2701EARABO - Early Help and District Leads

Opportunity overview

Birmingham Children's Trust Community Interest Company (the "Trust") is seeking to appoint one or more organisations to deliver the Early Help and District Leads service across Birmingham. The Procurement Process will be conducted in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 and the Procurement Regulations 2024. The Services fall within the Light Touch regime and the Trust will conduct the Procurement using a Competitive Flexible Procedure. The service will work alongside Trust colleagues, Family Hub networks, statutory partners, schools and the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector to provide accessible and timely support to children and families. The model will take a strengths-based approach, recognising and building on the skills, knowledge, networks and assets already present within Birmingham’s communities. It will place children, families, trust, collaboration and co-design at the centre of delivery, while maintaining clear accountability and consistent outcomes across the city. Providers will be expected to: - work effectively with grassroots organisations, established VCFSE providers, schools, Family Hubs, statutory partners and community networks; - identify, connect and develop local community assets and routes to support; - provide accessible support from community-based locations, including arrangements that enable a child or family to access the service from an appropriate location rather than being restricted solely by their home district; - demonstrate how local responsiveness will be combined with a consistent citywide offer, shared standards and effective partnership governance; and - evidence outcomes, learning and continuous improvement throughout the Contract. The contract is intended to commence on 1 April 2027 for an initial period of three years, with an option to extend for up to a further two years, subject to satisfactory performance, funding availability and the terms of the Contract. The Competitive Flexible Procedure has been designed as a two-stage process, enabling the Trust to assess different proposed delivery models at Stage 1 before progressing selected Participant(s) and delivery approach(es) to a detailed Final Tender. The Procurement will comprise: Stage 1 – Conditions of Participation and Initial Tender Participants must submit: • Appendix A – Participation Response Document: Conditions of Participation; • Appendix B – Safeguarding Questionnaire; • Appendix C – Economic and Financial Standing Assessment; and • Document 002 – Initial Tender Response Document. The Trust will first assess the applicable Conditions of Participation on a Pass/Fail basis. Participants satisfying the mandatory Conditions of Participation will then have their Initial Tender evaluated against the published Stage 1 evaluation criteria. The Initial Tender quality questions will be scored. The applicable question weightings and progression requirements are set out in Document 002. Stage 1 - Proposed delivery model and outcomes – 30% Stage 1 - Geographical coverage and local capability – 20% Stage 1 - Governance, collaboration and accountability – 15% Stage 1 - Capability, workforce and high-level mobilisation – 15% Stage 1 - Financial sustainability and affordability – 15% Stage 1 - Key risks and development required for Stage 2 – 5% Stage 1 scores will be used to determine progression to the Final Tender Stage (Stage 2) and will not contribute to the final contract award score. Stage 2 – Final Tender Participants invited to progress will be issued with the Final Tender Procurement Documents, including Document 003 – Final Tender Response Document and the Final Financial Schedule.

Lot 1 — Contract lot

Estimated lot value including VAT: £15.0m

Award criterion: Stage 2 - Quality: 70%

Award criterion: Stage 2 - Social Value: 10%

Award criterion: Stage 2 - Price: 20%

Contract starts: 31 March 2027

Initial contract ends: 31 March 2030

Maximum term ends: 1 April 2032

Extension: With an option to extend for up to a further two years, subject to satisfactory performance, funding availability and the terms of the Contract.

Contracting authority

BIRMINGHAM CHILDREN'S TRUST COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY 1 Avenue Road, Birmingham, B6 4DU, UKG31, United Kingdom Contact: Birmingham Children's Trust Email: ProcurementTeam@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk Website: http://www.in-tendhost.co.uk/birminghamcc

Procurement timetable and procedure

Procedure: Competitive flexible procedure

Special regime: Light Touch Regime

Clarification deadline: 6 November 2026 at 12:00 pm

Award decision expected by: 15 January 2027 at 11:59 pm

Electronic submissions: allowed

Submission language: EN

CPV Classification

85300000 — Social work and related services; 85310000 — Social work services; 85311300 — Welfare services for children and young people; 85312400 — Welfare services not delivered through residential institutions; 85320000 — Social services; 85322000 — Community action programme

How to submit

The official Find a Tender notice directs suppliers to In-Tend. The procurement documents, clarifications and response area are managed there.

Open In-Tend ↗

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 2701EARABO - Early Help and District Leads 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.