TARGETED SHORT BREAKS AND SPECIALIST PLAYSCHEME SERVICES - PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL 2026

Portsmouth City Council ('The Council') is seeking to commission a range of services, which will provide Specialist Holiday Playschemes and Targeted Short Breaks services for children and/or young people (CYP) with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) within the city. The services will provide support for children and young people with complex health needs, as well as their families and/or carers, to ensure that the council meets its statutory duties and functions in this area by aiming to provide enjoyable, safe and inclusive opportunities to children and young people whilst offering families and carers valuable respite. To ensure flexibility and meet the diverse needs of children and young people in the city, the service may be split into three distinct lots, however, this is largely dependent on provider interest, participation and feedback in this early market engagement process. should responses/feedback prove to be limited, and if this market engagement is unsuccessful in identifying a healthy number of providers for this proposed procurement, then a lotting scenario may not apply. The purpose of this market engagement exercise is to identify the level of interest from providers who may consider participating in a future procurement exercise for these proposed services and provide feedback on the current service proposal and the possibility of dividing the services into lots, dependent on preference and feasibility. Any feedback provided will inform the Council of the services that interested providers could/can offer, which aligns with this proposal. Additionally, the Council welcomes any feedback when determining how the services can be strengthened to meet service demands, in alignment with the proposed budget(s). Following this consultation process, the Council will then consider the most appropriate route for these services and may undertake a procurement exercise, allowing the Council to identify the most appropriate provider(s) who have the capabilities of delivering these services effectively and in keeping with the service requirements. Service Scope The services will be delivered within the city and for Portsmouth residents only and will therefore only be applicable to post-code boundaries PO1 to PO6. The services are to be provided for children and young people with SEND and complex health needs, who live in the city of Portsmouth and are aged from 5, up to their 18th birthday. Services must be delivered in line with the SEND Code of Practice, safeguarding standards, and local priorities. Targeted Short Breaks will be offered to parents and carers, 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. Referrals will be received via the Council's 'Children and Families' directorate, consisting of the children's social care teams, amongst other teams. Any referrals may also be made by other professionals engaged and/or working with the families involved (such as the Council's Early Help and Prevention team). The targeted short breaks provision may offer direct access via the parents. Providers should offer opportunities for families who are able to self-fund places for their child/children, as this will prove to be more cost effective. Lots The value of the contract(s) for the initial 3-year period cannot be confirmed until later into the current financial year, but a baseline figure is predicted to amount to PS517,000 collectively per annum for all services involved, which may fluctuate each year, dependent on market inflation and other factors. It should be noted that there may be some flexibility in this budget. The Council proposes that the services are to be split into three distinct lots, to meet the different levels of need of the children, young people and families within the city, and allow for flexibility, specialisation, and increased accessibility and would be divided as follows: Lot 1 Inclusive community clubs and groups and/or layered activities for families - this might include stay and play sessions for every school holiday period and/or after school sessions, enabling and supporting families to play and interact together with the potential to meet other families. Services would also offer a series of weekly opportunities for young people to meet in age-appropriate groups, which could include playschemes and/or clubs. Lot 2 A befriending service which involves careful matching of a CYP with a suitable and trusted adult, who will support the CYP in accessing social and community activities. Where necessary the support may take place in the home as part of a plan to encourage the CYP out of their home. This will not involve intimate care. Lot 3 Playschemes which can provide: * A specialist service for children requiring a higher level of staff supervision (at least one staff member for every CYP involved). * An accessible service where CYP have additional needs but can engage with less adult/staff intervention (e.g. one staff member for every four CYP). 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 (PS100,000 base) * Year 1: PS100,000.00 * Year 2: PS103,000.00 * Year 3: PS106,090.00 * Year 4: PS109,272.70 * Year 5: PS112,550.88 o Total (5 years): PS530,913.58 b) Lot 2 (PS170,000 base) * Year 1: PS170,000.00 * Year 2: PS175,100.00 * Year 3: PS180,353.00 * Year 4: PS185,763.59 * Year 5: PS191,336.50 o Total (5 years): PS902,553.09 c) Lot 3 (PS247,000 base) * Year 1: PS247,000.00 * Year 2: PS254,410.00 * Year 3: PS262,042.30 * Year 4: PS269,903.57 * Year 5: PS278,000.68 o Total (5 years): PS1,311,356.55 If all extension opportunities are implemented, collectively the service value, inclusive of all lots, could increase to IRO PS2,585,000, with an upper estimation of PS2,745.000, taking into consideration funding variables alongside other external factors, such as general UK inflation rates. If the inflation rate alters over the course of the contract then the total spend could exceed the figure listed above. For full details in relation to the service requirements interested suppliers should download the Request for Information - Targeted Short Breaks And Specialist Playscheme Services via the Council's Intend portal and refer to section- 6. Service Eligibility Criteria and Referrals 7. Key Outcomes 8. Principles, Aims and Objectives 9. Communication and Partnerships 10. Specialist Holiday Playschemes 11. Targeted Short Breaks Offer 12. Child Befriending Offer 13. Transport 14. Equipment and Activities 15. Method of Operation 16. Location, Premises and Delivery of Services 17. OFSTED registration requirements 18. Policy and Safety requirements 19. Staffing and Training 20. Safeguarding 21. Contract Costs and Duration 22. Service Reviews and Monitoring The procurement timetable below is indicative and shows the anticipated period required to initiate this procurement exercise, which is subject to sufficient market interest and engagement Market consultation (Request for Information) -27th November - 12th January 2026 at 5pm Tender documents available on Intend - 16th January 2026 Deadline requests for clarification - 6th February 2026 at 23:59 Tender return deadline - 27th February 2026 at 17:00 Evaluation of tenders completed - 13th March 2026 Award decision notified to providers - 27th March 2026 Standstill Period - 28th March - 10th April 2026 Contract award - 13th April 2026 Mobilisation Period -13th April 2026 - 30th June 2026 Contract Commencement - 1st July 2026