy support.

Notice Description

The Council intends to directly award a contract to the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) for an interim period for the provision of independent advocacy services for children and young people who are looked after, including the Active Offer of Advocacy, issue-based advocacy support, an Independent Visiting Service for children and young people in residential care, Families First child and young people advocacy and Parent Advocacy for Families First and Children's Services. NYAS is the current provider of this Gwent regional service, originally awarded following a competitive procurement process. Local authorities in Wales have a statutory duty to provide independent professional advocacy services for children and young people and the service provider must be registered with Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW). Across the Gwent region, these services are commissioned collaboratively to ensure consistency, resilience, and quality of provision. The Council is postponing a compliant, competitive procurement process while discussion with Welsh Government and other local authorities in Wales considers the establishment of a National Advocacy Framework for Wales in respect of an advocacy service for children and young people. The existing toolkit for the commissioning of the service required updating in order to support a new procurement process at this time. Proceeding to market without this updated framework would present significant risks in relation to service continuity, financial sustainability, governance, and procurement compliance. A direct award to NYAS is therefore considered necessary on a temporary basis to ensure continuity of this essential statutory service while the discussion in respect of a national framework and supporting documentation are finalised. The proposed contract term is 12 months with an option to extend for a further 12 months, commencing on 1 July 2026. The Council is adhering to a voluntary 8 working day standstill period from the date of publication of this UK6 Notice The Council intends to procure this service through a future competitive process and will update the market in due course of the route to market. This may be undertaken on a Gwent regional basis or as part of a wider national arrangement, subject to decisions made by other Welsh local authorities and Welsh Government support. Future supplier engagement shall take place with the market to keep all interested parties informed of the forthcoming procurement route.

Procurement Information

The Council intends to directly award a contract to the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) for the interim provision of statutory independent advocacy services for children and young people, including Active Offer, issue-based advocacy support, an Independent Visiting Service for children and young people in residential care, Families First child and young people advocacy and Parent Advocacy for Families First and Children's Service NYAS is the incumbent provider, originally appointed following a competitive procurement process, and is registered with Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW). The service is commissioned collaboratively across the Gwent region to ensure consistent and resilient delivery. A competitive procurement process is being deferred pending ongoing discussions with Welsh Government regarding a potential National Advocacy Framework for Wales. The existing commissioning toolkit requires updating to support a compliant future procurement. Proceeding to market at this time would present risks to service continuity, procurement compliance, and value for money. A time-limited direct award is therefore necessary to ensure continuity of this critical statutory service. The contract term is 12 months, with an option to extend for a further 12 months from 1 July 2026. The Council will undertake a future competitive procurement and engage with the market in due course.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b58e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/057971-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
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
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£1,500,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
19 Jun 20265 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
7 Jun 20262 weeks ago
Contract Period
30 Jun 2026 - 30 Jun 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
CAERPHILLY COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL
Additional Buyers

BLAENAU GWENT COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL

MONMOUTHSHIRE COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL

NEWPORT CITY COUNTY

TORFAEN COUNTY 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
HENGOED
Postcode
CF82 7PG
Post Town
Cardiff
Country
Wales

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLL Wales
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLL5 South East Wales
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLL53 Gwent Valleys
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Torfaen
Electoral Ward
Pontypool Fawr
Westminster Constituency
Torfaen

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

NATIONAL ADVOCACY YOUTH SERVICE

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.

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