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Family Connect Services which deliver the national resource for advice and support.

Leeds City Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

30 Sep 2026 at 11:13

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Leeds City Council commissioned Family Connect Services, a national advice and support resource for adopted adults, birth relatives and professionals. The service provides specialist advice and intermediary support, with the infrastructure and stakeholder relationships needed to maintain continuity for vulnerable service users. The contract also covers planned expansion, including increased capacity and enhanced support offers. The work is delivered nationally across the UK. Its service areas include welfare support and related research and consultancy.

The procurement is complete and was awarded directly to Family Action, which delivers the established FamilyConnect service. The council justified the direct award on Family Action’s intellectual property rights, specialist expertise, systems and exclusive service model, stating there were no reasonable alternatives and citing the Procurement Act 2023. The award date was 30 September 2026. The contract runs from 30 September 2026 to 31 July 2027, with an extension of up to 24 months, in any combination, potentially taking it to 31 July 2029. The awarded value is £1,105,000 excluding VAT (£1,326,000 including VAT). There was one lot, considered suitable for SMEs. No evaluation criteria are stated.

For suppliers considering similar future work for Leeds City Council, this award shows that continuity of a national, specialist adoption support service is central to the requirement. Credibility depends on being able to support adopted adults, birth relatives and professionals through advice and intermediary services, while protecting continuity for vulnerable users. The selected organisation was already delivering FamilyConnect and held the service’s intellectual property, established systems and processes, specialist expertise, infrastructure and stakeholder relationships. A competing provider would therefore need to demonstrate comparable national reach and the practical ability to maintain and expand the service, including added capacity and enhanced support. The council treated those existing exclusive rights and capabilities as decisive; general welfare-service experience alone would not address the basis on which this supplier was selected. The contract’s SME suitability indicates that smaller suppliers may be relevant where they can meet this specialist service profile.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Family Connect Services which deliver the national resource for advice and support.

Notice Description

This contract will provide the specialist expertise, infrastructure and stakeholder relationships necessary to provide seamless continuity of support for adopted adults, birth relatives and professionals. This contract will prevent disruption to vulnerable service users, maintain access to essential advice and intermediary services, and enable the planned expansion of the service, including increased capacity and enhanced support offers.

Procurement Information

Family Action currently hold the Intellectual Property Rights for this service. The decision is in line with schedule 5 section 5 of the Procurement Act 2023. The following conditions are met in relation to the public contract - (a) due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and (b) there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. The direct award to Family Action (PAC-UK) is justified as the organisation already delivers the established FamilyConnect service and holds the specialist expertise, infrastructure and stakeholder relationships necessary to provide seamless continuity of support for adopted adults, birth relatives and professionals. Awarding the contract directly will prevent disruption to vulnerable service users, maintain access to essential advice and intermediary services, and enable the planned expansion of the service, including increased capacity and enhanced support offers. It also represents a proportionate and value-for-money approach, as they are the only supplier who can deliver the required services due to its established intellectual property right, specialist knowledge, systems, processes and exclusive service model developed through FamilyConnect. There are no reasonable alternatives that could provide the same level of continuity, expertise and national provision, making a direct award the most appropriate route.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077d4f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092257-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

85312400 - Welfare services not delivered through residential institutions

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£1,105,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Sep 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Sep 2026 - 31 Jul 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Leeds 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
LEEDS
Postcode
LS1 1UR
Postcode Area
Leeds
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLE4 West Yorkshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLE42 Leeds
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Leeds
Electoral Ward
Little London & Woodhouse
Westminster Constituency
Leeds Central and Headingley

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Family Action

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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