--- title: "Breastfeeding Peer Support Service" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-050743" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-050743" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050743.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050743.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL" published: "2025-04-24" --- # Breastfeeding Peer Support Service Buyer: PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-050743 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-050743) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050743.json) ## Summary This procurement process involves Portsmouth City Council for the provision of a Breastfeeding Peer Support Service, classified under miscellaneous health services. The service is intended to operate within the Portsmouth region, falling under the category of community-based health services. The procurement stage is the Award phase, as the contract has been awarded under urgency by the Integrated Children's Commissioning Team. The contract is running for a five-month term with a possibility of extension due to Government funding for this programme. Significant dates include the contract signing on 27th March 2025, with an anticipated procurement transition managed by the Public Health Directorate scheduled for 1st September 2025. The tender offers significant business growth opportunities, particularly for health service providers specialising in maternal and child health. The Breastfeeding Network, as the awarded supplier, underscores the relevance for SMEs in the health services industry, particularly those with expertise in peer support and health education. This contract promotes community engagement through drop-in groups and online support, presenting a venture for enterprises that can sustain service quality and adapt to urgent health service demands. Businesses with capabilities in consortium arrangements may find similar opportunities to innovate service delivery frameworks, given the high priority placed on safety and quality care in this procurement process. ## Notice The Breastfeeding Network Service provide a community-based service, adopting multi-faceted approaches in order to improve breastfeeding initiation and prevalence rates in Portsmouth, therefore supporting a reduction in health inequalities. The service contributes to promoting a social and cultural shift where breastfeeding is recognised as the conventional way to feed an infant. Their team of peer supporters and volunteers are in place to support mothers and expectant mothers throughout their breastfeeding journey and support with the many different factors and techniques involved, inclusive of Combination feeding, expressing, exclusively breastfeeding, chest-feeding, newborn stage, toddler stage, ending the breastfeeding journey and debriefing feelings about a previous journey. Type of services provide by BfN Community Groups - These are all drop-in groups, running throughout the week at various locations across the city. Online support - This involves 1:1 support via Zoom from a trained Breastfeeding Network peer support volunteer. ### Lot Information Lot 1 This notice is confirmation of an award being made due to an urgent circumstance. Currently the Breastfeeding Network (BfN) is subcontracted under Home-Start Portsmouth through a consortium arrangement, with Home-Start being the consortium lead. This arrangement was put in place via an open tender in 2023 and aligned with Portsmouth plans in relation to the Government funded Family Hub and Best Start for Life offer. The initial term of these Contracts was for 33 months, and are due to terminate 31st March 2025, however, the services were to be extended year on year dependent on the government's intention to continue to fund the Council for this programme. The DfE have only recently confirmed that the Council will continue to be funded for this service for the 25/26 financial year, and there has been a severely limited timeframe to allocate funds to the appropriate service streams that all fall under this programme. This consortium arrangement is unable to continue, therefore the decision has been taken to award a short term contract directly with the BfN to ensure minimum disruption to quality of service. The Public Health Directorate are due to take over and manage these services later in the year, with the aim of awarding their own contract via PSR process by 1st September 2025. Options: The contract has been awarded for a five month period with the option to extend up to a maximum twelve month period. ### Procurement Information The Provider Selection Regime recognises that there are limited occasions where relevant authorities may need to act urgently and award or modify contracts to address immediate risks to patient or public safety. These circumstances include where: * urgent quality/safety concerns pose risks to patients or the public and necessitate rapid changes In the view of the Council the contract award was urgent due to the above circumstance. It is acknowledged that the discontinuation of such services will pose risks from a quality viewpoint, as BfN provide crucial peer and online support for the benefit of service users' mental health, social health, and relationships with their babies/toddlers/young children ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/016893-2025 | | 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 | 24 Apr 2025 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 27 Mar 2025 | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | £76,000 | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Complete | | Lots status | Cancelled | | Awards status | Active | | Contracts status | Active | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL | | Locality | PORTSMOUTH | | Post town | Portsmouth | | Postcode | PO1 2AL | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight | | ITL 3 | TLJ31 Portsmouth | | Local authority | Portsmouth | | Electoral ward | Charles Dickens | | Westminster constituency | Portsmouth South | | Delivery location | TLJ31 Portsmouth | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 1 | | Supplier names | THE BREASTFEEDING NETWORK | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 85140000 - Miscellaneous health services ## Release History - 24 Apr 2025 at 17:22 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/016893-2025 ## Notice URLs - https://www.portsmouth.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-h6vhtk-050743. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050743.json.