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SCE0050 - Fostering Medical Assessments (AH1/AH2) and Medical Advisor Services

Leicester City Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

07 Aug 2026 at 15:56

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Leicester City Council is exploring services for fostering medical assessments and independent Medical Advisor support for its Our Fostering Service. The work would cover the full assessment process, including Adult Health Reports (AH1), Medical Advisor Reports (AH2), medical summaries and attendance at fostering panels where required. The service is intended to support prospective foster carers and meet statutory requirements while providing timely, high-quality assessments. Leicester City Council is leading the work on behalf of Leicestershire County Council, Rutland County Council and North Northamptonshire Council. Delivery is being considered across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire, either through one provider or through local delivery arrangements. This is a health and social work service, with potential relevance to GP practices, fostering medical advisers and specialist healthcare providers.

This procurement is at the planning stage and is currently a soft market test, not a call for competition or formal tender. The council is seeking providers’ views on service scope, capacity and delivery models to inform a future specification and commissioning approach. Responses are scheduled to be due by 4 September 2026. An estimated future notice date is 1 February 2027. The anticipated contract period is 1 June 2027 to 31 May 2028, with a possible extension to 31 May 2029. The published estimated value is £1 including VAT, in GBP, and is expressly expected to change as the plans develop. The service is a below-threshold, light-touch arrangement with one planned lot. No formal response evaluation criteria are proposed for this market engagement.

The consultation is likely to suit organisations able to deliver complete fostering medical assessments and independent medical advice, rather than only one part of the process. Relevant capability includes preparing AH1 and AH2 reports, reviewing medical information, producing full summaries, advising fostering services and panels, and attending panels when required. Providers should be able to demonstrate capacity for timely delivery while maintaining quality and meeting statutory fostering requirements. The councils are testing whether a provider can cover the whole Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire area. They are also considering a lead provider supported by delivery partners or subcontractors, and separate geographic delivery, so smaller, local and specialist organisations may be relevant. The planned lot is identified as suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community or social enterprises.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

SCE0050 - Fostering Medical Assessments (AH1/AH2) and Medical Advisor Services

Notice Description

THIS IS NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION Fostering Medical Assessments (AH1/AH2) and Medical Advisor Services Leicester City Council is exploring the market to understand the availability and capability of organisations to deliver fostering medical assessments and provide independent medical advice to the Our Fostering Service. We are considering commissioning a provider who can undertake the full fostering medical assessment process, including completion of the Adult Health Report (AH1) and the Medical Advisor Report (AH2), full medical summary and attend fostering panels where required. Traditionally these assessments are completed by General Practitioners (GPs), with a Fostering Medical Advisor reviewing the information and providing advice to the fostering service and fostering panel. Due to increasing challenges in accessing GP capacity, Leicester City Council wishes to understand alternative delivery models that maintain high quality, timely assessments whilst meeting statutory requirements. We are also interested in understanding whether providers would have the capacity to deliver this service across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire (LLRN) should commissioning partners wish to pursue a collaborative approach. In addition to exploring a single provider model, Leicester City Council is also seeking market views on alternative delivery approaches that could support a collaborative service across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire (LLRN). This may include a single provider delivering across the whole footprint, a lead provider working with delivery partners or subcontractors, or a geographical delivery model where providers are responsible for delivering services within defined localities. The Council is keen to understand which delivery models the market considers to be the most effective, sustainable and capable of providing timely, high-quality fostering medical assessments and Medical Advisor services. Responses received through this Soft Market Test will help inform the future commissioning approach and determine whether a collaborative model across the wider LLRN footprint is viable. This soft market test gives providers and other stakeholders the opportunity to express their interests and feed in their views about the potential service model and specification principles. The commissioners will use the information to appraise options and further develop the specification. This process does not constitute a formal tender or other competitive bidding process and will not result in the letting of a Contract. The authority is using this process solely to test the market to gather information and ascertain the level of interest in this particular service. There are therefore no formal criteria which we will use to judge your response, and it is not our intention to provide any feedback. Leicester City Council is a unitary authority serving a population of approximately 380,000 people. The Council is responsible for delivering a wide range of children's social care services, including fostering, adoption and kinship support. Leicester is one of the youngest and most diverse cities in the UK, with increasing demand for children's services. The Council is exploring alternative approaches to delivering fostering medical assessments and Medical Advisor services to ensure prospective foster carers receive timely, high-quality assessments that meet statutory requirements. Please note that any procurement and contract start dates mentioned in this notice are estimates and may change. Additionally, the total contract value is an estimate and it is likely to change. Further information can be found through the following advert link: https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=fdb335f2-fe8b-f111-813c-005056b64545

Planning Information

THIS IS NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION Fostering Medical Assessments (AH1/AH2) and Medical Advisor Services Leicester City Council is exploring the market to understand the availability and capability of organisations to deliver fostering medical assessments and provide independent medical advice to the Our Fostering Service. We are considering commissioning a provider who can undertake the full fostering medical assessment process, including completion of the Adult Health Report (AH1) and the Medical Advisor Report (AH2), full medical summary and attend fostering panels where required. Traditionally these assessments are completed by General Practitioners (GPs), with a Fostering Medical Advisor reviewing the information and providing advice to the fostering service and fostering panel. Due to increasing challenges in accessing GP capacity, Leicester City Council wishes to understand alternative delivery models that maintain high quality, timely assessments whilst meeting statutory requirements. We are also interested in understanding whether providers would have the capacity to deliver this service across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire (LLRN) should commissioning partners wish to pursue a collaborative approach. In addition to exploring a single provider model, Leicester City Council is also seeking market views on alternative delivery approaches that could support a collaborative service across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire (LLRN). This may include a single provider delivering across the whole footprint, a lead provider working with delivery partners or subcontractors, or a geographical delivery model where providers are responsible for delivering services within defined localities. The Council is keen to understand which delivery models the market considers to be the most effective, sustainable and capable of providing timely, high-quality fostering medical assessments and Medical Advisor services. Responses received through this Soft Market Test will help inform the future commissioning approach and determine whether a collaborative model across the wider LLRN footprint is viable. This soft market test gives providers and other stakeholders the opportunity to express their interests and feed in their views about the potential service model and specification principles. The commissioners will use the information to appraise options and further develop the specification. This process does not constitute a formal tender or other competitive bidding process and will not result in the letting of a Contract. The authority is using this process solely to test the market to gather information and ascertain the level of interest in this particular service. There are therefore no formal criteria which we will use to judge your response, and it is not our intention to provide any feedback. Leicester City Council is a unitary authority serving a population of approximately 380,000 people. The Council is responsible for delivering a wide range of children's social care services, including fostering, adoption and kinship support. Leicester is one of the youngest and most diverse cities in the UK, with increasing demand for children's services. The Council is exploring alternative approaches to delivering fostering medical assessments and Medical Advisor services to ensure prospective foster carers receive timely, high-quality assessments that meet statutory requirements. Please note that any procurement and contract start dates mentioned in this notice are estimates and may change. Additionally, the total contract value is an estimate and it is likely to change. Further information can be found through the following advert link: https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=fdb335f2-fe8b-f111-813c-005056b64545

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06df68
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/075420-2026
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
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
£1
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
7 Aug 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Feb 20274 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Jun 2027 - 31 May 2028 1-2 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
Leicester City 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
LEICESTER
Postcode
LE1 1FZ
Postcode Area
Leicester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF21 Leicester
Delivery Location
TLF21 Leicester
Local Authority
Leicester
Electoral Ward
Castle
Westminster Constituency
Leicester South

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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