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Racial Trauma Support Service

Liverpool City Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

29 Sep 2026 at 10:14

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Liverpool City Council is exploring a specialist racial trauma support service for its employees. The intended service would support colleagues affected by racism, racial discrimination, microaggressions and cumulative racial trauma, whether or not they make a formal complaint. It is expected to provide independent, confidential, culturally competent and trauma-informed support. This is counselling and employee support work, intended to help the Council create a workplace where staff feel safe, valued and able to thrive as part of its commitment to becoming an actively anti-racist organisation. Delivery is for Liverpool City Council employees in Liverpool. The Council is consulting the market to understand suppliers’ capability and possible approaches to delivering this specialist service.

The process is at planning: Liverpool City Council has begun preliminary market engagement and has not issued an invitation to tender. The engagement is for information gathering and does not commit the Council to a later procurement; participation is voluntary and will not be formally evaluated or affect a future competition. The Council expects suppliers to submit a response to its soft market testing exercise by 22 October 2026, using the electronic ProContract process. It is seeking views on possible delivery models, supplier capacity, practitioner expertise and indicative costs. The planned contract period is 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2028. The planned procurement is a single lot, with suitability indicated for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises.

This preparatory engagement is relevant to providers with specialist expertise in racial trauma and experience supporting employees affected by racism, discrimination, microaggressions or cumulative trauma. Suppliers able to deliver support independently and confidentially, with culturally competent and trauma-informed practice, are well placed to inform the Council’s thinking. The Council is looking to understand what practitioner expertise and supplier capacity are available, as well as viable delivery models and indicative costs. This may suit specialist counselling or trauma-support organisations, including smaller businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises. Responses are intended to help shape understanding of the market ahead of any future procurement; taking part does not provide an advantage or disadvantage in a later competition.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Racial Trauma Support Service

Notice Description

Liverpool City Council is committed to becoming an actively anti-racist organisation and to creating a workplace where all employees feel safe, valued, respected and able to thrive. Feedback from employees and the Council's wider anti-racism engagement has identified a need for specialist support for colleagues affected by racism, racial discrimination, microaggressions and cumulative racial trauma. The Council is therefore undertaking soft market testing to explore independent, confidential, culturally competent and trauma-informed support that employees can access whether or not they pursue a formal complaint. The exercise will help the Council understand market capability, potential delivery models and indicative costs. It is being conducted for information-gathering purposes only and does not constitute a tender or commitment to procure.

Planning Information

Liverpool City Council is undertaking preliminary market engagement to understand the market’s capability to provide a specialist racial trauma support service for employees. The engagement will explore potential delivery models, supplier capacity, practitioner expertise, indicative costs and options for a future procurement. The engagement will be conducted electronically through ProContract. No supplier events are currently planned. Interested organisations should register on ProContract, locate opportunity DN830720, download the soft market testing document and submit their completed response by the deadline shown on the opportunity. Clarification questions must be submitted through the ProContract messaging facility. Participation is voluntary and responses will be used for information-gathering purposes only. Participation will not be formally evaluated and will not confer any advantage or disadvantage in any future procurement. This engagement does not constitute a tender and does not commit the Council to undertake a subsequent procurement exercise.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077c13
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/091687-2026
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

85312320 - Counselling services

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
29 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Jan 2027 - 31 Dec 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
Liverpool 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
LIVERPOOL
Postcode
L3 1DS
Postcode Area
Liverpool
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD7 Merseyside
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD72 Liverpool
Delivery Location
TLD72 Liverpool
Local Authority
Liverpool
Electoral Ward
Waterfront South
Westminster Constituency
Liverpool Riverside

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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