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Request for Information - Buckinghamshire Integrated Sensory Service

Buckinghamshire Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

18 Aug 2026 at 11:33

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Buckinghamshire Council is planning an integrated sensory support service for adults and children in Buckinghamshire. The service is intended to inform the Council’s future commissioning approach and help it meet its strategic aims and legal responsibilities while creating a viable service for suppliers. The procurement is for social services, covering sensory support rather than goods, construction or general consultancy. Delivery is expected across Buckinghamshire, with the Council as the commissioning authority. The service is being considered under the light-touch regime. The Council is still deciding its approach, so suppliers interested in sensory support for adults, children or both should use the market-engagement stage to understand the emerging requirement and inform its design.

This process is at the planning stage and is a Request for Information rather than an invitation to tender. Buckinghamshire Council is using preliminary market engagement to gather supplier information before deciding its commissioning approach. The Council expects to publish a future notice on 14 December 2026. The scheduled RFI engagement deadline is 13:00 on 9 September 2026. If taken forward, the single planned lot is expected to run from 24 June 2027 to 23 June 2030, with a possible extension to 23 June 2032. The procurement is planned as a services contract for social services under the light-touch regime. No contract value or evaluation criteria have been set out at this planning stage.

This will suit organisations already delivering sensory support or closely related social services for adults, children or both. The Council has indicated that the future service must support its strategic aims, fulfil its legal responsibilities and provide a viable basis for supplier delivery, so relevant providers should be ready to explain their service models, workforce capabilities, safeguarding arrangements and experience of meeting statutory support needs. The planned service is expressly identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises. Providers in those sectors may therefore find the emerging requirement relevant, particularly where they can demonstrate practical experience of integrated sensory services and contribute useful market intelligence during the consultation stage.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Request for Information - Buckinghamshire Integrated Sensory Service

Notice Description

Buckinghamshire Council (the Council) is requesting information to inform its future commissioning intentions for Sensory support services for both Adults and Children. The Council is still deciding its approach and the information obtained by this RFI will help to ensure the future service/s meets the Council's strategic aims, fulfils its legal responsibilities and presents a viable opportunity for suppliers.

Planning Information

The Request for Information (RFI) documents for this opportunity are published on the Council's procurement portal: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/buckinghamshire-council. These documents include all relevant details about the project and outline the information we are seeking from the supplier market. If you wish to participate in the RFI and have not yet registered, please ensure you do so via the portal in order to access the documentation. The RFI will remain open until 13:00 on Wednesday 9th September 2026. For ease of access, you may copy and paste the following link into your browser: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/buckinghamshire-council. Please note that all queries relating to this RFI must be submitted via the In-Tend portal, in accordance with the instructions provided within the documents.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e667
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078461-2026
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

85320000 - Social services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
18 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
14 Dec 20264 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
24 Jun 2027 - 23 Jun 2030 3-4 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
Buckinghamshire 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
AYLESBURY
Postcode
HP19 8FF
Postcode Area
Hemel Hempstead
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ13 Buckinghamshire
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Buckinghamshire
Electoral Ward
Aylesbury North West
Westminster Constituency
Aylesbury

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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