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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Strategic Partnership Framework for Commissioning of Children's Services

Liverpool City Council · Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 24 Sept 2026, 16:21.

Opportunity overview

The Council is undertaking preliminary market engagement in respect of a potential future procurement to establish up to three Strategic Partnership Frameworks for the commissioning of Children's Services. These frameworks would aim to support the development and delivery of high-quality, inclusive and outcomes-focused services for children and young people. At this stage, the proposed approach, structure and scope of the Frameworks are indicative only and subject to change following market feedback. The Council is considering a model comprising three service clusters, with initial indicative annual values as follows: Cluster 1: approximately £56,142,500 per annum (exclusive of VAT) Cluster 2: approximately £18,050,000 per annum (exclusive of VAT) Cluster 3: approximately £5,865,000 per annum (exclusive of VAT) This equates to a combined indicative annual value of approximately £80,057,500, and a potential total value of up to £800,575,000 (exclusive of VAT) over an anticipated maximum term of up to 10 years. This notice is issued for information and engagement purposes only and does not constitute a call for competition. The Council is seeking feedback from the market to help inform its future commissioning strategy and procurement approach. The Cluster 3 market engagement event will be held on 7 May, 11:00-12:00 via Microsoft Teams. The session will provide an overview of the proposed scope for Cluster 3 and will cover the following indicative Lots: Lot 1 - Complex Health Needs Including medical and mental health services Lot 2 - Care and Personal Support Day-to-day support provided in the home and community Lot 3 - Behavioural Support Support to manage and reduce behaviours that challenge Lot 4 - Short Breaks Wraparound support, day services and overnight respite Lot 5 - Emergency / Crisis Support Rapid response provision to support crisis situations Lot 6 - Therapeutic Support Services Psychological, emotional and therapeutic interventions Lot 7 - Specialist Assessment Service Multi-disciplinary and specialist assessment provision Suppliers interested in attending are requested to complete and return the following form: Strategic Partnership Framework for the Commissioning of Children's Services - Fill in form via link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=s2IPJ6SMY02KgP_LH2H-BDWFlU-oeiBOpkkTSNnn5wRUNDVEUkJaRjczSVJENUZSMDRRR0pVSDU5VC4u Cluster 1: Children's Social Care Services - Market Engagement Event Liverpool City Council is preparing to commission a new Strategic Partnership Framework for Children's Services, which includes Children's Social Care Services (Cluster 1). The framework will provide a continuum of care and accommodation, supporting children and young people from fostering and residential care through to independence. Its purpose is to ensure that future provision maximises independence, choice and control, best value, and long‑term sustainability within the local care market. This procurement will be undertaken in line with the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023. We are inviting providers to attend a Market Engagement Event, where we will outline our commissioning intentions, proposed lot structure, and anticipated procurement approach. This session will also provide an opportunity for providers to share early feedback and help shape the final specification and framework design. The proposed indicative Lots are: Lot 1 - Independent Fostering Agency Placements Including respite placements and parent and child foster placements Lot 2 - Residential Children's Homes Including solo placements, parenting assessment units, and short-term crisis provision Lot 3 - Semi-Independent Accommodation and Supported Living For care-experienced young people and Unaccompanied Asylum Seeker Children (UASC) aged 16-18 and beyond age 18 where their asylum claim remains pending Lot 4 - Supported Lodgings The engagement event will be held on 11 June, 11:00-12:30 via Microsoft Teams. Please complete the following form to register your interest: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=s2IPJ6SMY02KgP_LH2H-BDWFlU-oeiBOpkkTSNnn5wRUOTNTNzBaTFJMRDU3MzhJNkMyREdYVFFPRS4u The deadline for submitting expressions of interest is 10 June at 11:00am. The event link will be issued via email on 10 June between 15:00-17:00. Please note that your details will be captured and stored by Liverpool City Council for the purposes of this event and to gather feedback only.

Classification

  • CPV85300000 — Social work and related services

Lots

  • Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
ocds-h6vhtk-059e4f
Main Procurement Category
services
Status
planned

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Special regime

lightTouch

Communication

Future Notice Date
1 Nov 2026, 23:59

Amendments

Entry 1
Description
Liverpool City Council continues to undertake market engagement activities in relation to the proposed Strategic Partnership Frameworks for the Commissioning of Children's Services. A further engagement session focused on Cluster 3 will take place on 14 October 2026. The market engagement period has therefore been extended until 31 October 2026 to allow interested providers to participate in the engagement process and provide feedback on the Council's emerging proposals.
Id
090636-2026

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
planned

Suitability

Sme
Yes
Vcse
Yes

Contract period

Starts
1 Apr 2027, 00:00
Ends
31 Mar 2037, 23:59

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
85300000
Description
Social work and related services

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKD72
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Planning and budget

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Description
Strategic Partnership Framework for the Commissioning of Children's Services Follow-Up Market Engagement Session for Strategic Partnership Framework (Cluster 3) Date: 14 October 2026 Time: 10am to 11:30am Location: Microsoft Teams Following the initial market engagement event held on 7 May 2026, Liverpool City Council is pleased to invite interested providers to attend a further engagement session focused on Cluster 3. This session will provide a more detailed overview of the proposed Framework, including: • The indicative scope and requirements of each Lot • Proposed admission requirements for joining the Framework • How the Framework is expected to operate in practice • An overview of the procurement process and tendering requirements • Liverpool City Council's approach to social value and how this may be reflected within future procurement and contract arrangements There will also be opportunities throughout the session for providers to ask questions, share feedback and help inform the ongoing development of the Council's commissioning and procurement approach. Register Your Interest Providers wishing to attend should register by completing the form below: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=s2IPJ6SMY02KgP_LH2H-BDWFlU-oeiBOpkkTSNnn5wRUMlo5UzIyWURFRlhHV0NTUlZNQU1DNkpGRC4u Registration deadline: 10:00am on 13 October 2026 Microsoft Teams joining details will be sent to registered attendees following the deadline on 13 October 2026. Additional Opportunity for Providers Providers may also be interested in attending the free supplier workshop: How to Bid for Liverpool City Council Contracts
Due
31 Oct 2026, 23:59
Status
scheduled

Documents

Entry 1
Id
090636-2026
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Published
24 Sept 2026, 14:45
Format
text/html

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
Liverpool City Council
Id
GB-PPON-PRVY-7813-WLPG

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PRVY-7813-WLPG

Address

Street Address
Cunard Building
Locality
Liverpool
Postal Code
L3 1DS
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKD72

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - sub-central government

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Liverpool · UKD72 · L3 1DS · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKD72 · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

3 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

3 VERSIONS
  1. 039888-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·
  2. 048941-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·
  3. 090636-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·