Scope
Reference
CN250345
Description
Kent County Council are seeking to re-procure a Kent Carers Support Service which is aimed at supporting unpaid carers within the county. This new service will replace two current services; The Carers Community Navigation Service and Carers Short Breaks service.
Key Areas of Service Delivery:
Building from the Kent Adult Carers Strategy the following key areas of service delivery have been identified for the Kent Carers Support Service:
i) Identifying and Recognising Carers, including Seldom-Heard Carers
ii) Empowering Carers: information, advice and training in ways that they can understand
iii) Prevention and Wellbeing especially for lifestyle risk factors, mental health and information and advice
iv) Support for Young Carers' Transition to Adulthood
v) Carers Assessment
vi) Carers Breaks
vii) Emergency Breaks
viii) Carers Personal Budgets
The full requirement will be available within the Specification, which will be made available when the Tender opportunity goes live.
The Service will be delivered by a lead provider for East Kent and a Lead provider for West Kent. The two lead providers will need to work in partnership to ensure there is a seamless service that is equitable across Kent.
There will be one Lot for each geographical area and the same service provider cannot deliver both Lots.
Total value (estimated)
- £47,220,600 excluding VAT
- £56,664,720 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029
- Possible extension to 31 March 2033
- 7 years
Description of possible extension:
Potential extension of 2 x up to 24 months is available
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 85000000 - Health and social work services
Contract locations
- UKJ4 - Kent
Lot constraints
Maximum number of lots a supplier can bid for: 1
Maximum number of lots a supplier can be awarded: 1
Description of how multiple lots may be awarded:
Bidders may only bid for one lot.
Lot 1. Kent Carers Support Service - East Kent
Description
Kent Carers Support Service to be delivered in the following geographical areas: Ashford, Canterbury, Dover, Thanet, Folkestone and Hythe.
Lot value (estimated)
- £23,522,800 excluding VAT
- £28,227,360 including VAT
Same for all lots
CPV classifications, contract locations and contract dates are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Lot 2. Kent Carers Support Service - West Kent
Description
Kent Carers Support Service to be delivered in the following geographical areas: Dartford, Gravesham, Swanley, Sevenoaks, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells and Swale.
Lot value (estimated)
- £23,697,800 excluding VAT
- £28,437,360 including VAT
Same for all lots
CPV classifications, contract locations and contract dates are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Participation
Particular suitability
Lot 1. Kent Carers Support Service - East Kent
Lot 2. Kent Carers Support Service - West Kent
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
- Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
25 July 2025, 12:00pm
Submission type
Tenders
Tender submission deadline
1 August 2025, 4:30pm
Submission address and any special instructions
All tenders must be submitted through the Kent Business Portal.
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
25 November 2025
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Service Model | Please demonstrate your service model and how it will support delivery of the specification. |
Quality |
| Carers Question | How will you ensure carers are able to access the information and services they require? How will you ensure the information, advice and guidance is inclusive and accessible? |
Quality |
| Geographical understanding | Please demonstrate your understanding of the Lot you are tendering for, and how you will tailor your service to meet the needs of the people within that geographical area. |
Quality |
| Quality Assurance | Describe your approach to ensuring high quality service delivery and ongoing improvement throughout the duration of the contract. |
Quality |
| Social Value | Describe how your organisation, in delivering this contract will contribute to building a resilient local community and strengthen community support organisations. |
Quality |
| Mobilisation | Please describe how you will mobilise this contract. |
Quality |
| Pricing Schedule | Bidders who meet or exceed the Minimum Quality Threshold (MQT) will then be ranked on price alone. The council will award the contract to the bidder with the Lowest Total Price above Minimum Quality... |
Price |
Weighting description
The council have chosen to use the Lowest Total Value above Minimum Quality Threshold.
Please view tender documents for full Award Criteria.
Other information
Applicable trade agreements
- Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Competitive flexible procedure
Special regime
Light touch
Competitive flexible procedure description
Kent County Council intend on using an Open Procedure (Light Touch).
Submission Requirements:
• Bidders are required to submit the Conditions of Participation, Quality Questionnaire and Pricing Schedule together in one stage.
Evaluation Process:
1. Conditions of Participation:
• All submitted Conditions of Participation will be evaluated and moderated first.
• Only those bidders who meet the mandatory requirements and Minimum Quality Threshold (MQT) for their Procurement Specific Questions (PSQ) will proceed to have their Quality Questionnaire and Pricing Schedule evaluated.
• Bidders who do not meet the MQT will be excluded from further evaluation, and feedback will be provided.
2. Quality Questionnaire and Pricing Schedule:
• For bidders who pass the Conditions of Participation stage, their Quality Questionnaire will evaluated and moderated.
• Tenderers who pass the MQT for their quality questions will then be evaluated on price.
3. Final Scoring and Ranking:
• Tenderers are ranked according to their submitted bids in their pricing schedule. The lowest bid above the MQT will be ranked 1st and become the councils' preferred supplier.
Reduced tendering period
Yes
Light touch contract - no minimum
Justification for not publishing a preliminary market engagement notice
Market engagement was carried out in July 2024 which has helped shape the service provision.
Documents
Associated tender documents
https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/
All Tenders must be submitted through the Kent Business Portal.
All Tender documents will be available on the Kent Business Portal.
Contracting authority
Kent County Council
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PLDL-8938-YGYW
County Hall
Maidstone
ME14 1XQ
United Kingdom
Region: UKJ45 - Mid Kent
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government