--- title: "INDEPENDENT FOSTERING AGENCIES" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-ef8d2d32-3dc0-439f-ba10-1bd5f4ac4a7d" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-ef8d2d32-3dc0-439f-ba10-1bd5f4ac4a7d" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ef8d2d32-3dc0-439f-ba10-1bd5f4ac4a7d.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ef8d2d32-3dc0-439f-ba10-1bd5f4ac4a7d.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "SOUTHAMPTON CITY COUNCIL" published: "2020-08-13" --- # INDEPENDENT FOSTERING AGENCIES Buyer: SOUTHAMPTON CITY COUNCIL Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-b5fd17-ef8d2d32-3dc0-439f-ba10-1bd5f4ac4a7d [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-ef8d2d32-3dc0-439f-ba10-1bd5f4ac4a7d) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ef8d2d32-3dc0-439f-ba10-1bd5f4ac4a7d.json) ## Summary The Southampton City Council is initiating a tender for Independent Fostering Agencies, aiming to establish multiple framework agreements for fostering services. This procurement is classified under welfare services for children and young people and is part of a planned process that commenced on 1 April 2021, with a contract period extending to 31 March 2022. The competitive tendering exercise will allow both existing framework providers and new suppliers to submit tenders, ensuring an inclusive process with an expected notice for future procurement by 5 October 2020. The total budget amounts to £100 million, with a minimum contract value of £50 million. This tender represents a significant opportunity for businesses in the social care sector, particularly those specialising in fostering services. Companies that possess the capacity to deliver high-quality care for children and young people, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs), would be well-suited to participate. By engaging in this tender, businesses not only have the potential to secure contracts with Southampton City Council but also to contribute positively to foster care provisions amidst the ongoing challenges posed by COVID-19. ## Notice On 1 April 2017, following publication of the above contract notice and a competitive tendering exercise, Southampton City Council entered into multiple framework agreements for the provision of fostering services to it and other consortium members over a four-year term. The framework agreements provided for the reopening of competition each year of the term so that providers who were not a party to a framework agreement for the services pursuant to the original procurement were able to gain access to the arrangements and those providers who were already parties to a framework agreement could re-submit tenders, thereby effectively allowing for the consortium's requirements to be subjected to open, competitive procurement each year. The current end date of these framework agreements is 31st March 2021 and the consortium has considered the planning and resources required to undertake the planning for a new framework. Consortium members have experienced unprecedented challenge and pressure on resources due to COVID-19 and the resources that would normally be available within the consortium for use in planning and implementing a new framework have been diverted towards pandemic-related emergency planning and response. Bearing this in mind, the consortium has decided to proceed with its previous approach and once again open up to the market the opportunity to provide fostering services on the existing terms. It is proposed that the consortium will do this in accordance with the draft timetable below so that the procurement is complete ahead of April 2021. Service providers who are already parties to a framework agreement for the provision of fostering services will be offered the opportunity to extend their current frameworks by a year, so that they expire 31 March 2022, and if they agree they will be invited to either submit amended tenders for the one year extension period or confirm that their tenders submitted pursuant to the original contract notice remain valid. Fostering service providers who are not currently parties to a framework agreement will be invited to submit tenders, via a notice on Contracts Finder https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder, and these will be evaluated on the same terms as were those of existing providers. Successful new tenderers will be awarded framework agreements of one year duration also expiring on 31 March 2022. The above approach will ensure that the requirements of the consortium continue to remain subject to open, competitive tendering for a further year and consequently that all potential providers have a fair and equal opportunity to deliver the requirements of the consortium. It will also give the consortium the chance to review its requirements over a longer term and prepare for the tendering of a longer term arrangement to be put in place on 1 April 2022. The proposed timetable is as follows but may be subject to change. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/fd831bea-013a-4eb1-92e9-2f442050c750 | | Notice type | Planned Procurement Notice | | Procurement type | Framework | | Procurement category | Not specified | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure (above threshold) | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 13 Aug 2020 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 5 Oct 2020 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 31 Mar 2021 - 31 Mar 2022 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £100,000,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planned | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | SOUTHAMPTON CITY COUNCIL | | Locality | SOUTHAMPTON | | Post town | Southampton | | Postcode | SO14 7LY | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight | | ITL 3 | TLJ32 Southampton | | Local authority | Southampton | | Electoral ward | Bargate | | Westminster constituency | Southampton Itchen | | Delivery location | TLJ South East (England) | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 85311300 - Welfare services for children and young people ## Release History - 13 Aug 2020 at 15:14 - Planning - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/fd831bea-013a-4eb1-92e9-2f442050c750 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/fd831bea-013a-4eb1-92e9-2f442050c750 13th August 2020 - Future opportunity notice on Contracts Finder ## Notice URLs - https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder ## 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-ef8d2d32-3dc0-439f-ba10-1bd5f4ac4a7d. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ef8d2d32-3dc0-439f-ba10-1bd5f4ac4a7d.json.