---
title: "Prior Information Notice (PIN) /Request for Information (RFI) for Steps to Safety National Support Partner"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078742"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078742"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078742.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078742.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "Department of Health and Social Care"
published: "2026-10-14"
---

# Prior Information Notice (PIN) /Request for Information (RFI) for Steps to Safety National Support Partner

Buyer: Department of Health and Social Care  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078742

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## Summary

The Department of Health and Social Care intends to commission a national support partner for NHS Integrated Care Boards rolling out Steps to Safety. The programme is for victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence. It aims to improve identification, connect people with specialist support, increase safety and reduce the health impacts of violence and abuse. The partner will work with the department, ICBs and the sector to support a phased rollout across all ICBs in England, with dedicated referral services intended in every area. This is a national health and support-services requirement, with research and related consultancy as its procurement category (CPV 73000000).

This is at planning and market-engagement stage, not a competition or invitation to tender. The department is seeking feedback on a draft service specification and may use that feedback to shape the final specification and any later procurement. A market-engagement session was planned for 21 October 2026; suppliers wishing to attend were asked to register by 19 October. The consultation template was due by 2 November 2026. The department expects to run a future tender through the Government Commercial Agency’s RM6126 Research and Insights Dynamic Purchasing Framework, under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015; suppliers must be on that framework to participate. The service is presented as one lot. No contract value or delivery period is stated.

The work is suited to suppliers able to lead a comprehensive national support offer and coordinate delivery with government, NHS Integrated Care Boards and organisations across the domestic abuse and sexual violence sector. The buyer identifies expertise in domestic abuse and sexual violence, training, programme delivery, partnership working, engagement with people with lived experience and adherence to delivery principles as important. Specialist elements may be subcontracted, but the lead supplier would remain accountable for delivery, so a prime contractor needs the capacity to manage partners and maintain overall responsibility. Suppliers should consider whether they are listed on the RM6126 Research and Insights Dynamic Purchasing Framework, since the buyer intends to use it for any future procurement. The buyer is seeking market feedback to help shape the eventual specification.

## Notice

The Department of Health and Social Care ("The Authority") is publishing Prior Information Notice (PIN) and Request for Information (RFI) to outline the Authority's intention to invite potential bidders to review and seek feedback on the draft service specification for the Steps to Safety National Support Partner. The Authority is seeking to commission a partner to provide national support to NHS Integrated Care Board (ICBs) rolling out the Steps to Safety programme for victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence (DASV). The programme aims to better identify victims and survivors of violence and abuse, provide specialist support services, increase safety and reduce the health impacts of violence and abuse. The roll out of Steps to Safety will be phased in 3 phases across all ICBs with the aim of ensuring dedicated referral services exist in every area of England so that by 2029, any victim or survivor in England can access this support, wherever they live.

The Department of Health and Social Care will be running a market engagement session on 21/10/2026 at 1pm. Please contact the Steps to Safety team via the inbox StepsToSafety@dhsc.gov.uk if you wish to join the session before 19th October 2026, 1200 miday.

All the interested suppliers should register at: health.atamis.co.uk to apply for the opportunity. The Atamis reference no.to seek this RFI is C481821
For any Atamis queries email to: support-health@atamis.co.uk or via Helpdesk Phone: 0800 9956035
The RFI closing date is 2nd Nov 2026, 5pm.

This PIN/RFI is issued solely for preliminary market engagement. It does not constitute a call for competition, an Invitation to Tender (ITT), or a commitment by the Authority to undertake a future procurement. Potential bidders are invited to review and, if they wish, comment on the draft service specification for the Steps to Safety national support partner. Feedback received may inform the final specification and the design of any subsequent procurement process. All information is subject to change and is non-binding on the Authority.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are seeking to commission a partner to provide national support to NHS Integrated Care Board (ICBs) rolling out the Steps to Safety programme for victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence (DASV). We require a supplier with the experience and capability to deliver a comprehensive support offer to ICBs working in partnership with the DHSC, ICBs and the sector; specialist elements may be subcontracted, with the lead supplier accountable for delivery. The supplier should have the following expertise:
DASV expertise, Training capability, Programme delivery, Partnership working, Lived-experience engagement and Delivery principles.
The Authority intends to conduct the tender process via GCA Dynamic Purchasing Framework (DPS) RM6126 Research and Insights under regulation PCR 2015. You will need to be a supplier on the GCA DPS RM6126 Research and Insights framework to take take part in any future procurement exercise.
Please see the attached Draft specification and market consultation template. The market consultation template needs to be returned before 2nd Nov 2026, 5pm.
To register your interest for market engagement session on 21/10/2026 at 1pm. 
Please contact the Steps to Safety team via the inbox StepsToSafety@dhsc.gov.uk if you wish to join the session before 19th October 2026, 1200 midday.

To manage any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest arising between the Steps to Safety Evaluation and the National Support Partner procurements, the Contracting Authority will take appropriate and proportionate measures to prevent, identify and remedy such conflicts. In accordance with Regulation 24 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, these measures will seek to prevent any distortion of competition and ensure the equal treatment of all economic operators.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/096878-2026 |
| Notice type | Planning 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 | 14 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 14 Oct 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| 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 | Planned |
| Lots status | Planned |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Department of Health and Social Care |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Postcode area | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1H 0EU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West |
| ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London |
| Local authority | Westminster |
| Electoral ward | St James's |
| Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster |
| Delivery location | TLI32 Westminster |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

## Release History

- 14 Oct 2026 at 11:08 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/096878-2026

## Notice URLs

- https://atamis-1928.my.site.com/s/Welcome
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care

## 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-078742. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078742.json.