Description
Following receipt of tenders on Friday 1st May 2026 the Council has concluded the assessment process and issued assessment summaries to the successful and unsuccessful suppliers as required under Section 50 of the Procurement Act 23 (the 'Act').
Issuing of this Award Notice will now instigate the mandatory standstill period which will not be less than eight-working days (the Standstill Period), inline with section 51 of the Act.
The Council reserves the right to amend (extend)the Standstill Period if needed; if this right is exercised, the Contract Award Notice will be updated and affected suppliers will be notified accordingly.
After the Standstill Period has expired, and provided no legal challenge has been made by the end of the Standstill Period or any agreed extension, the Council intends to enter into contracts with the Successful Supplier. Following this, the Council also intends to publish a Contract Details Notice.
Description of the Contract
The Council is appointing Providers to provide Targeted Short Breaks and Specialist Holiday Playschemes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and additional needs within Portsmouth, at an estimated annual value of approximately £517,000 collectively per annum, which is to be split accordingly between three separate lots and services.
Each contract will be let for an initial 3-year term, with the option to extend by up to a further 2 years in increments to be agreed.
1.3. The scope of the services will include statutory duties and functions which meet Local Authority responsibilities in providing accessible Short Breaks provisions, which will support the needs of disabled children and young people, as well as their families, ensuring that the Council can offer a range of services within this field, during the day, inclusive of schools holidays, weekends, and after school, to meet the requirements of the applicable residents within Portsmouth boundaries. This is a re-procurement of an existing service.
As defined in the Portsmouth Local Offer, Short breaks is a term that covers activities and opportunities for children with disabilities. There are a range of reliable local activities commissioned through Portsmouth City Council that enable young people and their families to have access to and enjoy the same opportunities as others in life, whilst also allowing carers a break from their caring responsibilities.
These proposed commissioned services will deliver provisions that will support the Council with fulfilling its short break duties. The Short Breaks Regulations have been produced to supplement the methods in which Local Authorities must perform these duties, and the key regulations read as follows:
Local Authorities must:
• Give children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), the chance to have time away from their families, make new friends and have fun.
• Have regard to the needs of those carers who would be unable to provide care, unless breaks from caring were given to them.
• Have regard to the needs of carers who would be able to provide care for their disabled child more effectively if breaks from caring were given to them, to allow them to:
• Undertake education training or any regular leisure activity.
• Rest and unwind.
• Spend time to meet the needs of other children in the family more effectively.
• Carry out day to day tasks which they must perform to run their household effectively.
The Children and Families Act 2014 created a requirement for all public services to prepare SEND Children and Young People for Adulthood, in the following areas,
• Employment
• Independent Living
• Friends Relationships & Community
• Good Health
Scope and Specifications
The services are to be provided for children and young people with SEND, and/or additional or complex health needs (support needs and provisions will differ, dependent on the service), who live within the city of Portsmouth from age 5 and up to their 18th birthday.
Services must be delivered in line with the SEND Code of Practice, safeguarding standards, and local priorities.
The targeted short breaks provisions will be offered to parent/careers, children and young people living in the city of Portsmouth, who meet the eligibility criteria, as set out in the Council's Short Breaks Statement.
For certain services, providers should offer additional opportunities for families who are able to self-fund places for their child/children, as this will prove to be more cost effective.
The Portsmouth Short Breaks offer, falls into three categories, as below:
Level 1 - Low Level of Support
For children and young people who cannot access universal services alone
These services are provided for disabled children and young people who have additional needs that cannot be met by universal services.
Level 2 - Higher Level of Support
For children and young people who need a higher level of support. Those who meet eligibility criteria have access to short breaks. These services can be accessed by self-referral or via a Lead Professional.
Level 3 - Specialist Support
For children and young people who require services identified through a social care assessment
These services are provided in addition to Levels 1 and 2 services where needs are identified through a social care assessment and meet the threshold for additional support.
The commissioned services involved will cover categories 1 and 2 only.
Services are to be split into three distinct lots, to meet the different levels of need of the children, young people and families involved, and will allow for flexibility, specialisation, and increased accessibility. This will be divided as follows:
Lot 1 - Inclusive Community Short Breaks: Play and Activity Sessions for Children and Young People with SEND
Regular structured tailored sessions, including community clubs, groups and family play activities for CYP with mild to moderate SEND, requiring a low level of support. Sessions will be supported by the CYP's parents/guardians and other family members. This will enable and support CYP and families to play and interact together, whilst also offering them the potential to meet with other families, in social and inclusive settings. Sessions will be available during every school holiday period, weekends, and/or during periods after school.
