Upcoming
Advocacy Services for Children, Young People & Adults.
Plymouth City Council · Local authority
In brief
Plymouth City Council has announced plans to buy care work. This is an early notice: there is nothing to bid on yet, but it tells you a tender may follow.
The estimated value is £5,000,000 excluding VAT.
The contract runs for 3 years, up to 5 years with extensions, starting 1 April 2027.
The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.
Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.
Can I win this?
Competition
Usually high: a median of 35 bids per contract for this buyer (from 11 awards in the last 12 months).
What the notice says
PURPOSE OF THE PRE-MARKET ENGAGEMENT Plymouth City Council is seeking to commission a single integrated Advocacy and Independent Visiting Service for the residents of Plymouth, bringing together a range of statutory and non-statutory advocacy functions for adults, children, young people and families within one cohesive model of delivery. The purpose of this engagement is to gather feedback from the market to support the co-design of the service specification. The event will provide an opportunity for providers and stakeholders to work collaboratively with the Council to shape the future service model, delivery approach and commissioning requirements, ensuring that the procurement delivers…Read the full description
PURPOSE OF THE PRE-MARKET ENGAGEMENT
Plymouth City Council is seeking to commission a single integrated Advocacy and Independent Visiting Service for the residents of Plymouth, bringing together a range of statutory and non-statutory advocacy functions for adults, children, young people and families within one cohesive model of delivery.
The purpose of this engagement is to gather feedback from the market to support the co-design of the service specification. The event will provide an opportunity for providers and stakeholders to work collaboratively with the Council to shape the future service model, delivery approach and commissioning requirements, ensuring that the procurement delivers high-quality, legally compliant and person-centred advocacy and independent visiting services.
The proposed integrated service is expected to include a range of functions, including:
Adult Advocacy Services, such as Care Act Advocacy, Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA), Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA), Health and Social Care Complaints Advocacy, Court of Protection Representation and associated advocacy functions.
Children, Young People and Family Services, including advocacy for eligible children and young people, Independent Visitor Services, parental advocacy, and support linked to Plymouth's Families First Partnership Programme.
The Council is particularly interested in exploring how specialist advocacy and independent visiting provision can be brought together within a single integrated model whilst maintaining the independence, expertise and statutory requirements associated with each function.
The event will be held via Microsoft Teams on 2 October 2026 ( Time TBC). To register your interest, please email jointcommissioning@plymouth.gov.uk with "Market Engagement Event - Independent Visiting and Advocacy Services" in the subject line. please email by Tuesday 29th September 2026 by 15:00 / 3pm. Joining instructions will be provided following registration.
The opportunity is on Suppling The South West Portal please search for opportunity ID DN828401.
How to bid
- Read the full notice on Find a Tender, including any tender documents it links to.
- Register your organisation on the Central Digital Platform (through Find a Tender) if you have not already. Suppliers need to be registered to take part in procurements under the Procurement Act 2023.
- Follow the submission instructions in the notice; it does not name an e-tendering portal.
Timeline
- Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 083858-2026
About the buyer
Plymouth City CouncilLast 12 months
Procurements
95Awards
72Suppliers it has used most for care
- Abholly (2008) Limited1 contract
- Alexandra Housing Limited1 contract
- Alpha Care SW Ltd1 contract
- Amica Care (Plymouth) Ltd1 contract
- Andrew Bickley Associates Ltd1 contract
Similar open tenders
All open care tenders- £82kestimated
- £1.2mestimated
- £2.34mestimated
- £370kframework ceiling
- £16.5mestimated
From notice 083858-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 4 September 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.