The North Area Council Advice & Support Service

The North Area Advice & Support Service, commissioned by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council (BMBC), is designed to provide free, confidential, and impartial welfare rights and advice to residents across the North Area, covering Darton East, Darton West, Old Town, and St Helens. The service aims to support individuals aged 16 and over with a wide range of issues, including debt, welfare benefits, housing, utilities, and employment, helping them to maintain independence and improve their wellbeing within their communities. To Continue this long-established service BMBC is looking to establish a contract with a single provider to undertake this service. This has been delivered in a range of community venues across the North area of Barnsley since 2015. The Contract will run for a period of 24 months (2 years), with the option to extend for 12 months (1 year). The Contract will commence 01st July 2026 for a period of 24 months (2 years). The services being procured, fall within the below threshold Light Touch Regime as defined in the Procurement Act 2023 and associated regulations. This regime applies to certain social, health, and related services and offers flexibility in the design of the procurement process. This procurement process will be conducted using the Open Procedure, a single-stage process under the Procurement Act 2023. All interested suppliers are invited to submit a full tender in response to this ITT. Under the Open Procedure, bidders will provide all required tender documentation in one stage.