All Age Advocacy Services

What the buyer is asking for

Suffolk County Council is seeking tenders from sufficiently experienced and qualified contractors for the provision of All Age Advocacy Service. The Suffolk Independent All Age Advocacy Service to provide an integrated, high quality, flexible and cost-effective advocacy service which meets all the statutory requirements placed on Suffolk County Council for the provision of independent advocacy for adults, children and young people. The maximum contract value is £5,438,400 exclusive of VAT for the duration of the contract including extension. The VAT amount included is 20% standard rate, however in some circumstances VAT may be exempt or chargeable at a different rate. The contract term is three years (36 months) with an option to extend for up to a further three x 1-year extensions (36 months). The Deadline date for submission of the tender is 29/10/2026 at 11.00AM. Tender Submission will be electronically via the Suffolk Sourcing e-Tendering System at; https://supplier.in-tend.co.uk/suffolksourcing/tenders/details/3058c7b7-3420-469b-8516-f7b4cfdcb335 Please note late returns will NOT be permitted. The deadline for clarification questions is 14/10/2026 at 5.00pm, which must be generated via the correspondence option within Suffolk Sourcing.

How this is scored

Published by the buyer. A winning response is written to these weightings, not to the question.

• qualityQualityQuality 80%
• pricePricePrice 20%

What you must already have

Conditions of participation. These are pass or fail, so check them before writing anything.

• economic

  Pricing Confirmation that your proposed pricing does not exceed the maximum budget (exc VAT) indicated in the Invitation to Tender. Any bids over the maximum budget (exc VAT) will not pass this procurement specific requirement and will not be evaluated further. Insurance Insurance cover required Public Liability £10m Employers Liability £5m Professional Indemnity £2m Already has, or can commit to obtain, the insurance requirements prior to the award of the contract. A minimum Creditsafe credit reference agency score of 50 is required at the time of evaluation. If this threshold is not met (or a Creditsafe score cannot be obtained), the contracting authority may conduct a more detailed assessment - such as ratio analysis - using other financial information. I also understand that our organisation may be required to implement risk mitigation measures as reasonably requested by the contracting authority.

• technical

  Experience Confirmation of the following; Experience of delivering advocacy services Experience of delivering a county wide service Understanding of advocacy legislation relating to the delivery of advocacy to both children and adults Understanding and experience of full compliance with GDPR legislation Able to meet and maintain the Advocacy Quality Performance Mark during the lifetime of the contract (main provider only) To participate in this tender you must be registered on the Government 'Central Digital Platform' See details below; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-short-guides/central-digital-platform-factsheet-html

How contested is this?

Buyers publish how many bids they received. Across 199 comparable procurements we can tell you the typical field size, how often one of these goes uncontested, and whether the buyer awards on price or on quality.

Timeline

3 published dates · Europe/London

1. Tender notice publishedyesterday

   1 Oct 2026, 13:38 BST
2. Submission deadlinein 27 days

   29 Oct 2026, 11:00 GMT
3. Award decision expected byin 74 days

   14 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT

Commercial outcome and contract awards

Nothing awarded yet

Notice history

5 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender

1. Pipeline or early engagement notice11 May 2026, 11:35 BST042892-2026
2. Pipeline or early engagement notice3 Jun 2026, 08:32 BST052106-2026
3. Tender notice1 Oct 2026, 12:46 BST092818-2026
4. Tender updated1 Oct 2026, 13:18 BST092836-2026
5. Tender updated1 Oct 2026, 13:38 BST092851-2026

Documents

• Tender notice on Find a Tender