Scope
Description
North Somerset Council is seeking suitably qualified providers to deliver our specialist Domestic Abuse Services from 1st April 2026, for a period of 4 years with an option to extend, subject to satisfactory performance, for a further period of up to 2 years. The service is being split into Lots:
Lot 1 - Specialist Domestic Abuse Support & Advocacy
Lot 2 - Safe, Specialist Domestic Abuse Accommodation
Lot 3 - Specialist Domestic Abuse Counselling and Therapeutic Support Service
Total value (estimated)
- £5,000,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2030
- Possible extension to 31 March 2032
- 6 years
Description of possible extension:
One extension of up to 24 months.
Options
The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.
Please note: The Council has provided for the inclusion under this contract, of additional services relating to domestic abuse support which may be required during the contract period.
Where the Council deems that additional service requirements are related to the subject matter of the contract, they may be included subject to supplier agreement.
In recognition of the opportunity for additional funding throughout the life of the contract, the advertised value of this contract is over and above the contract values stated in the notice. This is to allow the Authority to add additional Domestic Abuse related services with the contracted provider/s resulting from additional funding opportunities.
Main procurement category
Services
Contract locations
- UKK12 - Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Lot constraints
Maximum number of lots a supplier can bid for: 2
Maximum number of lots a supplier can be awarded: 2
Not the same for all lots
CPV classifications are shown in Lot sections, because they are not the same for all lots.
Lot 1. Specialist Domestic Abuse Support & Advocacy
Description
Lot 1 is for the provision of Specialist Domestic Abuse Support & Advocacy including IDVA's administration of the MARAC and acting as the single point of contract.
Lot value (estimated)
- £3,124,000 including VAT
CPV classifications
- 85000000 - Health and social work services
- 98000000 - Other community, social and personal services
Same for all lots
Contract locations, contract dates and options are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Lot 2. Safe, Specialist Domestic Abuse Accommodation
Description
Lot 2 is for the provision of Safe, Specialist Domestic Abuse Accommodation, the supplier will provide a minimum of thirteen units of accommodation plus two further "crash pads".
Lot value (estimated)
- £1,300,000 including VAT
CPV classifications
- 85000000 - Health and social work services
Same for all lots
Contract locations, contract dates and options are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Lot 3. Specialist Domestic Abuse Counselling and Therapeutic Support Service
Description
Lot 3 is for the provision of Specialist Domestic Abuse Counselling and Therapeutic Support Service. The Provider will provide counsellors qualified with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) to a suitable standard and having a minimum of 3 years practice to deliver specialist one-to-one formal counselling for both adult survivors of domestic abuse and children and young people.
Lot value (estimated)
- £576,000 including VAT
CPV classifications
- 85312320 - Counselling services
Same for all lots
Contract locations, contract dates and options are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Participation
Particular suitability
Lot 1. Specialist Domestic Abuse Support & Advocacy
Lot 2. Safe, Specialist Domestic Abuse Accommodation
Lot 3. Specialist Domestic Abuse Counselling and Therapeutic Support Service
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
- Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
9 October 2025, 5:00pm
Submission type
Tenders
Tender submission deadline
16 October 2025, 1:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
30 November 2025
Recurring procurement
Publication date of next tender notice (estimated): 1 April 2030
Award criteria
| Name | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | Quality | 50% |
| Price | Price | 40% |
| Social Value | Quality | 10% |
Other information
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Competitive flexible procedure
Special regime
Light touch
Competitive flexible procedure description
STAGE 1 - Invitation to Tender
Lots 1 and 3 - The Council intends to reduce the number of participating Suppliers (down selection), as per section 20(4)(a) of the Act following the Intermediate Assessment in Stage 1:
• The maximum number of Suppliers that will be invited to Stage 2 is 2.
• The down selection will be determined by the highest scoring Assessed Tender(s) from the Intermediate Assessment.
• The Council reserves the right to award the Contracts at the end of Stage 1.
Lot 2 only - The assessment of tenders will conclude at the end of Stage 1 and a contract will be awarded to the highest scoring Supplier.
STAGE 2 - Lot specific activities (Lots 1 & 3 only)
The purpose of Stage 2 is to improve all parties understanding of the requirement and for Suppliers to demonstrate further that they are able to meet the requirements of the specification.
• Should a Supplier withdraw or be removed from the procurement process after being invited to Stage 2 - the Council reserves the right (but shall not be obliged) to invite the next highest scoring Assessed Tender from Stage 1.
• The Council reserves the right to update the tender documents, following Stage 2, however the Award Criteria shall remain the same for the Intermediate Assessment and Final Assessment.
• Further information on Stage 2 activities can be found in Volume 7. Please note that only the activity designed for Lot 3 requires an in-person meeting. Lot 1 is a written activity only.
• Following Stage 2 a Final Assessment of Tenders will be undertaken to determine the Most Advantageous Tender.
Please note: The terms of this procurement procedure can be modified up until the 'Deadline for Stage 1 Submissions' set out in section 3 of the indicative timeline and as per section 31(1)(b) of the Act. In which case the Council will notify Suppliers via the E-tendering Portal at the earliest opportunity and explain changes (if any) to the indicative timeline, number of stages and the number of Suppliers to be selected at any stage.
Contracting authority
North Somerset Council
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PVVX-9588-WCMV
Town Hall, Walliscote Grove Road
Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset
BS23 1UJ
United Kingdom
Region: UKK12 - Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government