---
title: "Speech Bubbles"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-037240"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-037240"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-037240.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-037240.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "KENT COUNTY COUNCIL"
published: "2022-10-03"
---

# Speech Bubbles

Buyer: KENT COUNTY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-037240

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## Summary

The Kent County Council has awarded a contract for the "Speech Bubbles" project to Trinity Theatre & Arts Centre. The project aims to enhance speech, language, and communication skills in Key Stage 1 school children in the County of Kent. The procurement method used was a limited procedure without prior publication of a call for competition due to extreme urgency, as approved by the Cabinet in July 2022. The total contract value is £171,211, and the contract has been signed on 3rd October 2022.

This contract presents an opportunity for businesses involved in providing primary education services to compete in delivering drama-led interventions for the development of speech and language skills. Companies focusing on educational services, specifically those tailored to enhancing children's learning and communication abilities, may find this tender suitable for expanding their operations. The contract location in the County of Kent offers a regional growth opportunity for service providers looking to engage in social and personal wellbeing initiatives through innovative educational approaches.

## Notice

a drama-led intervention aimed at improving speech, language and communication (SLC) in selected school children in Key Stage 1 (five and seven-year-olds). Language is clearly a major vehicle for learning and critical to children's mental, social, emotional and intellectual development (Communication Trust, 2010). If SLC needs are not tackled in the early years, these issues can become increasingly difficult to address and are strongly linked in later life with mental illness, unemployment, relationship breakdowns, and offending. It is a whole-body approach to learning, recognising that body language, gesture, facial expression, eye contact, sounds, humour and words are all part of communication and that children learn best when they're in a positive state of mind. It promotes social and personal wellbeing through story and play, using theatre skills to encourage children to express themselves. Speech Bubbles is a drama-led intervention aimed at improving speech, language and communication (SLC) in selected school children in Key Stage 1 (five and seven-year-olds). Language is clearly a major vehicle for learning and critical to children's mental, social, emotional and intellectual development (Communication Trust, 2010). If SLC needs are not tackled in the early years, these issues can become increasingly difficult to address and are strongly linked in later life with mental illness, unemployment, relationship breakdowns, and offending. It is a whole-body approach to learning, recognising that body language, gesture, facial expression, eye contact, sounds, humour and words are all part of communication and that children learn best when they're in a positive state of mind. It promotes social and personal wellbeing through story and play, using theatre skills to encourage children to express themselves.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

In the light of the Covid-19 outbreak, there are serious concerns about the high demand for Speed and Language services. Disrupting the current provision and creating a gap in service provision due to mobilisation would further exacerbate this situation. Additional information: Whilst this service will not be extended, there is a possibility that this service could be recommissioned.

### Procurement Information

On the 21 July 2022, The Kent County Council Cabinet, approved a decision to extend the Reconnect Programme to 31 March 2023 for specific areas of need, including School Readiness and Language Development. Trinity Theatre & Arts Centre are the only partner of Speech Bubbles in Kent. To become a certified Speech Bubbles partner providers are required to undertake training, and place-based assessment of the curriculum in practice in schools. To engage in a procurement Commissioners would not be able to complete a tender process for such a short-term contract. Regulation 32(2)(c) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 Negotiated Procedure without prior publication of a Contract Notice insofar as is strictly necessary where, for reasons of extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable by the contracting authority, the time limits for the open or restricted procedures or competitive procedures with negotiation cannot be complied with.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/027630-2022 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 3 Oct 2022 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 2 Oct 2022 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £171,211 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | KENT COUNTY COUNCIL |
| Locality | MAIDSTONE |
| Post town | Rochester |
| Postcode | ME14 1XQ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ4 Kent |
| ITL 3 | TLJ45 Mid Kent |
| Local authority | Maidstone |
| Electoral ward | Penenden Heath |
| Westminster constituency | Maidstone and Malling |
| Delivery location | TLJ4 Kent |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | TRINITY THEATRE AND ARTS CENTRE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80100000 - Primary education services

## Release History

- 3 Oct 2022 at 08:30 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/027630-2022

## Notice URLs

- http://www.kent.gov.uk
- https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.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-h6vhtk-037240. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-037240.json.