--- title: "Expression of Interest (EOI): Soft Block Contract for Independent Fostering" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-077681" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077681" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077681.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077681.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "Bristol City Council" published: "2026-09-21" --- # Expression of Interest (EOI): Soft Block Contract for Independent Fostering Buyer: Bristol City Council Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-077681 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077681) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077681.json) ## Summary Bristol City Council is exploring an independent fostering agency service to increase the supply of foster carers for children in care. The intended soft block arrangement would support the council’s Home Finding Team in identifying suitable carers and enable children’s commissioning to fund foster placements through the council’s financial delegation arrangements. Its purpose is to prevent children moving into residential care where that is not appropriate. The service would cover Bristol and the surrounding areas of Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire and North Somerset. This is a health and social work service, classified under CPV 85000000, delivered through fostering placements and carer provision across the stated areas. This procurement is at the planning and preliminary market-engagement stage. Bristol City Council is testing market interest through an expression of interest process for a planned soft block contract; it is not yet an invitation to tender. The council expects expressions of interest to be submitted by 9 October 2026 via an EOI form, with the specification included on that form and clarification questions handled through the portal’s messaging function. The anticipated contract period is 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2028, with a possible extension to 31 December 2029. The estimated value is £3,000,000 excluding VAT, or £3,600,000 including VAT. The service is above the relevant threshold and subject to the light-touch regime. The engagement is likely to suit an established independent fostering agency able to recruit, assess, manage and support foster carers, and to provide placements for children in care across Bristol and the surrounding authorities. Suppliers should be able to work in partnership with a council Home Finding Team, identify carers whose location and circumstances meet placement needs, and support priority use of carers managed by the agency who live outside Bristol. Relevant organisations will need the operational capacity to sustain a substantial, multi-area fostering service and coordinate with children’s commissioning and council funding arrangements. Agencies with experience of preventing unsuitable moves into residential care and developing innovative partnership models should be well placed to prepare for the future competition. ## Notice Expression of Interest (EOI) Bristol City Council wishes to test the level of market interest in providing a service o increase the sufficiency of foster carers for our children in care in Bristol and the surrounding areas (BANES / Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire and North Somerset). Simultaneously this will create an innovative partnership with an independent fostering agency (IFA) offering priority utilisation in regard to foster carers managed by the same IFA that reside outside of Bristol. Our overall aim of this soft block contract is to prevent children moving into residential care, where not appropriate. Once carers have been identified by our Home Finding Team (HFT) in partnership with the IFA, BCC children's commissioning can utilise the agreed and current financial scheme of delegation to put funding for foster placements into place. ### Planning Information Expressions of interest via an Expression Of Interest (EOI) form to be uploaded via ProContract portal. Specification can be found on the EOI form. Clarification questions can be asked via the messages tab. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/089177-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 21 Sep 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Jan 2027 - 31 Dec 2028 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £3,000,000 | | 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 | Bristol City Council | | Locality | BRISTOL | | Postcode area | Bristol | | Postcode | BS1 5TR | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) | | ITL 2 | TLK5 West of England | | ITL 3 | TLK51 Bristol, City of | | Local authority | Bristol, City of | | Electoral ward | Hotwells and Harbourside | | Westminster constituency | Bristol Central | | Delivery location | TLK1 Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath area | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 85000000 - Health and social work services ## Release History - 21 Sep 2026 at 13:56 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/089177-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/089177-2026 21st September 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - http://www.bristol.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-077681. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077681.json.