✓Tender information last checkedLast checked 5 Oct 2026, 15:26.
Opportunity overview
Newcastle City Council is seeking to appoint an organisation to provide a Direct Payment Support Service to adults, children and carers who use, or are considering using, direct payments to purchase or arrange services.
Direct payments can be used to purchase care and support service to meet the care and support needs of the person and carer.
Direct payments do involve additional complexity and responsibility for the service user and therefore many need some support and/or advice.
The Direct Payment Support Service Newcastle City Council are procuring will:
-Information and Advice
Explain the benefits and responsibilities of direct payments to Service Users
Assist with budgeting and expenditure decisions
Provide information about the range of services that provide payroll, insurance and pensions and signpost direct payment users.
-Employment Support
Provide advice on becoming an employer
Support payroll, tax, insurance and pensions
Supply employment templates
Assist recruitment and selection of Personal Assistants
Operate a matching service where appropriate
Assist with all aspects of pension auto-enrolment
Promote safer employment by encouraging and facilitating the completion of enhanced DBS
-Safeguarding and Compliance
Promote safe recruitment
Support DBS applications
Attend safeguarding meetings when required
Report and escalate risks to vulnerable adults, children and public funds.
-Workforce Development
Advise on training for Direct Payment users and Personal Assistants
Promote professional development and competency frameworks
-Other requirements
Provide advice and practical assistance on request to social care professionals when needed
Have a permanent base within Newcastle
Expected usage:
487 adults are currently receiving a direct payment in Newcastle
In the financial year 25/26 there were 315 people who used the service
Classification
CPV85000000 — Health and social work services
Lots
Lot 1Value not stated
Documents and notices
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a TenderOpen source ↗
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.
Newcastle City Council will be holding an engagement event virtually on Microsoft Teams on the 19th of October from 10:00am to 12:00pm.
The event will be led by key representatives from across the Council and it is envisaged all those in attendance will have the opportunity to learn more about, and provide feedback on the service requirements.
We would anticipate the event will run as follows:
1. 10.00 to 10.10 - Introductions NCC
2. 10.10 to 10.20- Purpose of the consultation
• What we currently commission and why
• Utilisation
3. 10.20 to 10:40 Feedback
• From people who have used the service
• Social workers
• CQC
4. 10.40 to 10:50 Our ideas for future scope of the service
• What’s different
5. 10:50-11:00 Break
6. 11:00-11:30 Opportunity to feedback on the model
7. 11:30-11:45 Pre-procurement tender readiness
• Using Open
• Tender documents
8. 11:45-11:55 Indicative timeline
9. 11:55-12:00 A.O.B
Please note-
• We will be recording the sessions
• We do not wish to engage extensively with suppliers prior to this event on clarifications or questions. This is a Market Engagement and we do appreciate a degree of interpretation and flexibility will be applied.
Please register to join the event here:
https://msteams.link/4RPT
Due
31 Oct 2026, 23:59
Status
scheduled
Documents
Entry 1
Id
093858-2026
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Buyer location · Newcastle Upon Tyne · UKC22 · NE1 8QH · United Kingdom
Delivery location · UKC22 · United Kingdom
Notice and amendment history
2 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.
2 VERSIONS
1
093858-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·
2
093865-2026Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender ·
PROCURAAXIS ANALYSIS
ProcuraAxis Analysis
Our approved analysis of the opportunity appears below the official tender information.
ANALYSIS PREVIEW
Opportunity intelligence at a glance
Early-stage/planned procurement by Newcastle City Council for a Direct Payment Support Service for adults, children and carers using or considering direct payments. The provider would deliver advice, employment and payroll-related support, safeguarding support, workforce development and assistance to social care professionals.
Who this may suit
Suitable for organisations experienced in direct-payment support, social care advice, personal-assistant employment support, payroll/pensions signposting, safeguarding and DBS processes, with a permanent base in Newcastle.
Key points identified
Permanent local baseMust have a permanent base within Newcastle.Evidence: “Have a permanent base within Newcastle”
Information and advice serviceExplain direct-payment benefits and responsibilities; support budgeting and expenditure decisions; provide information and signposting on payroll, insurance and pensions services.Evidence: “Explain the benefits and responsibilities of direct payments... Assist with budgeting and expenditure decisions... Provide information about the range of services that provide payroll, insurance and pensions”
Employment supportAdvise on becoming an employer; support payroll, tax, insurance and pensions; provide employment templates; support Personal Assistant recruitment and selection; and assist pension auto-enrolment.Evidence: “Provide advice on becoming an employer... Support payroll, tax, insurance and pensions... Supply employment templates... Assist recruitment and selection of Personal Assistants... Assist with all aspects of pension auto-enrolment”
94% approved-analysis confidence7 supplier criteria identified3 risks or unknowns
ProcuraAxis structures information found in published procurement records, checks the result for consistency and publishes only approved analysis. Confidence describes the completeness and consistency of the available source information; it is not a guarantee of eligibility or contract award.
Early-stage/planned procurement by Newcastle City Council for a Direct Payment Support Service for adults, children and carers using or considering direct payments. The provider would deliver advice, employment and payroll-related support, safeguarding support, workforce development and assistance to social care professionals.
