Coming up· published 16 Jul 2025
Sensory Services Soft Market Test
Knowsley Council · Trafford, North West
Knowsley Council is planning Sensory Services Soft Market Test. It is a contract for other health and social care in Trafford.
Source: Find a Tender, published 16 Jul 2025. Details are refreshed every 30 minutes.
Key dates
2025
Pipeline notice updated
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice · 13:58
View notice2025
Pipeline notice published
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice · 13:35
View notice2025
Tender notice expected
Date given in the buyer's earlier notice
2026
Contract starts
Next
2036
Contract ends
10 years after it starts
About this tender
In brief
Knowsley Council is planning Sensory Services Soft Market Test. It is a contract for other health and social care in Trafford. The buyer has published an early notice. It gives providers time to prepare before the tender opens. The contract runs from 29 September 2026 to 29 September 2036. It lasts 10 years.
Find a Tender published it on 16 July 2025. The notice number is 040570-2025. The OCDS ID is ocds-h6vhtk-056062.
Summary of the contracting process
Knowsley Council is planning a public procurement process for Sensory Services under its latest engagement initiative. This process involves exploring possibilities for future tenders addressing services for individuals with visual or hearing impairments. The procurement falls within the industry category of health services, classified under CPV code 85100000, and is located in Sale, United Kingdom.
Currently in the planning stage, the procurement includes a Soft Market Test with a scheduled completion date for market engagement set on 27 August 2025. This preparation phase is expected to pave the way for a tender opportunity spanning a period from 30 September 2026 to 29 September 2036 under a special light-touch regime.
Companies with expertise in maintaining visual impairment registers, conducting home assessments, offering habilitation or rehabilitation services, as well as organisations skilled in British Sign Language instruction up to Level 2, will find this tender particularly suited for their expansion interests.
The notice in full
THIS IS NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION, THIS IS A SOFT MARKET TEST ONLY. Knowsley Council is exploring options to retender services for Blind, Partially Sighted, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services. * A contract to support Children and Adults with visual impairments.
This is expected to include: o Maintaining the Council's register of people who have a Certification of Visual Impairment for both Children and Adults, o Home assessments, ordering, storage and installation of equipment and technology to help people with a certified visual impairment live independently at home,
o Habilitation and rehabilitation to help people with a certified visual impairment regain or develop the skills they need to live independently at home, o Prevention - raising awareness in the general population of how to reduce the risk of sight loss, o Signposting - helping people navigate the various services that can support them to live well,
o Advocacy to support people with a registered visual impairment to exercise their rights to fair treatment. * A contract to support Children and Adults who are deaf or hard of hearing.
This is expected to include: o Home assessment, ordering, storage and installation of equipment and technology to help people who are deaf or hard of hearing live independently at home, o Habilitation and rehabilitation to help people who are deaf or hard of hearing regain or develop the skills they need to live independently at home,
o Teaching British Sign Language up to Level 2 to people who are deaf or hard of hearing and their immediate carers, including family sign language lesson for children, o Interpretation at British Sign Language (BSL) Level 6 standard to facilitate assessments for deaf individuals, o Prevention - raising awareness in the general population of how to reduce the risk of hearing loss,
o Signposting - helping people navigate the various services that can support them to live well. o Advocacy to support people with a registered visual impairment to exercise their rights to fair treatment
Lots: no lot details came through with this notice. The official notice and the tender pack have the full breakdown.
Key facts
Contract
- Service
- Other health and social care
- Procurement type
- Standard
- Category
- Services
- Contract period
- 29 Sep 2026 to 29 Sep 2036 (10 years)
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
- 040570-2025
- Open Contracting ID
- ocds-h6vhtk-056062
- CPV code
- 85100000 - Health services
- CPV division
- 85 - Health and social work services
Location
- Local authority
- Trafford
- Town
- Manchester
- Postcode
- M33 7ZF
- Electoral ward
- Sale Central
- Constituency
- Wythenshawe and Sale East
- Region
- North West
- Sub-region
- Greater Manchester South West
- Area
- Greater Manchester
- Country
- England
Buyer
Contracting authority
- Organisation
- Knowsley Council
- Category
- Services
- Contact
- Miss Bethany Symonds
- Phone
- +44 7976959806
- Address
- Sale, M33 7ZF · North West · England
Documents and links
- Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tenderfind-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040570-2025
- Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tenderfind-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040551-2025
- Legislation.gov.uklegislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- OCDS record ocds-h6vhtk-056062 (JSON)find-tender.service.gov.uk/api/1.0/ocdsReleasePackages/ocds-h…
Questions about Sensory Services Soft Market Test
When will the Sensory Services Soft Market Test tender open?
Knowsley 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 Sensory Services Soft Market Test contract?
The contract runs from 29 September 2026 to 29 September 2036 (10 years).
Who is the buyer for Sensory Services Soft Market Test?
Knowsley Council, based in Trafford, North West. The named contact is Miss Bethany Symonds, on +44 7976959806.
How do I bid for Sensory Services Soft Market Test?
Register on the buyer's portal named in the notice, download the tender pack and check every condition of participation before you start writing. Care Sync Experts writes and reviews care tender bids from £1,500 + VAT.
Want help winning this tender?
We write and review care tender bids: quality answers, case studies and social value, checked against how the buyer scores before you submit.
What to do next
- Read the early notice in full.
- Answer any market engagement questions.
- Gather your evidence and case studies now.
- Check your policies are up to date.
- Watch for the tender notice.
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