--- title: "Request for Information - Buckinghamshire Integrated Sensory Service" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06e667" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e667" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e667.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e667.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "Buckinghamshire Council" published: "2026-08-18" --- # Request for Information - Buckinghamshire Integrated Sensory Service Buyer: Buckinghamshire Council Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06e667 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e667) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e667.json) ## Summary Buckinghamshire Council is planning an integrated sensory support service for adults and children in Buckinghamshire. The service is intended to inform the Council’s future commissioning approach and help it meet its strategic aims and legal responsibilities while creating a viable service for suppliers. The procurement is for social services, covering sensory support rather than goods, construction or general consultancy. Delivery is expected across Buckinghamshire, with the Council as the commissioning authority. The service is being considered under the light-touch regime. The Council is still deciding its approach, so suppliers interested in sensory support for adults, children or both should use the market-engagement stage to understand the emerging requirement and inform its design. This process is at the planning stage and is a Request for Information rather than an invitation to tender. Buckinghamshire Council is using preliminary market engagement to gather supplier information before deciding its commissioning approach. The Council expects to publish a future notice on 14 December 2026. The scheduled RFI engagement deadline is 13:00 on 9 September 2026. If taken forward, the single planned lot is expected to run from 24 June 2027 to 23 June 2030, with a possible extension to 23 June 2032. The procurement is planned as a services contract for social services under the light-touch regime. No contract value or evaluation criteria have been set out at this planning stage. This will suit organisations already delivering sensory support or closely related social services for adults, children or both. The Council has indicated that the future service must support its strategic aims, fulfil its legal responsibilities and provide a viable basis for supplier delivery, so relevant providers should be ready to explain their service models, workforce capabilities, safeguarding arrangements and experience of meeting statutory support needs. The planned service is expressly identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises. Providers in those sectors may therefore find the emerging requirement relevant, particularly where they can demonstrate practical experience of integrated sensory services and contribute useful market intelligence during the consultation stage. ## Notice Buckinghamshire Council (the Council) is requesting information to inform its future commissioning intentions for Sensory support services for both Adults and Children. The Council is still deciding its approach and the information obtained by this RFI will help to ensure the future service/s meets the Council's strategic aims, fulfils its legal responsibilities and presents a viable opportunity for suppliers. ### Planning Information The Request for Information (RFI) documents for this opportunity are published on the Council's procurement portal: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/buckinghamshire-council. These documents include all relevant details about the project and outline the information we are seeking from the supplier market. If you wish to participate in the RFI and have not yet registered, please ensure you do so via the portal in order to access the documentation. The RFI will remain open until 13:00 on Wednesday 9th September 2026. For ease of access, you may copy and paste the following link into your browser: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/buckinghamshire-council. Please note that all queries relating to this RFI must be submitted via the In-Tend portal, in accordance with the instructions provided within the documents. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078461-2026 | | 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 | 18 Aug 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 14 Dec 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 24 Jun 2027 - 23 Jun 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 | Buckinghamshire Council | | Locality | AYLESBURY | | Postcode area | Hemel Hempstead | | Postcode | HP19 8FF | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | | ITL 3 | TLJ13 Buckinghamshire | | Local authority | Buckinghamshire | | Electoral ward | Aylesbury North West | | Westminster constituency | Aylesbury | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 85320000 - Social services ## Release History - 18 Aug 2026 at 11:33 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078461-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078461-2026 18th August 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://in-tendhost.co.uk/buckinghamshire-council - 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-06e667. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e667.json.