Scope
Reference
B600/25
Description
This advert describes the vision Bridgend County Borough Council has for a Housing First Project. The project will build on current provision and will support Service Users who have chronic housing and support needs and are often unable to maintain or unwilling to reside in temporary or supported accommodation environments.
Housing First (HF) is a unique approach to help tackle homelessness in a recovery-orientated way. The approach has been evidenced to successfully support people with repeat histories of homelessness into settled and stable homes.
HF offers long-term support in affordable housing as quickly as possible for individuals experiencing entrenched homelessness. Wrap-around support and connections to community-based support is made available, to give Service Users the very best chance to successfully maintain their tenancies and avoid becoming homeless again.
The Service User should be central to the service, exercising as much choice and control as possible. Support should be based around a person's strengths rather than their problems, with services working proactively and with other services to encourage and facilitate engagement. HF approaches are based on the concept that a Service Users first and primary need is to obtain stable housing, and that other issues that may affect the household can and should be addressed once housing is obtained.
The HF concept originated in the USA in the 1990s and has since been significantly promoted worldwide. It provides an alternative to a system of emergency accommodation / temporary housing options. Rather than moving homeless individuals through different "levels" of housing, whereby each level moves them closer to "independent housing", HF moves the homeless individual or household from the streets or temporary accommodation into their own accommodation and builds the support around them there.
There is a distinct difference between HF and generic floating support. HF has been designed specifically to help people who have the highest and most complex needs out of the housing cohort, and may not be able to benefit from usual hostels or temporary shared settings. They therefore need to be housed into general or self-contained accommodation with a package of intensive support as part of a specific inter-agency programme.
Overall, the core of the approach is that people should move straight into their own self-contained accommodation (which is not conditional upon engagement with support) and that flexible, intensive support should be offered around the needs of the person. They should also have normal security of tenure.
This contract period will be for 3 years, commencing on 1st January 2026 with the option to extend for up to 24 months.
The service will assist with the vision of the Housing Support Grant that promotes "A Wales where nobody is homeless and everyone has a safe home where they can flourish and live a fulfilled, active and independent life".
Provision will assist the Council in fulfilling its duties under The Housing (Wales) Act 2014, Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 and Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
This service will also assist the Council in meeting the aims and objectives set out in the Council's Housing Support Programme Strategy 2022-2026 and subsequent Action Plan.
Total value (estimated)
- £1,500,000 excluding VAT
- £1,799,999 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028
- Possible extension to 31 December 2030
- 5 years
Description of possible extension:
Contract has the option to extend for a further 24 months and will be reviewed 12 months before expiry dates
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 85300000 - Social work and related services
Contract locations
- UKL17 - Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot
Participation
Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation
see tender pack
Technical ability conditions of participation
see tender pack
Particular suitability
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
- Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
12 September 2025, 5:00pm
Tender submission deadline
18 September 2025, 12:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
- Welsh
- English
Award decision date (estimated)
20 October 2025
Recurring procurement
Publication date of next tender notice (estimated): 23 July 2029
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical | Will include evaluation via method statement questions and interview |
Quality | 90.00% |
| Commercial | Overall cost - price capped |
Price | 10.00% |
Other information
Payment terms
see tender pack
Description of risks to contract performance
see tender pack
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Open procedure
Special regime
Light touch
Justification for not publishing a preliminary market engagement notice
Limited Timeframe
Documents
Associated tender documents
https://etenderwales.bravosolution.co.uk/
Tender pack will be available via itt_119377
Technical specifications to be met
https://etenderwales.bravosolution.co.uk/
see tender pack - itt_119377
Contracting authority
Bridgend County Borough Council
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PPQG-8216-YQLW
Bridgend County Borough Council
Bridgend
CF31 4WB
United Kingdom
Contact name: Helen Watkins
Telephone: +441656643643
Email: tenders@bridgend.gov.uk
Website: https://www.bridgend.gov.uk
Region: UKL17 - Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government
Devolved regulations that apply: Wales