--- title: "Direct Payments Support Services" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05f891" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05f891" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f891.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f891.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "CARDIFF COUNCIL" published: "2025-12-18" --- # Direct Payments Support Services Buyer: CARDIFF COUNCIL Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05f891 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05f891) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f891.json) ## Summary Cardiff Council is in the planning stage of a procurement process for Direct Payments Support Services, targeting the health and social work services industry. This programme aims to assist individuals with assessed care and support needs in arranging their own services, thereby enhancing their quality of life. The current stage involves gathering market interest from organisations experienced in providing these services. The council is located at County Hall, Cardiff, and operates under the Welsh devolved regulations. Expressions of interest are to be submitted by noon on 19th January 2026, with a follow-up contract period expected to commence on 26th January 2026 and conclude on 6th April 2026. The budget for this initiative is approximately £3,600,000 GBP, reflecting its significance and impact within the region. This procurement presents substantial opportunities for businesses specialising in health and social work services, particularly those adept in support services relating to Direct Payments. Organisations that can offer core support, payroll, and managed accounts services, as well as employer setup and recruitment support, are well-positioned to benefit. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs), may find this a favourable opportunity due to the project’s emphasis on flexibility and tailored service provision. Moreover, businesses capable of enhancing micro enterprise capacity within Cardiff are encouraged to express interest, promising both a positive community impact and potential growth in service offerings. ## Notice Direct Payments are a way for a service user with an assessed care and support need, both Adults and Children, to arrange their own care and support, rather than receiving care and support from the Council's commissioned care providers. Direct Payments can be used to purchase care and support services to meet the care and support needs of the person or their carer. Typically (other uses are permitted), Direct Payments are used for: * Personal Assistants (PA) * Care and support from a care agency or Micro Enterprise The use of a PA, however, does involve additional complexity and responsibility for the service user. The service user must become the employer of the PA with all the responsibilities that entails such as identifying and interviewing the PA, issuing payslips, ensuring tax and national insurance is paid, providing a pension, ensuring appropriate insurance is in place and providing annual leave. The Direct Payment Support Service for individuals who wish to take up direct payments is provided on behalf of the Council by a contracted service provider. The Direct Payments support service model consists of : * Core Support The Core Support function is offered to all Clients that are registered with the provider, regardless of which additional service packages have been selected. The provider will offer advice and assistance to Clients on all aspects of choosing and making independent care arrangements. This advice will be given whether those arrangements are made through the employment of Personal Assistant(s) or through the use of third parties such as care agencies, or through the use of residential or respite provision. * Payroll The Council provides Clients with the choice of accessing payroll services from the Direct Payments Service Support provider, from an alternative payroll provider or to support them to run their own payroll if chosen. When the Direct Payments Service Provider is chosen, they must offer a comprehensive Payroll Service to Clients. * Managed Accounts By way of background, the Council may make a Direct Payment (i) directly to the Direct Payment Client who pays his/her appointed Personal Assistant or agency, or (ii) to a third party nominated by the Direct Payment Client, (such a third party may be the Council's appointed Provider is nominated by the individual Client), and the third party pays the Client's appointed Personal Assistant or agency on behalf of the Client. The Council recognises that some Clients may require some support and assistance with regard to the managing the financial aspect of their Direct Payment arrangements. Hence, as part of the Services, the Provider will be required to provide financial support where the individual Client has requested such support and has elected to receive such support from the Provider. Where the Client has chosen for the provider to supply a Managed Accounts service, the Provider must set up a dedicated managed account for each Client, including access to the account by the provider and the appropriate oversight from finance officers in the Council. * Employer Setup Where the Direct Payment Client has chosen to seek support to employ one or more of their own Personal Assistants, the provider will deliver support, advice and practical assistance to enable the Client to set up the necessary processes in line with UK legislation. This will include advising Clients on contracts of employment and on being a good employer to include supervision, training, health and safety, risk assessments to include manual handling, employer and public liability insurance, contingency planning to cover disruption of normal arrangements and all the responsibilities of being an employer. * Recruitment When a Client has chosen to employ a personal assistant or multiple personal assistants, an initial recruitment round will have been agreed with the Case Manager to cover the Client's care and support needs, this will be valid for up to 3 personal assistants. After successful completion of the first recruitment round, any subsequent additions to the package will need to be agreed and charged individually per personal assistant. The provider delivers a core support service for each Direct Payment client and additional support tailored to each service users' needs, which can include help with employing a PA, payroll services and managed banking support. The purpose of the support service is to ensure that adequate advice, information and assistance is available to all clients, carers and their families, as well as to potential clients and to enable the client to effectively use their Direct Payment to enhance their quality of life. Micro Enterprises have proven to be a valuable addition to the choice and flexibility service users can access to meet their care and support needs. The Direct Payments Support Service provider will work with the Council to develop and grow the micro enterprise provision in Cardiff. The Council is seeking to understand the potential marketplace of organisations that are currently, or have experience of delivering, a Direct Payments Support Service. Specifically we are looking for interest from those organisations that are currently of have experience of, providing the model of service and all its elements as outlined above. ### Planning Information The Council is seeking to understand the potential marketplace of organisations that are currently, or have experience of delivering, a Direct Payments Support Service. Specifically we are looking for interest from those organisations that are currently of have experience of, providing the model of service and all its elements as outlined above. Please provide a brief outline (no more than 2 sides of A4) of your experience of delivering services that include the essential elements in the description above. Please note: This will not form part of any formal tender process. This information request is purely for the Council to understand the market position and we welcome expressions of interest by 12-noon Monday 19/01/2026 . To register your interest in this opportunity and to provide us with the information requested above, please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/ ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084153-2025 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | 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 | 18 Dec 2025 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 19 Jan 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 26 Jan 2026 - 6 Apr 2026 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £3,599,998 | | 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 | CARDIFF COUNCIL | | Locality | CARDIFF | | Post town | Cardiff | | Postcode | CF10 4UW | | Country | Wales | | ITL 1 | TLL Wales | | ITL 2 | TLL5 South East Wales | | ITL 3 | TLL52 Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan | | Local authority | Cardiff | | Electoral ward | Butetown | | Westminster constituency | Cardiff South and Penarth | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 85000000 - Health and social work services ## Release History - 18 Dec 2025 at 09:36 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084153-2025 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084153-2025 18th December 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - http://www.cardiff.gov.uk - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents - https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/ ## 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-05f891. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f891.json.