---
title: "Grant to Third Sector VCS Providers"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06f656"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06f656"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f656.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f656.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Durham County Council"
published: "2026-09-10"
---

# Grant to Third Sector VCS Providers

Buyer: Durham County Council  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06f656

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[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f656.json)

## Summary

Durham County Council commissioned services from voluntary and community sector organisations to support individuals and households in crisis. The work includes providing goods or vouchers, customer support and financial guidance, alongside resilience services intended to strengthen community infrastructure and longer-term resilience. The services are delivered in County Durham. The procurement is a light-touch public service requirement led by the council, with one completed lot and two appointed providers: Age Concern Durham County and Durham County Carers Support. It is relevant to third-sector organisations with experience supporting people in financial or household crisis, delivering practical assistance, providing customer-facing support, or building resilience through community-based services. The requirement combines direct support with advice and wider community infrastructure activity.

The procurement is complete and was awarded through a direct award below the applicable threshold, without competition. Two active awards were made on 30 April 2026: Age Concern Durham County received one award with a contract value of £225,330 excluding VAT (£270,396 including VAT), while Durham County Carers Support received a separate award valued at £289,794.84 excluding VAT (£347,753.81 including VAT). Both contracts were signed on 30 April 2026 and run from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027, with an option to extend by two further 12-month periods, potentially extending the contract period to 30 April 2029. The published classifications cover financial consultancy and customer services. The procurement was below threshold and used the light-touch regime.

This award shows that Durham County Council buys locally delivered third-sector support for people and households in crisis at a substantial service scale, using separate providers for the same overall requirement. A credible future competitor would need demonstrable capability in crisis support, practical assistance such as goods or vouchers, customer-facing services and financial guidance. It would also need to show that it can deliver resilience work beyond immediate intervention, including support that strengthens community infrastructure and longer-term household or community resilience. Organisations with established voluntary or community-sector relationships in County Durham, experienced frontline teams and the capacity to manage sustained service delivery would be well placed. Relevant strengths include financial advice, customer support, referral handling and partnership working with community organisations.

## Notice

For VCS organisations to support individuals households in crisis, including awards of goods/vouchers or resilience services to build community infrastructure, longer term resilience.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085680-2026 |
| 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 | Large, SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 10 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 May 2026 - 30 Apr 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £515,124 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Durham County Council |
| Locality | DURHAM |
| Postcode area | Durham |
| Postcode | DH1 5WB |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear |
| ITL 3 | TLC41 Durham |
| Local authority | County Durham |
| Electoral ward | Framwellgate & Newton Hall |
| Westminster constituency | City of Durham |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 2 |
| Supplier names | AGE CONCERN DURHAM COUNTY; Durham County Carers Support |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 66 - Financial and insurance services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 66171000 - Financial consultancy services
- 79342300 - Customer services

## Release History

- 10 Sep 2026 at 09:55 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085680-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085680-2026
  10th September 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://dccarers.org
- http://www.durham.gov.uk/
- https://www.ageuk.org.uk/countydurham/
- 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-06f656. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f656.json.