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Coming up· published 25 Nov 2025

Provision of Community Short Breaks for Children with Disabilities and their Families in Bedford Borough 2026

Bedford Borough Council · Bedford, East of England

Bedford Borough Council is planning this contract. It is a contract for children's services and Ofsted in Bedford.

Get help with this bidView the official noticeOCDS data

Source: Find a Tender, published 26 Nov 2025. Details are refreshed every 30 minutes.

Key dates

  1. 2025

    Pipeline notice published

    UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice · 10:55

    View notice

  2. 2025

    Tender notice expected

    Date given in the buyer's earlier notice

  3. 2026

    Contract starts

  4. Next

    2028

    Contract ends

    2 years after it starts

01

About this tender

In brief

Bedford Borough Council is planning this contract. It is a contract for children's services and Ofsted in Bedford. The buyer has published an early notice. It gives providers time to prepare before the tender opens. The contract runs from 31 March 2026 to 31 March 2028. It lasts 2 years.

The buyer marks it as suitable for SMEs and VCSEs. Find a Tender published it on 26 November 2025. The notice number is 077133-2025. The OCDS ID is ocds-h6vhtk-05e8ef.

Summary of the contracting process

Bedford Borough Council is currently in the planning stage for the procurement of community short breaks for children with disabilities and their families within the Bedford Borough. This process, identified as tender BBC CH 04069, focuses on providing services designed to support children and young people (CYP) with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) by offering short breaks.

These services aim to contribute positively to the personal, social, and emotional development of CYP while also providing respite for their families. The procurement falls under the services category, with specific classifications including daycare and social services.

A market engagement event will take place on 15th December 2025 at Borough Hall in Bedford, serving as a platform for discussing the recommissioning process and inviting innovative insights from current and prospective providers. The procurement schedule aims to have contracts in place by April 2026 when current contracts end.

It is well-suited for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as voluntary and community sector enterprises (VCSEs) due to the suitability criteria outlined in the procurement process. By participating, organisations can contribute to a valued community service, supporting families and young people in Bedford, while expanding their service offerings in line with local government needs.

The notice in full

Bedford Borough Council provides a range of Short Break Services that are designed to assist individuals who provide care for CYP with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND). The provision of short breaks is a statutory requirement under the Children and Families Act 2014.

Local authorities are required to provide access to services that are designed to assist individuals who provide care for children with SEND to continue to do so, or to do so more effectively, by giving them breaks from caring. Local authorities must offer short breaks as part of a preventative model in keeping families together, preventing family breakdown and preventing CYP with SEND becoming children looked after.

Short Breaks Services have been defined as services that give CYP with SEND enjoyable experiences away from their primary carers, thereby contributing to their personal and social development and reducing social isolation; and services that provide parents and families a necessary and valuable break from their caring responsibilities.

Short Breaks Services can include day-time or overnight care in the homes of CYP with SEND or elsewhere, educational or leisure activities outside their homes, or services available to assist carers in the evenings, at weekends and during the school holidays.

Lots: no lot details came through with this notice. The official notice and the tender pack have the full breakdown.

02

Key facts

Every field the notice carries. Anything it leaves blank is listed under its table.

Contract

Service
Children and Young People's Social Care
Procurement type
Standard
Category
Services
Contract period
31 Mar 2026 to 31 Mar 2028 (2 years)
Suitable for
Small and medium sized businesses (SMEs); Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs)

Procedure

Notice type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Current stage
Planning
Stages so far
Planning
Published on
Find a Tender Service

Not stated in the notice: procurement method, awardee scale.

Values

Not stated in the notice: tender value, lots value, awards value, contracts value.

Status

Tender
Planning
Lots
Planning

Not stated in the notice: awards, contracts.

References

Find a Tender notice
077133-2025
Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05e8ef
CPV code
85312100 - Daycare services; 85312110 - Child daycare services; 85312120 - Daycare services for handicapped children and young people; 85320000 - Social services; 98000000 - Other community, social and personal services
CPV division
85 - Health and social work services; 98 - Other community, social and personal services
03

Location

Bedford Borough Council is based in Bedford. The area the service covers can be wider, so check the notice and the lots.
Local authority
Bedford
Town
Milton Keynes
Postcode
MK42 9AP
Electoral ward
Cauldwell
Constituency
Bedford
Region
East of England
Sub-region
Bedford
Area
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
Country
England
04

Buyer

Contracting authority

Organisation
Bedford Borough Council
Category
Services
Address
Bedford, MK42 9AP · East of England · England

Not stated in the notice: contact, phone.

05

Documents and links

Official sources for this notice. The tender pack itself sits on the buyer's portal.
06

Questions about this tender

When will the Provision of Community Short Breaks for Children with Disabilities and their… tender open?

Bedford Borough Council has not yet given a date for the tender notice. An early notice is the time to answer any market engagement questions and gather the evidence a bid will need.

How long is the Provision of Community Short Breaks for Children with Disabilities and their… contract?

The contract runs from 31 March 2026 to 31 March 2028 (2 years).

Who is the buyer for Provision of Community Short Breaks for Children with Disabilities and their…?

Bedford Borough Council, based in Bedford, East of England.

How do I bid for Provision of Community Short Breaks for Children with Disabilities and their…?

Register on the buyer's portal named in the notice, download the tender pack and check every condition of participation before you start writing. The buyer has marked it as suitable for SMEs and VCSEs. Care Sync Experts writes and reviews care tender bids from £1,500 + VAT.

Want help winning this tender?

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What to do next

  1. Read the early notice in full.
  2. Answer any market engagement questions.
  3. Gather your evidence and case studies now.
  4. Check your policies are up to date.
  5. Watch for the tender notice.
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