--- title: "Independent Fostering Agency (IFA) Retainer Block Pilot" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06aebc" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06aebc" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06aebc.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06aebc.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "READING BOROUGH COUNCIL" published: "2026-06-05" --- # Independent Fostering Agency (IFA) Retainer Block Pilot Buyer: READING BOROUGH COUNCIL Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06aebc [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06aebc) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06aebc.json) ## Summary Reading Borough Council is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process for the "Independent Fostering Agency (IFA) Retainer Block Pilot." This initiative falls within the social services industry category and operates primarily in Reading, located in the region designated as UKJ11 in the United Kingdom. The Council seeks to engage with the market to explore a retainer-based block model for securing local foster care capacity. Key dates include a provider registration deadline in early July 2026, a virtual market engagement event in mid-July 2026, and the engagement's culmination by the end of August 2026. This is part of a structured pre-procurement engagement, intending to decide whether to proceed to a pilot phase. This tender process offers substantial opportunities for business growth, particularly for Independent Fostering Agencies (IFAs) and organisations focused on social work and social services. Businesses located within or capable of servicing the Reading area, especially those with existing or potential foster carers within a 20-mile radius of the Reading Civic Centre, will find this opportunity highly beneficial. The Council is looking to engage in a co-design process with providers, providing potential contractors the chance to shape the model and service expectations. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations are especially encouraged to participate, given the project's alignment with strengthening local placement capacities and its collaborative design approach. ## Notice Reading Borough Council is undertaking a soft market testing and engagement exercise to explore a new commissioning approach for securing local foster care capacity through a retainer based block model. The Council is seeking early engagement with Independent Fostering Agencies (IFAs) to test whether this approach is viable in the current market, particularly in relation to the availability of carers within a 20 mile radius of Reading Civic Centre, and to understand whether the model is operationally practical and commercially attractive to providers. This exercise will also support a co design process with the market, enabling providers to help shape and refine the proposed model, service expectations, and delivery approach ahead of any potential procurement. The Council is particularly keen to work collaboratively to ensure that any future model is realistic, deliverable, and aligned with market capacity and provider insight. This PIN forms part of a structured pre procurement engagement process and is intended to inform decision making on whether to proceed to a pilot and how the model should be designed. Who Should Engage We welcome interest from: * IFAs with existing or potential carers in the Reading area * Providers able to support local placement development * Organisations interested in collaborative model design ### Planning Information The Council will undertake structured engagement as follows: • PIN publication: June 2026 • Provider registration deadline: Early July 2026 • Market engagement event (virtual): Mid July 2026 (based on registration numbers, will expand to multiple sessions) • RFI issue and responses: End of July 2026 • 1:1 provider discussions: August 2026 (these would be booked directly) • Market engagement summary published: August 2026 Who Should Engage We welcome interest from IFAs with existing or potential carers in the Reading area. We wish to hear from providers who are able to support local foster care placements and organisations interested in collaborative model design How to Participate To express interest, please contact: byron.taylor@reading.gov.uk chris.martin@reading.gov.uk Reference: IFA Retainer Pilot - Market Engagement ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053342-2026 | | 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 | 5 Jun 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 21 Sep 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Nov 2026 - 30 Apr 2027 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £49,600 | | 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 | READING BOROUGH COUNCIL | | Locality | READING | | Post town | Reading | | Postcode | RG1 2LU | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | | ITL 3 | TLJ16 Berkshire West | | Local authority | Reading | | Electoral ward | Abbey | | Westminster constituency | Reading Central | | Delivery location | TLJ11 Berkshire | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 85310000 - Social work services - 85320000 - Social services ## Release History - 5 Jun 2026 at 12:39 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053342-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053342-2026 5th June 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents - https://www.reading.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-06aebc. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06aebc.json.