Adult Advocacy Service and Children's Advocacy Service

Bury Council is procuring one combined independent advocacy service through an active UK4 tender notice. The official notice describes a joint commission with Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board covering health statutory duties and statutory and non-statutory advocacy pathways. The structured Find a Tender release names the Metropolitan borough of Bury as the buyer and records Manchester, code UKD33, as the delivery region.

The adult advocacy scope covers Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy, Independent Mental Health Advocacy, Care Act Advocacy, NHS Independent Complaints Advocacy and generic advocacy. The children's scope covers Independent Mental Health Advocacy. In this tender, an advocacy service therefore means independent support delivered through those named pathways.

The notice does not group the requirement into three main advocacy types. It lists the pathways above within one active lot. It also does not define community advocacy or explain advocacy's role in safeguarding, so bidders should use the procurement documents rather than assume extra requirements.

The estimated contract value is £1,200,000 excluding VAT and £1,440,000 including VAT. The initial contract runs from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2031. A review-dependent extension may take the maximum term to 31 March 2032.

The opportunity was published on 19 October 2026 at 14:27 BST. The official submission instructions stated that documents were available only until 12:00 noon on 23 October 2026, while the structured enquiry period ended at 23:59:59 BST that day. Final tenders are due by 12:00 UTC on 16 November 2026.

The notice marks the lot as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. It does not publish a registration requirement or detailed participation conditions in the structured notice. Providers need to review the CHEST documents for the complete selection, compliance and evaluation requirements.

The supplier is expected to respond flexibly to changing demand, engage proactively and collaboratively, maintain service continuity and support value for money. To bid, use the Proactis/The CHEST e-portal and locate reference DN832413. The official instructions require bids through the RTX section.

They state that submissions through the portal message section or by email will not be accepted. Care Sync advice: because the stated document-access date has passed, an interested provider should check its existing CHEST access immediately and use the portal's official route for any procurement-specific query. This practical advice is not a notice requirement.