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Newham Best Start Family Hubs Befriending, Navigation and Peer Support Service

LONDON BOROUGH OF NEWHAM

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

17 Jul 2026 at 11:34

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The London Borough of Newham intends to commission a voluntary, community and faith sector-led befriending, navigation and peer support service for families from pregnancy until children reach age five. The service will complement Best Start Family Hubs across Newham and provide a trusted first point of contact, particularly when other services are less available. The expected offer includes a telephone helpline and potentially text, WhatsApp, web-based or other virtual channels, alongside emotional support, practical advice, signposting and referrals. Providers would recruit and train local volunteers, offer outreach and community engagement, and connect families with Best Start Family Hubs through warm handovers and light-touch follow-up. The work is social work and related services, delivered for families in Newham, London.

This procurement is at the planning and preliminary market-engagement stage; it is not yet an invitation to tender. The buyer expects to use the Procurement Act 2023 regulations and apply Procurement Policy Note 005. The planned service is a single lot with an indicative contract period from 1 December 2026 to 30 November 2028, with a possible renewal or extension to 30 November 2029. The estimated gross value is £450,000. The buyer has scheduled a market-engagement event, with participation due by 11 August 2026, to gather provider expertise and shape the service design and later specification. The procurement is intended to be reserved for SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises, with organisations required to be registered in England.

This will suit an England-registered SME, voluntary, community or social enterprise with experience supporting parents, carers and young children, especially vulnerable or seldom-heard families. Relevant providers are likely to combine telephone-based befriending or helpline delivery with practical navigation, referral and signposting expertise. The service will favour organisations able to provide flexible, accessible and potentially out-of-hours support through several channels, including digital options. Strong local community links, outreach capability and experience engaging diverse and underrepresented groups will be important. Providers should be prepared to recruit and train local volunteers and use peer support effectively. The buyer is also looking for organisations able to work closely with family hubs, make warm handovers and sustain light-touch support until families connect with wider services.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Newham Best Start Family Hubs Befriending, Navigation and Peer Support Service

Notice Description

The London Borough of Newham is looking to commission a new Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector (VCFS)-led befriending and navigation service, to complement our existing Best Start Family Hubs offer. This service should be flexible and accessible, supporting Newham families from pregnancy to age five. We are particularly interested in commissioning a model with multi-channel access, for instance with a telephone helpline and additional options such as text, WhatsApp, web-based or other virtual channels. At this stage, we want to test the market on a model that could act as a trusted first point of contact for parents and carers, particularly during out of hours periods such as evenings and weekends when other services are less available. The intention is that the service would combine informal emotional support, 'a listening ear', with practical advice, including signposting and referrals. The overall aim is to reduce isolation, build parental confidence, engage seldom heard groups, and support families to navigate local services and systems. This service will utilise a peer support approach that reflects Newham's diverse communities, recruiting and training local volunteers to deliver elements of the offer. We would expect the service to connect closely into the Best Start Family Hubs network, enabling warm handovers and ongoing light-touch support until families are successfully linked into wider provision. Alongside the core phone offer, we are also interested in how providers might use outreach, community engagement and digital channels to extend reach, particularly to underrepresented groups who may not access traditional services. Through this market engagement, we are looking to shape a realistic and deliverable approach that will support vulnerable families in Newham. Feedback will be used to directly inform the service design and subsequent service specification. For access to the event please register via the below link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/newham-best-start-family-hubs-befriending-service-market-engagement-tickets-1994028739638

Planning Information

The Procurement Process will be undertaken using the Procurement Act 2023 regulations. Procurement Policy Note 005 applies as the tender will be reserved for Small Medium Enterprise (SME) organisations and Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE). Organisations will need to be registered in England for this procurement. We welcome organisations participation in this event and for them to bring their knowledge and expertise for the ongoing development of the service and the procurement.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06cdab
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/067671-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85300000 - Social work and related services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£450,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Dec 2026 - 30 Nov 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
LONDON BOROUGH OF NEWHAM
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
E16 2QU
Postcode Area
East London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI4 Inner London - East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI41 Hackney and Newham
Delivery Location
TLI41 Hackney and Newham
Local Authority
Newham
Electoral Ward
Royal Albert
Westminster Constituency
West Ham and Beckton

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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