---
title: "Direct award for the provision of independent advice and quality assurance to the OAWY Adoption Panel"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06e5b8"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e5b8"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e5b8.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e5b8.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Leeds City Council"
published: "2026-08-17"
---

# Direct award for the provision of independent advice and quality assurance to the OAWY Adoption Panel

Buyer: Leeds City Council  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06e5b8

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## Summary

Leeds City Council procured independent advice and quality assurance services for the OAWY Adoption Panel. The work supports the Panel by providing independent professional advice and checking that adoption paperwork meets regulatory requirements, helping maintain high standards and support effective decision-making. This is a specialist public-sector service combining consultancy with welfare-related expertise. Delivery is for Leeds City Council and its adoption-panel functions in Leeds. The requirement is relevant to consultancies and specialist advisers experienced in adoption services, panel support, regulatory compliance, quality assurance and the review of statutory or casework documentation. It may also suit organisations able to provide independent scrutiny of decisions and paperwork within regulated children’s social care or adoption settings.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to Highton Consultancy LTD on 17 August 2026. Leeds City Council used a direct award below the threshold without competition, under the light-touch regime. The award covers one lot and the contract is active. The contract was signed on 17 August 2026 and runs from 17 August 2026 to 31 March 2028, with a maximum extent to 31 March 2030 and a stated 24-month renewal option. Its value is £84,000 excluding VAT, or £100,800 including VAT. The award is for services classified as design consultancy and welfare services not delivered through residential institutions. The published outcome identifies Highton Consultancy LTD as the selected supplier.

This award shows Leeds City Council’s demand for independent specialist support to an adoption panel, particularly advice that strengthens decision-making and quality assurance. A credible future competitor would need demonstrable expertise in adoption or related children’s social care services, understanding of regulatory requirements, and the ability to review casework paperwork rigorously and independently. It would also need to provide clear, reliable advice to a formal panel and identify whether documentation supports effective decisions and meets required standards. The selected supplier is an SME, indicating that the requirement can be delivered by a focused specialist consultancy rather than only by a large national provider. Relevant firms should be able to evidence comparable regulated-sector assignments, strong written analysis and effective quality-control processes.

## Notice

Directly award a contract to Highton Consultancy for the for the provision of independent advice and quality assurance to the OAWY Adoption Panel. This contract will provide further independent advice and quality assurance to the Panel, ensuring the paperwork meets the regulatory requirements to maintain high standards to enable effective decision making.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078165-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - without competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 17 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 17 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 17 Aug 2026 - 31 Mar 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £84,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Leeds City Council |
| Locality | LEEDS |
| Postcode area | Leeds |
| Postcode | LS1 1UR |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLE Yorkshire and The Humber |
| ITL 2 | TLE4 West Yorkshire |
| ITL 3 | TLE42 Leeds |
| Local authority | Leeds |
| Electoral ward | Little London & Woodhouse |
| Westminster constituency | Leeds Central and Headingley |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Highton Consultancy LTD |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 79415200 - Design consultancy services
- 85312400 - Welfare services not delivered through residential institutions

## Release History

- 17 Aug 2026 at 14:44 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078165-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078165-2026
  17th August 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- 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-06e5b8. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e5b8.json.