Holiday, Activities and Food (HAF) Programme - Round 4

Opportunity overview

Southend-on-Sea City Council are seeking to add additional suppliers to join the Framework Agreement for the provision of Holiday Activity and Food Programme Services (HAF) in Southend-on Sea. The Healthy Activities and Food programme (HAF) has been funded by the Department for Education to deliver activities and food to vulnerable children during school holiday periods. The provision must be used to provide access to holiday activity programmes as follows:- At least 4 hours for 4 days a week for 4 weeks the Summer, and a week in Easter and a week at Christmas- Inclusive and accessible provision - Provision offered to all Benefits related FSM children of statutory school age in Southend-on-Sea. The minimum standards for the delivery of high quality provision include healthy food (meeting the school food standards) enriching activities, physical activities, nutritional education, and for children to: • Eat more healthily • Be more active • Take part in engaging and enriching activities • Be safe and not isolated • Have greater knowledge of health and nutrition • Be more engaged with school and other services • Have greater knowledge and awareness of the holiday club provision Further details in respect of this tender opportunity is contained within the Invitation to Tender documentation pack Suppliers are invited to view the documents and submit their tender to join the Framework and the second round will close at 12 Noon on Friday 25th September 2026. Please view the documents here: https://procontract.due-north.com (https://procontract.due-north.com) with the reference DN773627. The contracting authority is Southend-on-Sea City Council and any Successor Body meaning one or more entities which assumes any of the Council's functions (as applicable) as a result of Local Government Reform (LGR). Such successor body or bodies may be, without limitation, a local authority, a combined county authority, a strategic authority or any other status determined pursuant to the Devolution and LGR Legislation.

Lot 1 — Contract lot

Estimated lot value including VAT: £5.0m

Award criterion: Quality - Technical Questionnaire responses: 100%

Contract starts: 6 November 2026

Initial contract ends: 30 November 2028

Maximum term ends: 30 November 2031

Extension: There is an option to extend until 30th November 2031, or any part thereof, this is subject to demand continued funding.

Contracting authority

Southend-on-Sea City Council Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend On Sea, Essex, Southend-on-Sea, SS2 6FA, UKH31, United Kingdom Email: procurementops@southend.gov.uk

Procurement timetable and procedure

Procedure: Open procedure

Special regime: Light Touch Regime

Submission deadline: 25 September 2026 at 12:00 pm

Award decision expected by: 5 November 2026 at 11:59 pm

Electronic submissions: allowed

Submission language: EN

CPV Classification

85000000 — Health and social work services

How to submit

The official Find a Tender notice directs suppliers to the buyer’s electronic tendering system. The procurement documents, clarifications and response area are managed there.

Open the buyer’s electronic tendering system ↗

TenderLab qualification first

Before we write, we establish whether the opportunity fits.

We examine the published participation conditions, service scope, geography, regulatory position, available evidence, mobilisation demands and commercial exposure with your team. We only confirm a full tender-writing engagement when the available information supports a responsible view that the provider meets the tender requirements.

If Holiday, Activities and Food (HAF) Programme - Round 4 is a credible fit, we can map the scored requirements, gather operational evidence and build the response around the buyer documents. The qualification check and any writing support do not guarantee an award; the contracting authority makes the final decision.