---
title: "External Foster Care Services Framework Re-opening - Existing Providers"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-04b475"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04b475"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04b475.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04b475.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL"
published: "2024-11-06"
---

# External Foster Care Services Framework Re-opening - Existing Providers

Buyer: ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-04b475

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## Summary

Essex County Council and Southend City Council are reopening the framework agreement for External Foster Care Services with the procurement stage currently active and tagged under "tender". This contract seeks to provide social work and related services across the UKH3 region, covering Chelmsford and Southend-on-Sea. The tender period ends on 6th December 2024, with a procurement method classified as an open procedure. Key offerings include placements for children and young people spanning from low to high levels of need, with the contract period ending on 20th November 2026. The framework includes categories such as Standard Support, Enhanced Support, Intensive Support, and Parent and Child Placements. Existing providers must confirm any changes to their previous tender responses or pricing aligned with the Consumer Price Index, with new lots available for bidding under predefined award criteria focusing on quality and price.

This tender provides a valuable opportunity for businesses specialising in social care, particularly those with expertise in foster care and supporting vulnerable children. By joining this framework, businesses can secure placement contracts based on individual agreements, fostering stable revenue streams. This opportunity is particularly suitable for organisations previously experienced with foster care placements, as well as those looking to expand their service offerings within the public sector. The open procedure allows new businesses with competitive technical quality and social value propositions to also participate, offering significant growth potential within the regional care services market.

## Notice

Essex County Council and Southend City Council are re-opening the framework agreement for External Foster Care Services. This Framework Agreement sets out the procedure for Placements, the terms and conditions for the provision of the Services and the obligations of a Provider under this Framework Agreement. Existing IFAs, who are currently on the framework agreement, will be required to confirm either that there has been no change to its tender response or to confirm what changes have occurred since its tender response (including any changes to pricing - the Council may, at its sole discretion, place a maximum cap on any annual re-pricing which may be linked to the Consumer Price Index) and any changes will be subject to evaluation in accordance with the published criteria. Existing IFAs also have the opportunity to enter lots they are not currently apart of. It is important to note that despite entering the framework agreement, the Customers shall have no obligation to make placements with any particular IFA under this Framework Agreement and this Framework Agreement is not a commitment or guarantee from the Customers to procure any Services or any specific volume of Services from any particular IFA. Instead, the Customers shall only be committed under the terms of a valid and binding Individual Placement Agreement formed pursuant to this Framework Agreement. Each Individual Placement Agreement shall be an independent contract in its own right and therefore shall survive termination or expiry of this Framework Agreement with the relevant Page 5 to 12 provisions of this Framework Agreement surviving as necessary until the expiry or earlier termination of any such Individual Placement Agreements.

### Lot Information

Standard Support Placements

Placements for children or young people where they have a low to medium level of need.

Enhanced Support Placements

Placements for children or young people where they have a medium to high level of need e.g. history of placement breakdowns, mental health needs, mild to moderate disabilities.

Intensive Support Placements

Placements for children or young people where they have significant levels of need, e.g. complex health needs or disabilities, excluded from school, significant substance misuse.

Parent and Child Placements

Where the placement is for a parent and child, or parent with two or more children or two parents and a child or two parents with two or more children together. These include cases where there is a need for continuing assessment and on-going support.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/035984-2024 |
| Notice type | Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 6 Nov 2024 |
| Submission deadline | 6 Dec 2024 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL |
| Additional buyers | SOUTHEND CITY COUNCIL |
| Locality | CHELMSFORD |
| Post town | Chelmsford |
| Postcode | CM1 1QH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLH East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLH3 Essex |
| ITL 3 | TLH36 Heart of Essex |
| Local authority | Chelmsford |
| Electoral ward | Moulsham and Central |
| Westminster constituency | Chelmsford |
| Delivery location | TLH3 Essex |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85300000 - Social work and related services

## Release History

- 6 Nov 2024 at 16:36 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/035984-2024

## Notice URLs

- http://www.southend.gov.uk/
- https://www.essex.gov.uk/
- https://www.procontract.due-north.com/

## 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-04b475. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04b475.json.