Who this may suit
Suitable for organisations experienced in direct-payment support, social care advice, personal-assistant employment support, payroll/pensions signposting, safeguarding and DBS processes, with a permanent base in Newcastle.
Key deliverables
Information, advice, budgeting and expenditure support for direct-payment users
Employment support, including recruitment of Personal Assistants and employment templates
Support relating to payroll, tax, insurance, pensions and pension auto-enrolment
Safeguarding support, DBS application support and risk escalation
Training and workforce-development advice for users and Personal Assistants
Advice and practical assistance for social care professionals
SUPPLIER REQUIREMENTS
7 criteria identified
Permanent local base
99% confidence
Must have a permanent base within Newcastle.
View supporting evidence
“Have a permanent base within Newcastle”
Information and advice service
98% confidence
Explain direct-payment benefits and responsibilities; support budgeting and expenditure decisions; provide information and signposting on payroll, insurance and pensions services.
View supporting evidence
“Explain the benefits and responsibilities of direct payments... Assist with budgeting and expenditure decisions... Provide information about the range of services that provide payroll, insurance and pensions”
Employment support
99% confidence
Advise on becoming an employer; support payroll, tax, insurance and pensions; provide employment templates; support Personal Assistant recruitment and selection; and assist pension auto-enrolment.
View supporting evidence
“Provide advice on becoming an employer... Support payroll, tax, insurance and pensions... Supply employment templates... Assist recruitment and selection of Personal Assistants... Assist with all aspects of pension auto-enrolment”
Safeguarding and DBS support
99% confidence
Promote safe recruitment, support DBS applications, attend safeguarding meetings when required, and report/escalate risks.
View supporting evidence
“Promote safe recruitment... Support DBS applications... Attend safeguarding meetings when required... Report and escalate risks”
Workforce development
98% confidence
Advise on training for direct-payment users and Personal Assistants and promote professional development and competency frameworks.
View supporting evidence
“Advise on training for Direct Payment users and Personal Assistants... Promote professional development and competency frameworks”
Target service users
99% confidence
Adults, children and carers who use, or are considering using, direct payments.
View supporting evidence
“provide a Direct Payment Support Service to adults, children and carers who use, or are considering using, direct payments”
Supplier eligibility conditions
94% confidence
Unknown beyond the stated requirement for a permanent base within Newcastle.
View supporting evidence
The planning notice does not state financial standing, insurance, company-size or other supplier-selection conditions.
COMMERCIAL AND DELIVERY
Contract intelligence
Commercial
Published maximum value
90% confidence
Up to £661,917 GBP.
View supporting evidence
Opportunity value_max: 661917 GBP.
Pricing and payment terms
98% confidence
Unknown.
View supporting evidence
No pricing model, payment schedule or contract terms are stated in the supplied planning notice.
Delivery
Delivery area
96% confidence
Newcastle upon Tyne / UKC22.
View supporting evidence
Delivery location region: UKC22; requirement to have a permanent base within Newcastle.
Demand indication
95% confidence
487 adults were receiving a direct payment in Newcastle; 315 people used the service in financial year 2025/26.
View supporting evidence
“487 adults are currently receiving a direct payment in Newcastle”; “In the financial year 25/26 there were 315 people who used the service”
Contract dates
99% confidence
Unknown.
View supporting evidence
No contract start or end dates are supplied.
PROCEDURE
How to respond
Procurement status
99% confidence
Upcoming early-stage/planned procurement; this is a preliminary market engagement notice and does not establish that bidding is open.
View supporting evidence
display_status: upcoming; stage: planning; notice type: “Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender”.
Procurement route
85% confidence
Open procedure is recorded, but detailed tender/submission arrangements are unknown at this planning stage.
View supporting evidence
procurement_method_details: “Open procedure”.
Published date
99% confidence
5 October 2026.
View supporting evidence
published_at: 2026-10-05T14:17:26+01:00.
Submission deadline
80% confidence
A 15 December 2026 date is supplied, but its applicability to a formal tender is unclear because the notice is marked as preliminary market engagement.
View supporting evidence
submission_deadline: 2026-12-15T00:00:00Z; notice type is preliminary market engagement.
RISKS AND UNKNOWNS
Points requiring attention
Early-stage procurement uncertainty
99% confidence
Final scope, contract term, formal tender documents, evaluation criteria, commercial terms and submission requirements are not stated.
View supporting evidence
The opportunity is a preliminary market engagement notice with planning/upcoming status.
Local presence requirement
99% confidence
A permanent base within Newcastle is explicitly required and may exclude suppliers without an established local base.
View supporting evidence
“Have a permanent base within Newcastle”
Safeguarding exposure
99% confidence
The service involves support for vulnerable adults and children, DBS processes, safeguarding meetings and risk escalation.
View supporting evidence
“Report and escalate risks to vulnerable adults, children and public funds.”
ProcuraAxis analysis supplements, but does not replace, the original notice and tender documents. Always verify eligibility, deadlines and commercial terms with the issuing authority.
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