---
title: "AT1299 - Provision for Children looked after"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-7445ba73-19af-4b2c-9156-bc70b3b4ee87"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-7445ba73-19af-4b2c-9156-bc70b3b4ee87"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7445ba73-19af-4b2c-9156-bc70b3b4ee87.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7445ba73-19af-4b2c-9156-bc70b3b4ee87.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "LUTON COUNCIL"
published: "2025-04-03"
---

# AT1299 - Provision for Children looked after

Buyer: LUTON COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-7445ba73-19af-4b2c-9156-bc70b3b4ee87

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## Summary

Luton Council, along with Central Bedfordshire Council, Bedford Borough Council, and Hertfordshire County Council (the Partnership Authorities), has completed the procurement process for the provision of independent fostering placements in Bedfordshire under a Pan Bedfordshire contract arrangement. The contract, titled "AT1299 - Provision for Children looked after," falls under the Social work and related services category (CPV code: 85300000), and covers the entire region of England. This procurement was carried out using an open procedure, and the total contract value is £118,000,000. The tender stage concluded on 17 February 2025, and the contract period spans from 1 April 2025 to 1 April 2035.

This tender creates vast opportunities for businesses specialising in social work and fostering services to establish and expand their operations within the Bedfordshire region. SMEs and VCSEs (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises) are particularly well-suited to compete given the procurement's suitability criteria. The wide-reaching collaboration amongst multiple local authorities demonstrates a significant demand for these services, offering long-term business growth and stability for potential suppliers. Multiple suppliers have been awarded, including notable entities like Active Care Solutions Limited, Alliance Foster Care, and The National Fostering Agency Ltd, providing a competitive yet lucrative market for fostering service providers.

## Notice

Independent Fostering placements in Bedfordshire are currently commissioned through an Accredited Provider List (APL) under a Pan Bedfordshire contract arrangement with Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire councils. Luton Council will be leading on the procurement on behalf of the 4 Local Authority Partners, Central Bedfordshire Council, Bedford Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council (the Partnership Authorities).

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/bca13c46-f2fd-4f00-9b4f-fb44ecf2d08b |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large, SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 3 Apr 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 17 Feb 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 30 Mar 2025 |
| Contract period | 31 Mar 2025 - 1 Apr 2035 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £118,000,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £118,000,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | LUTON COUNCIL |
| Locality | LUTON |
| Post town | Luton |
| Postcode | LU1 2BQ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLH East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLH21 Luton |
| Local authority | Luton |
| Electoral ward | Central |
| Westminster constituency | Luton South and South Bedfordshire |
| Delivery location | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 18 |
| Supplier names | ACTIVE CARE SOLUTIONS; ALLIANCE FOSTER CARE; ANCHOR FOSTERCARE; BEAMS FOSTER CARE AND FAMILY SERVICES; BRIGHTER FUTURES FOSTER CARE; CHILDREN FIRST FOSTERING AGENCY; COMPASS COMMUNITY; FOSTER CARE ASSOCIATES; FOSTERING OPTIONS; FOSTERING PEOPLE; FOSTERING SOLUTIONS; FOSTERPLUS; INFINITY FOSTER CARE; ORANGE GROVE FOSTERCARE; OUTSET FOSTERING AGENCY; PRIDE FOSTERING SERVICE; THE ADOLESCENT AND CHILDREN'S TRUST; THE NATIONAL FOSTERING AGENCY |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85300000 - Social work and related services

## Release History

- 3 Apr 2025 at 14:00 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/bca13c46-f2fd-4f00-9b4f-fb44ecf2d08b
- 23 Jan 2025 at 18:30 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/06c7e0ea-fd0b-431c-93b4-d1fcf3801ce5
- 16 Jan 2025 at 14:26 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/e1a531d3-7bba-417e-9481-1fe189a1ee3b

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/bca13c46-f2fd-4f00-9b4f-fb44ecf2d08b
  3rd April 2025 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/06c7e0ea-fd0b-431c-93b4-d1fcf3801ce5
  23rd January 2025 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/e1a531d3-7bba-417e-9481-1fe189a1ee3b
  16th January 2025 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder
- https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=46af39d2-dba8-ef11-8132-005056b64545
  Advert

## Notice URLs

- http://www.luton.gov.uk

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-7445ba73-19af-4b2c-9156-bc70b3b4ee87. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7445ba73-19af-4b2c-9156-bc70b3b4ee87.json.