AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
London Borough of Tower Hamlets has published a transparency notice for a time-limited direct award to CENTRE 404 for overnight and related short-break respite services for children and young people with autism spectrum condition and severe learning disabilities and/or challenging behaviour.
Published outcomeAward 1 is marked pending, with a scheduled future signature date of 20 October 2026. The notice does not establish that a contract has been signed or started.
Market significanceThe proposed gross award value is £740,180.40 for a one-year period. The buyer says it used a direct award after a competitive procurement did not produce a suitable tender capable of meeting the required service level and Best Value Duty.
AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS
1 supplier record analysed
CENTRE 404
99% confidenceAward 1 · Lots 1 · £616,817 net; £740,180.40 gross (award-level value) GBP · Pending award; supplier identity verified
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Award 1 names supplier GB-CHC-299889 as CENTRE 404 and gives amount £616,817 and amountGross £740,180.40. Supplier verification records verified company name CENTRE 404, company number 02270299, through exact-name matching.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Published notice
99% confidenceTransparency notice published 19 October 2026
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Award document 098599-2026 is described as a Transparency notice on Find a Tender and has datePublished 2026-10-19T15:20:42+01:00.
Award status
99% confidencePending
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Award 1 status is "pending".
Signature milestone
99% confidenceScheduled for 20 October 2026
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Award 1 milestone type futureSignatureDate has dueDate 2026-10-20T23:59:59+01:00 and status scheduled.
Contract period
98% confidence2 November 2026 to 31 October 2027
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Award 1 contractPeriod gives startDate 2026-11-02 and endDate 2027-10-31.
VALUES
Published values explained
Award value, net
99% confidence£616,817
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Award 1 value.amount is 616817 GBP.
Award value, gross
99% confidence£740,180.40
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Award 1 value.amountGross is 740180.4 GBP.
Value allocation
93% confidenceAward-level value associated with the single listed supplier and Lot 1
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Award 1 lists one supplier, CENTRE 404, and relatedLot 1; no separate lot value is published.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Preliminary market engagement notice
98% confidence24 July 2025
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Release history records a Preliminary market engagement notice dated 2025-07-24.
Transparency notice publication
99% confidence19 October 2026
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Release history and award document 098599-2026 record publication on 2026-10-19.
Scheduled signature date
99% confidence20 October 2026
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Future signature milestone is scheduled for 2026-10-20.
Planned service start
98% confidence2 November 2026
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Award 1 contractPeriod startDate is 2026-11-02.
Planned service end
98% confidence31 October 2027
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Award 1 contractPeriod endDate is 2027-10-31.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Service
99% confidenceOvernight and related short-break respite services
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Tender title is "CS6028 Overnight and Related Short Breaks Respite".
Beneficiaries
99% confidenceChildren and young people with autism spectrum condition, accompanied by severe learning disabilities and/or behaviour that is challenging
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Tender description identifies Lot 1 provision for this group.
Intended outcomes
97% confidenceSupport disabled children and young people to participate in family life, activities, independence and friendships, while providing respite to parents and carers
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Tender description sets out these intended service outcomes.
Classification
99% confidenceHealth and social work services (CPV 85000000)
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Award item additional classification is CPV 85000000, Health and social work services.
Delivery area
92% confidenceLondon (UKI region)
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Award item delivery address is region UKI, United Kingdom.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Procedure
99% confidenceDirect award
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Tender procurementMethod is direct and procurementMethodDetails is Direct award.
Legal basis cited
98% confidenceSection 43 of the Procurement Act 2023
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Procurement rationale states the authority relied on Section 43 of the Procurement Act 2023 for a time-limited direct award.
Buyer rationale
98% confidenceA prior competitive procurement did not receive a suitable tender capable of delivering the required service at a level enabling the authority to discharge its Best Value Duty
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This is stated in the published procurementMethodRationale.
Longer-term approach
97% confidenceArrangements are to be reviewed and re-procured
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The procurementMethodRationale says the direct award is time-limited while longer-term arrangements are reviewed and re-procured.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Planned term
98% confidenceApproximately 12 months
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The published contract period runs from 2 November 2026 to 31 October 2027.
Award stage
99% confidenceNot evidenced as signed or active
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The award is pending and the future signature date remains scheduled.
Extension or renewal terms
99% confidenceUnknown
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Information not supplied in the published notice.
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Continuity-led opportunity
97% confidenceThe proposed award is explicitly time-limited while the buyer reviews and re-procures longer-term arrangements
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Procurement rationale describes a time-limited direct award pending review and re-procurement.
Demonstrated service requirement
91% confidenceFuture suppliers would need to demonstrate capability to deliver the required service standard and value consistent with the buyer's Best Value Duty
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The buyer says its prior competition did not yield a suitable tender capable of delivering the required service at the required level for its Best Value Duty.
Evaluation detail
99% confidenceUnknown
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Information not supplied in the published notice.
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Pending award status
99% confidenceThe notice is a pending award record, not evidence of a signed, commenced or active contract.
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Award 1 is pending and has a scheduled futureSignatureDate.
Value presentation
99% confidenceBoth net and gross award values are published; the notice does not provide a pricing breakdown or a standalone lot value.
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Award 1 contains amount and amountGross; Lot 1 has no value_amount.
Competition information
97% confidenceThe buyer provides a qualitative explanation of the unsuccessful competitive procurement, but no bid count, bidder list, scores or detailed evaluation record.
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Published rationale refers to no suitable tender; no such quantitative or evaluation information is supplied.
Term and re-procurement detail
99% confidenceNo extension provisions, renewal options or re-procurement timetable are published.
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Information not supplied in the published notice.
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- The award is pending with a scheduled signature milestone; the published record does not confirm a signed or active contract.
- The notice does not publish bid numbers, identities of competing bidders, scores, pricing detail or a detailed evaluation record from the prior competition.
- No standalone lot value, extension option, renewal option or re-procurement timetable is published.
- No award decision date is supplied.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
London Borough of Tower HamletsCENTRE 404CS6028short breaks respitedirect awardchildren and young people servicesProcurement Act 2023
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Who is the proposed supplier for Tower Hamlets' CS6028 respite services award?
CENTRE 404 is the named supplier for Award 1. Its identity is verified in the supplied supplier-verification data as CENTRE 404, company number 02270299.
Has the Tower Hamlets respite services contract been signed?
The published record does not evidence signature. Award 1 is pending and lists a signature date scheduled for 20 October 2026.
What is the published value of the proposed award?
The notice reports £616,817 net and £740,180.40 gross for Award 1.
Why did Tower Hamlets use a direct award?
The buyer states that a competitive procurement did not receive a suitable tender capable of meeting the required service level and its Best Value Duty, so it used a time-limited direct award while longer-term arrangements are reviewed and re-procured.
ProcuraAxis award analysis supplements, but does not replace, the official award notice, contract data or procurement documents. “Awarded” does not by itself prove that a contract has been signed.