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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Regulation 44 Visits by an Independent Person

Durham County Council · Contract details notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 25 Sept 2026, 13:50.

Opportunity overview

This contract is for Regulation 44 Visits by an Independent Person. The Community Children's Homes maintained by Durham County Council provide support and care for some of our most vulnerable children. Durham County Council is committed to be the best parent we can be for Children in our Care and strives to ensure that we deliver support and care that is as good as every good parent. In addition to this we also host Aycliffe Secure Centre within County Durham for both male and females who have been admitted by courts or councils on a welfare and youth custody basis, this may be due to a risk to themselves or others or because there is a concern about involvement with criminal activities. The Children's Homes Regulations 2015 (Regulation 44) require all providers of Children's Residential Homes, to secure monthly visits (as a minimum) by an Independent Person to undertake a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home's arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home's care. There are currently 15 Community Children's Homes maintained by Durham County Council, including a Short Breaks Service and a Step-Down from Secure home. Each of these homes requires monthly Regulation 44 visits conducted by an Independent Person. In addition, Aycliffe Secure Centre comprises a further five homes. Over the course of the contract, the Council plans to develop up to five additional Community Children's Homes. It is anticipated that the scope and value of the contract will be adjusted accordingly as each new home is developed and registered with Ofsted, ensuring ongoing compliance with Regulation 44 requirements. The view of the Council is that the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) will apply to this contract. However, Bidders should seek their own legal advice as to the applicability of TUPE and as to the effect of the TUPE clause contained in the contract Terms and Conditions.

Awarded to

Amounts belong to published awards or contracts. Where several suppliers share one value, it is labelled as shared and is not a supplier-specific allocation.

Contract value
£1.1m
Awarded
Not supplied
Contract signed
18 Aug 2026
Including VAT
£1.3m
Award ID
1
Status
active
Identifier
GB-COH 02722134
Location
Birkenhead, UKD74, CH41 5AZ, United Kingdom

Classification

No classification was supplied.

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
003404
Status
complete
Procurement Method
open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Special regime

lightTouch

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
complete

Published documents

Entry 1
Id
conflictOfInterest
Document Type
conflictOfInterest
Description
Not published

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
Durham County Council
Id
GB-PPON-PMPB-8772-VYWM

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PMPB-8772-VYWM

Address

Street Address
Corten House, Dunholme Close
Locality
Durham
Postal Code
DH1 5WB
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKC14

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - sub-central government
Organisation 2
Name
THE NATIONAL YOUTH ADVOCACY SERVICE
Id
GB-COH-02722134

Identifier

Scheme
GB-COH
Id
02722134

Additional Identifiers

Entry 1
Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PYDW-5632-RRWZ

Address

Street Address
Units 1 - 4 Priory Mews
Locality
Birkenhead
Postal Code
CH41 5AZ
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKD74

Contact

Roles

supplier

Details

Scale
sme
Vcse
No
Public Service Mission Organization
No
Sheltered Workshop
No

Award information

Award 1
Id
1
Status
active
Main Procurement Category
services

Items

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
85000000
Description
Health and social work services

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKC14
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Suppliers

Supplier 1
Id
GB-COH-02722134
Name
THE NATIONAL YOUTH ADVOCACY SERVICE

Related lots

1

Contracts and changes

Entry 1
Id
1
Award ID
1
Status
active
Has Renewal
Yes
Has Options
Yes
Above Threshold
Yes
Date Signed
19 Aug 2026, 00:00

Period

Starts
1 Sept 2026, 00:00
Ends
31 Aug 2031, 23:59
Max Extent Date
31 Aug 2034, 23:59

Renewal

Description
3 periods of 12 months each subject to commissioner and budget approval

Options

Description
The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. The number of homes may increase / decrease over the life of the contract and the successful organisation requires flexibility to this contract to accommodate this. Over the course of the contract, the Council plans to develop up to five additional Community Children's Homes. It is anticipated that the scope and value of the contract will be adjusted accordingly as each new home is developed and registered with Ofsted, ensuring ongoing compliance with Regulation 44 requirements. The separate governance arrangements for the Secure Centre and Community Children's Homes may need to be reviewed when considering any contract extension. In particular, a decision may be made as to whether it remains appropriate for a single contract to continue covering both services, or whether they should be commissioned separately to better reflect their distinct operational and regulatory frameworks

Value

Including VAT
1,272,000
Amount
1,060,000
Currency
GBP

Documents

Entry 1
Id
080267-2026
Document Type
contractNotice
Notice Type
UK7
Description
Contract details notice on Find a Tender
Published
24 Aug 2026, 11:48
Format
text/html

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Durham · UKC14 · DH1 5WB · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

3 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

3 VERSIONS
  1. 052811-2026Tender notice on Find a Tender ·
  2. 071426-2026Contract award notice on Find a Tender ·
  3. 080267-2026Contract details notice on Find a Tender ·