--- title: "Direct Payment Support Service- Market Engagement RFI" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06ca89" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ca89" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ca89.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ca89.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "HEREFORDSHIRE COUNCIL" published: "2026-07-14" --- # Direct Payment Support Service- Market Engagement RFI Buyer: HEREFORDSHIRE COUNCIL Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06ca89 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ca89) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ca89.json) ## Summary Herefordshire Council is initiating a procurement process for a Direct Payment Support Service as part of a market engagement exercise under the Procurement Act 2023. This preliminary stage involves an RFI (Request for Information) seeking insights from potential suppliers to help shape future procurement and service requirements. The procurement falls under the services category, specifically targeting social work and related services, and is planned to cover the UKG11 region in the United Kingdom. As of now, the procurement is in the planning stage, with a key engagement milestone having a due date for response submissions on the 4th of August, 2026, by noon. This tender represents an opportunity for businesses involved in social work services, particularly those capable of providing Direct Payment Support Services, to influence the requirements and approach of an impending tender. SMEs may find this an advantageous step towards expanding their service offerings with a potential contract lasting up to 2030, with the possibility of renewal. Interested parties are encouraged to engage early, as this will allow them to demonstrate their capabilities and address any challenges presented by the requirements, thus positioning themselves favourably for the subsequent tender phases. ## Notice Market Engagement -RFI regarding Direct Payment Support Service (DPSS). Herefordshire Council is issuing this RFI as part of a preliminary market engagement exercise in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 (the "Act"). This RFI is for information seeking purposes and it does not form part of a procurement process and does not constitute a call for competition to procure any goods, works or services or to award any contract and the Council is not bound by any proposal offered. The Council is seeking information from the marketplace for the purposes of: * identifying suppliers that may be able to supply the Direct Payment Support Service (DPSS) * understanding some of the potential challenges posed by our requirements * developing the requirements and approach to any potential procurement; * reviewing the current service to ensure that any future Direct Payment Support Service continues to respond to the changing needs and demographics of the county. Information provided will assist the Council in assessing the market's capacity and developing/ finalising the requirements of any proposed solution, and potential approach to market. ### Planning Information Engagement process description: Herefordshire Council has published this RFI on the 'Supplying the Southwest Portal' Interested parties are invited to review the RFI documentation by registering on the portal (ProContract) and expressing an interest in the opportunity. Closing date for responses - 04/08/2026, 12:00 noon Please note that responses to this RFI should be submitted via the Procontract e-tendering portal at www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk by the closing date and time as indicated above. To register with ProContract on the Supplying the Southwest Portal, click on the link below or copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar: https://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/066040-2026 | | 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 | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 14 Jul 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 4 Aug 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 30 Apr 2027 - 30 Apr 2030 | | 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 | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | HEREFORDSHIRE COUNCIL | | Locality | HEREFORD | | Post town | Hereford | | Postcode | HR4 0LE | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) | | ITL 2 | TLG1 Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | | ITL 3 | TLG11 Herefordshire, County of | | Local authority | Herefordshire, County of | | Electoral ward | Widemarsh | | Westminster constituency | Hereford and South Herefordshire | | Delivery location | TLG11 Herefordshire, County of | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 85300000 - Social work and related services ## Release History - 14 Jul 2026 at 10:09 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/066040-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/066040-2026 14th July 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents - https://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.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-06ca89. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ca89.json.