---
title: "Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Infrastructure Contract Soft Market Test"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06db51"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06db51"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06db51.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06db51.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "CORNWALL COUNCIL"
published: "2026-08-04"
---

# Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Infrastructure Contract Soft Market Test

Buyer: CORNWALL COUNCIL  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06db51

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06db51)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06db51.json)

## Summary

Cornwall Council is in the planning stage of a procurement process for a "Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Infrastructure Contract Soft Market Test." This initiative falls under the industry category of services, specifically targeting other community, social and personal services, and general management consultancy services. Located in Truro, within the UKK3 region of the United Kingdom, the procurement aims to engage with potential suppliers by conducting a Soft Market Test to gauge interest and capability. The key milestone is the completion of the soft market test by 12th August 2026, with future notices expected by 24th September 2026. The contract is set to run from October 2026 to October 2029, with a gross value estimated at £480,000.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in community services and management consultancy. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSE) are particularly well-suited to compete, given the suitability criteria outlined. Engaging in this procurement process can aid business growth by allowing organisations to showcase their capability and experience, potentially leading to long-term partnerships with Cornwall Council should a formal business case be developed and approved.

## Notice

Cornwall Council is conducting a Soft Market Test (SMT) to gain an understanding of the potential level of interest for the delivery of a Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Infrastructure contract to run between Autumn 2026 - Autumn 2029. It is intended that the responses supplied will enable the Council to assess the capability and experience of the organisation to deliver the requirements outlined in the questionnaire. Any such proposal would be subject to the development and approval of a business case, and, as such, this exercise implies no commercial commitment. This is not a formal tender document. Further information can be found at supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk

### Planning Information

Details of the soft market test questionnaire can be found at supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073726-2026 |
| 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 | 4 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 24 Sep 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Oct 2026 - 1 Oct 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £400,000 |
| 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 | CORNWALL COUNCIL |
| Locality | TRURO |
| Post town | Truro |
| Postcode | TR1 3AY |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK3 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |
| ITL 3 | TLK30 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |
| Local authority | Cornwall |
| Electoral ward | Truro Boscawen & Redannick |
| Westminster constituency | Truro and Falmouth |
| Delivery location | TLK3 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 98 - Other community, social and personal services

### Codes

- 79411000 - General management consultancy services
- 98000000 - Other community, social and personal services

## Release History

- 4 Aug 2026 at 13:11 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073726-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073726-2026
  4th August 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.cornwall.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-06db51. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06db51.json.