Lot 2 - Befriending & Mentoring for Children and Young People with SEND
A befriending and mentoring service which will involve careful matching of a CYP with a suitable and trusted adult, who will support the CYP in accessing social and community activities on a regular basis. Where necessary the support may take place in the CYP's home, as part of a structured plan to encourage the CYP out of their home on a regular basis. This service will not involve intimate care.
Lot 3 - Specialist SEND Playschemes for Children and Young People with Complex Needs
Specialist SEND Playschemes which can provide:
• A specialist service for children and young people with complex SEND requiring a higher level of support and staff supervision (at least one staff member for every CYP involved).
• A specialist service for children and young people with complex SEND who can engage with less adult/staff intervention and support (e.g. one staff member for every four children or young people).
Contract Costs and Duration
When splitting the services into lots, the contract for each lot will possess an initial term of 3 years, with the opportunity and potential to be extended by a further 2 years, up to a maximum term of 5 years in total, dependent on Contractor performance and Council funding availability.
The value of the contract(s) for the initial 3-year period is predicted to amount to £517,000 collectively per annum for all services involved, which may fluctuate each year, dependent on market inflation and other factors.
Furthermore, the contract value may increase or decrease subject to any changes to budget allocation changes in legislation, additional funding sources, variation of services, or addition of further associated services in order to meet changes in demand or service delivery, however, it should be strongly acknowledged as per section 6, that many Local Authority's (inclusive of County Council's and district borough Council's), including Portsmouth City Council, will be involved in recent arrangements regarding Local Government Reorganisation, which will reshape how Councils are structured, with the aim of simplifying local government. This eventual reorganisation could considerably impact these services and contracts in future years; therefore, this will be an important consideration.
The baseline contract cost figure is to be split between the lots based on financial stability for each, and therefore, a set amount will be allocated to each provision per annum.
Funding allocation for each lot per annum, will be determined as follows, considering a potential 3% annual inflation applied over 5 years:
a) Lot 1 (£100,000 base)
• Year 1: £100,000.00
• Year 2: £103,000.00
• Year 3: £106,090.00
• Year 4: £109,272.70
• Year 5: £112,550.88
o Total (5 years): £530,913.58
b) Lot 2 (£170,000 base)
• Year 1: £170,000.00
• Year 2: £175,100.00
• Year 3: £180,353.00
• Year 4: £185,763.59
• Year 5: £191,336.50
o Total (5 years): £902,553.09
c) Lot 3 (£247,000 base)
• Year 1: £247,000.00
• Year 2: £254,410.00
• Year 3: £262,042.30
• Year 4: £269,903.57
• Year 5: £278,000.68
o Total (5 years): £1,311,356.55
Local Government Review
As part of the wider Local Government Review (LGR), the Council is required to actively engage in discussions with neighbouring authorities to explore potential opportunities for collaboration, shared service delivery, and governance alignment. While this engagement is ongoing, no formal decisions or agreements have been reached at this stage.
Under current LGR proposals, it is likely to require Portsmouth City Council to form a new Authority by merging with other neighbouring Authorities. For Portsmouth, this will result in a new Council being created to provide the same services to everyone in the city, whilst covering a larger area and have a different name. Effectively all the current council services in the area of the new council boundary, would be merged to create a new Council.
At this stage, the Council can only confirm its current demand and scope of requirements; however, this may be subject to change, should additional needs arise from other local authorities, as part of wider structural reforms.
Any tender opportunities and contracts may be structured to allow adjustments in the scope of services and the value of contracts to the Council to respond to changes in demand and budgetary constraints, whilst ensuring that services remain efficient and continue to provide value for money. Additionally, provisions will be included to adapt to changes in geographical boundaries, resulting from any reorganisation. This will ensure that services can be extended or retracted to align with new administrative areas. The impacts of Local Government Review cannot be fully understood at this stage.
In the event of reorganisation, contracts will include clauses that allow for the assignment of the contract to successor authorities. Any assignment clause is likely to state any contract may be assigned to any new authority that succeeds the original contracting authority.
For further details in respect of LGR see the following link -
https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/services/council-and-democracy/devolution-and-plans-for-local-government-reorganisation/