---
title: "Gloucestershire County Council - Market Engagement - Short Breaks"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-058f73"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-058f73"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-058f73.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-058f73.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL"
published: "2026-01-05"
---

# Gloucestershire County Council - Market Engagement - Short Breaks

Buyer: GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-058f73

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## Summary

Gloucestershire County Council is currently in the planning stage for a procurement process related to the provision of Short Breaks services for children and young people with disabilities and their families. The initiative, titled "Market Engagement - Short Breaks," falls under the Health and Social Work Services industry category. Taking place in Gloucester, UK, the engagement phase aims to understand provider perspectives and improve market conditions. The engagement activities, such as focus groups, will be held starting from January to February 2026 at Shire Hall, Gloucester. The procurement uses a light-touch regime with a framework agreement technique and is scheduled to open formally by July 2026, valued at approximately £4,800,000 over a potential contract period extending from April 2027 to March 2032, with possibilities for renewal.

This tender provides significant business growth opportunities, especially for SMEs and VCSEs that specialise in health and social work services. There is a focus on creating a commercially viable commissioning model, allowing innovative firms to contribute to shaping the future of these essential services. Businesses with expertise in service delivery for those with disabilities would be well-suited to compete, particularly if they can offer insights into transport, inclusion, transitions, and complex care solutions. The engagement period invites participation from interested providers to discuss and influence the re-tendering process, offering an excellent opportunity for companies to align their offerings with current market needs and secure a role in this critical public service sector.

## Notice

Gloucestershire County Council is seeking to engage with the market regarding the future provision of Short Breaks services for children and young people with disabilities and their families. As part of our engagement for the re-commissioning of Short Breaks, we'll be hosting a series of Focus Group sessions. If you would like to attend one of the focus groups, please email Paul.Cooke@gloucestershire.gov.uk to book a place. There are limited spaces and we ask that only one person from each organisation books on. Focus Groups Sessions: Thursday, 29th January: 14:00 - 15:30 - Theme: Transport - Venue: Shire Hall, Gloucester Monday, 2nd February: 13:00 - 14:30 - Theme Inclusion - Venue: Shire Hall, Gloucester Thursday, 5th February: 10:00 - 11:30 - Theme Transitions - Venue: Shire Hall, Gloucester Tuesday, 10th February: 9:00 -10:30 - Theme Complex Care - Venue: Shire Hall, Gloucester

### Planning Information

Understand provider perspectives on short breaks.
Ensure alignment with current market conditions and improve the short break market.
Shape a deliverable and commercially realistic commissioning model to re-tender.
Engagement Approach:
The engagement window will run from July 2025 to July 2026.
Activities will include:
Structured feedback from providers, including surveys, drop in sessions, forums, one-to-one provider discussions, focus groups and open invitation to providers interested in short breaks.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000380-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 5 Jan 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 1 Jul 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 31 Mar 2027 - 31 Mar 2032 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £4,000,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
| Locality | GLOUCESTER |
| Post town | Gloucester |
| Postcode | GL1 2TH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire |
| ITL 3 | TLK73 Gloucestershire CC |
| Local authority | Gloucester |
| Electoral ward | Westgate |
| Westminster constituency | Gloucester |
| Delivery location | TLK13 Gloucestershire CC |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85000000 - Health and social work services

## Release History

- 5 Jan 2026 at 15:03 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000380-2026
- 28 Aug 2025 at 13:32 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052024-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000380-2026
  5th January 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052024-2025
  28th August 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-058f73. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-058f73.json.