Notice Information
Notice Title
Provision of Children's Short Breaks Activities and Support (Aiming High)
Notice Description
Staffordshire County Council wishes to engage a Lead Provider to coordinate and deliver a countywide programme of Short Breaks provision for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) aged 0-17 years and their families across Staffordshire. The service must provide accessible, meaningful and enjoyable opportunities which promote inclusion, independence, confidence, wellbeing and participation in community life, whilst also providing parents and carers with meaningful breaks from their caring responsibilities. The service will comprise both a General Targeted Offer and an Enhanced Targeted Offer to ensure support is proportionate to differing levels of need. The objective of this service is to provide a range of Short Break activities across Staffordshire which Children and Young People with SEND can enjoy as independently as possible. Providers will be required to deliver activities and opportunities which: * Are meaningful, enjoyable and appropriate to different ages, interests and levels of need; * Promote inclusion, participation and a sense of belonging within local communities; * Support independence, confidence, wellbeing and preparation for adulthood; * Enable the development of friendships, relationships and social connections; * Are delivered in safe, supportive and psychologically welcoming environments; * Are available during evenings, weekends and school holiday periods; * Include both indoor and outdoor opportunities where appropriate; * Represent value for money and effective use of public resources; and * Provide meaningful short breaks for parents and carers. Providers will be required to: * Encourage and enable Children and Young People with SEND to access community-based opportunities and local services; * Work collaboratively with local organisations to promote inclusion and reduce barriers to participation; * Provide support which is proportionate to individual needs, including for Children and Young People with more complex needs; * Promote equitable access to provision across all areas of Staffordshire; * Use engagement, feedback and co-production to shape and improve services; * Monitor participation, utilisation and unmet demand and respond appropriately to identified gaps in provision; * Engage in meaningful partnership working and effective communication with families, professionals and community organisations; * Develop opportunities for peer support, friendships and social connections; * Demonstrate a commitment to quality assurance and continuous improvement; and * Deliver innovative and flexible approaches that improve outcomes for Children, Young People and families. Staffordshire County Council is particularly interested in providers who can demonstrate how they will: * Ensure equitable access to provision across all districts and boroughs of Staffordshire, particularly in rural and less populated areas; * Improve access to short break opportunities for Children and Young People with higher and more complex levels of need; * Address gaps in provision and respond flexibly to emerging demand; and * Maximise participation amongst groups who may be underrepresented or face barriers to accessing services. The service will be delivered through a single Lead Provider model. The Lead Provider will be responsible for the overall coordination, management, quality assurance and performance monitoring of the service and may deliver provision directly and/or through a network of Delivery Partners. The Lead Provider will act as the single point of accountability to Staffordshire County Council and will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of a coordinated, equitable and high-quality countywide service. The contract will cover the delivery of Short Breaks provision for Children and Young People with SEND aged 0-17 years (up to their 18th birthday) and support for their families and carers across Staffordshire.
Lot Information
Lot 1
Options: The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.
Planning Information
Staffordshire County Council wishes to hear from you in connection with our PME for the Provision of Children's Short Breaks Activities and Support. • Providers will be able to access a document with the existing specification or service provision and a link to a MS Forms Survey. These documents will be available via our e-tendering portal Proactis. • Please ensure that you are registered on Proactis: https://supplierlive.proactisp2p.com/Account/Login • You can view the opportunity by searching for "Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for Provision of Children's Short Breaks Activities and Support". The information will then be found in the "request documents" section. • Once you have digested the contents of the existing specification or service provision then you can ask any immediate questions via the dialogue part of Proactis. • A summarised Q&A log for all questions and their responses will be uploaded to Proactis for reference and clarity of approach. This log will be version controlled, and a refreshed version will be provided at appropriate points during the consultation process. • Following the questions and responses, you are requested to complete the MS Forms Survey, which will relate to our PME consultation. • The Council intends to respond to all questions and a summarised version of all responses received through the MS Forms Survey will be made available as part of any future tender documents.
Notice Details
Publication & Lifecycle
- Open Contracting ID
- ocds-h6vhtk-06d154
- Publication Source
- Find A Tender Service
- Latest Notice
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100302-2026
- Current Stage
- Tender
- All Stages
- Planning, Tender
Procurement Classification
- Notice Type
- UK4 - Tender Notice
- Procurement Type
- Standard
- 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
-
- CPV Codes
85312120 - Daycare services for handicapped children and young people
Notice Value(s)
- Tender Value
- £979,890 £500K-£1M
- Lots Value
- £979,890 £500K-£1M
- Awards Value
- Not specified
- Contracts Value
- Not specified
Notice Dates
- Publication Date
- 23 Oct 20264 days ago
- Submission Deadline
- 23 Nov 20264 weeks to go
- Future Notice Date
- Not specified
- 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
- Staffordshire 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
- STAFFORD
- Postcode
- ST16 2DH
- Postcode Area
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Country
- England
-
- Major Region (ITL 1)
- TLG West Midlands (England)
- Basic Region (ITL 2)
- TLG2 Shropshire and Staffordshire
- Small Region (ITL 3)
- TLG24 Staffordshire CC
- Delivery Location
- TLG24 Staffordshire CC
-
- Local Authority
- Stafford
- Electoral Ward
- Forebridge
- Westminster Constituency
- Stafford
Further Information
Notice Documents
-
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100302-2026
23rd October 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender -
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069392-2026
23rd July 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)
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.