OpenStage · tender 16 days to close

Independent Regulation 44 Visitor Service for Small Group Homes CAFS/2026/313

HealthcareCPV 85000000

Value£195,000

Deadline9 Oct 2026

Published22 Sept 2026

RegionNationwide

£195,000 — stated in the notice

Timeline

Published 22 Sept 202616 days leftCloses 9 Oct 2026

Who to contact

categorymanagement@stoke.gov.uk

The procurement contact named on the official notice.

How to submit

Open the submissions portal

The submission route named on the official notice.

Contract value in context

£195ktotal contract value

median £380k

this tender£0£16.5m

This sits in the lower-middle of the Health & Social Care band — a mid-scale opportunity. Based on 32,734 valued Health & Social Care tenders in our corpus.

When this comes round again

Stoke on Trent City Council's Health & Social Care cycle is past due — it ran about every 4 months across 4 notices, and the door is open now. It may re-tender at any time.

6% of Stoke on Trent City Council’s awards go to a supplier it has used before.

Which is the argument for getting on the list rather than winning this one. The incumbent is rarely the last winner — it is the roster. See the retention odds by category →

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The brief

Under Regulation 44 of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015, all children's homes must receive an independent monthly visit carried out by a person not directly employed by the home or the wider local authority.

Stoke on Trent City Council is seeking suitably qualified and experienced providers to deliver an Independent Regulation 44 Visitor Service for Children's Small Group Homes located within the city.

The service is required to undertake monthly Regulation 44 visits in accordance with the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015, providing independent scrutiny, assurance and reporting to support the quality, safety and welfare of children and young people living in residential care.

Requirements

What the notice asks for

Under Regulation 44 of the Children's Homes

The service is required to undertake monthly

Sentences from the notice that state an obligation, surfaced automatically and shown in the order they appear. Not an exhaustive list — always confirm against the tender documents.

What it takes to bid this

12–20 daysof bid-team effort

£8.2k–£13.7kat typical UK bid-team rates

Compressed window — start the same week

Typical UK bid effort for the £100k–£1m band — an estimate, not a quote.

Qualify & bid/no-bid ~10% · SQ / PQQ ~20% · Written response ~55% · Review & presentation ~15%

Typical for this category — confirm against the ITT pack

Hold at bidCQC registration / safeguarding policies
Plan for deliveryDBS-checked staff & vetting process
Plan for deliveryTUPE (incumbent staff often transfer)
Show at bidComparable references / case studies
Hold at bidFinancial standing (accounts, often ~2× contract value turnover)
Hold at bidInsurance cover (PL / EL, often PI)
Show at bidSocial value commitments

Hold at bid = pass/fail conditions of participation. Show at bid = scored in the quality response. Plan for delivery = contract obligations from day one.

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Buyer intelligence

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Free to start. Named contacts come from published notices; the strategy is generated from the buyer’s news, accounts and people.

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The full intelligence dossier

Our agent reads Stoke on Trent City Council’s accounts, hunts live signals, finds the people who decide — and hands you a bid strategy plus a go-to-market influence plan, including what your team should post this week. You approve every paid step.

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Source & provenance