Portsmouth City Council - Term Service Contracts for Targeted Short Breaks and Specialist Playschemes 2026

Portsmouth City Council ('the council') is inviting tenders from suitably qualified 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. The Council is looking to appoint a Provider or Providers via a multiple provider arrangement to deliver these services within the Northern, Southern and Central localities of 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. 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. 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. Dependent on the service, children and young people will be able to gain access to provisions via the following methods: Direct Parent/Carer Access Parents/carers will be able to book or register directly with the Contractor and will be able to access activities, either via the Contractors website, email of online booking form, phone or Local Offer directory link. Professional Referral Professionals may signpost or refer the family including: Early Help teams, Schools/SENCO's, Health visitors, Family support workers or Social care (if already involved). Council route The Council may send referral information for: Children known to services who require support • Children on targeted short breaks lists • Families who have requested short breaks through the SEND Local Offer Specifications The Specifications have been designed to ensure that all Providers have an effective and equal understanding of the contract's functional and performance requirements. Full details of requirements can be found in the Specification Documents. The Council reserves the right to make amendments to the specifications if deemed necessary, during the clarification stage. Partnership Working In addition to working in close partnership with the council, the Provider will also demonstrate effective communication and embody a strong partnership approach with other agencies and stakeholders, inclusive of Education, Health and Social Care partners in addition to parent carer forums, such as Portsmouth Parent Voice (PPV) Social Value The Council are committed to continuously reviewing and improving the approach to social value delivery, and Providers can find further information using the following link - https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/services/council-and-democracy/social-value/ Contract Model The council intends to award a fixed price schedule per contract, which meets the dedicated Council budgets. Provider's may bid for all lots or certain lots without any limitations. If a provider secures multiple lots as a result of their bid(s), the Council reserves the right to combine them into a single contract. The Council is seeking to admit a maximum of one Provider per lot, to deliver each provision, though a provider can bid for and deliver more than one lot. 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 in increments to be agreed, up to a maximum term of 5 years in total, dependent on Contractor performance and Council funding availability. 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, The baseline contract cost figure above 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. If only one provider is to bid for the opportunity or is deemed the winning bidder for all lots, following on from the tender, and secures all the commissioned services, then the total combined figure can be funded under one contract, similarly if two of the three lots are secured by one provider, then the funding for those two lots can be combined into one, with the remainder going to the provider for the remaining lot. Should a provider secure more than one lot, then it will be at their discretion as to how the funding is allocated for each provision, provided that the service is consistently delivered effectively and service user needs are being met, and this is discussed with the relevant Council members prior. The Council will be regularly notified by the provider when determining how funds are to be/being allocated. 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 Budget Cap and Affordability Requirement The Council has defined maximum annual funding allocations for each lot. Tenderers must not exceed the Year 1 base budget allocation for the lot(s) they are bidding for. Any Tenderer whose Year 1 total cost submission exceeds the stated base budget for that lot will be automatically excluded from evaluation for that lot. The Year 1 maximum budget allocations are as follows: • Lot 1: £100,000 (Year 1 cap) • Lot 2: £170,000 (Year 1 cap) • Lot 3: £247,000 (Year 1 cap) These values represent the absolute ceiling for Year 1 pricing. Submissions above these thresholds cannot be considered. Access to Tender Documents and Procurement Programme The Council will administrate the procurement using its e-sourcing system In-Tend, which will be used for: • Access to and issue of procurement information and documentation • Pre-tender submission clarification requests and responses • Tender submissions • Tender opening and access to responses • Post tender submission clarification requests and response • Award decision notification and feedback • Publication of summary contract register information in accordance with Local Government Transparency Code (2015) requirements. The In-Tend system can be accessed free of charge via the following web link: https://intendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/home This procurement timetable is indicative and, while the council does not intend to depart from it, it reserves the right to do so at any time. Tender documents available on Intend - Tuesday 31st March 2026 Deadline requests for clarification - Friday 17th April 2026 at 23:59 Tender return deadline - Friday 1st May 2026 at 17:00 Evaluation of tenders completed - Monday 11th May 2026 Internal governance & moderation sign-offs - Tuesday 13th May 2026 to Thursday 14th May 2026 Award decision notified to providers - Friday 15th May 2026 Standstill Period - Monday 18th May 2026 - Thursday 28th May 2026 Contract award - Friday 29th May 2026 Mobilisation Period - Monday 1st June 2026 - 31st August 2026 Contract Commencement - Tuesday 1st September 2026