Fathers Programme

Opportunity overview

The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (LBBD) is seeking to commission acomprehensive Fathers Programme that supports fathers and male identifying co-parents throughout the perinatal period and the early years of a child’s life. The service will form part of the wider family support and early intervention offer and will contribute to improving parental wellbeing, strengthening parent infant relationships, and supporting positive outcomes for children and families. The commissioned service will provide targeted support for fathers experiencing mild to moderate perinatal mental health difficulties from pregnancy until a child reaches two years of age. Support should focus on promoting emotional wellbeing, building resilience, increasing confidence in the parenting role, and preventing the escalation of mental health concerns through timely, accessible, and evidence informed interventions. In addition to perinatal mental health support, the service should incorporate elements of parenting support that help fathers and co-parents strengthen their relationship with their baby, understand child development, and build the knowledge and skills required to support their child’s healthy development and family wellbeing. Providers should adopt a strengths based approach that recognises and promotes the important role fathers and co-parents play in their child’s life. Peer support should be embedded throughout the service model and, where appropriate, continue beyond the period of targeted intervention, with ongoing peer support opportunities available until the child’s fifth birthday. This will help to reduce social isolation, encourage sustained engagement, and create supportive communities of fathers and co-parents. LBBD is seeking a model that works in a proportionate universalistic approach, providing a universal offer which acts as a gateway into more targeted support. The service should provide accessible, welcoming, and non stigmatising opportunities for engagement, enabling all fathers and co-parents to access information, advice, social connection, and early help, whilst ensuring those with emerging or identified needs can be identified and supported appropriately.

Lot 1 — Contract lot

Estimated lot value including VAT: £566k

Award criterion: Quality: 80%

Award criterion: Social Value: 10%

Award criterion: Price: 10%

Suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Suitable for voluntary, community and social enterprises.

Contract starts: 4 January 2027

Initial contract ends: 31 March 2029

Maximum term ends: 31 March 2032

Extension: 1+1+1 dependent on available funding and contract performance.

Contracting authority

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Town Hall, Barking, IG11 7LU, UKI52, United Kingdom Email: ayo.abugo@lbbd.gov.uk Website: http://www.lbbd.gov.uk

Procurement timetable and procedure

Procedure: Below threshold - open competition

Special regime: Light Touch Regime

Clarification deadline: 23 November 2026 at 12:00 pm

Submission deadline: 30 November 2026 at 12:00 pm

Electronic submissions: allowed

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 Fathers Programme 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.