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    ContractsFoster Care Capacity Retainer Block Pilot - Market Testing Exercise
    Open tender

    Foster Care Capacity Retainer Block Pilot - Market Testing Exercise

    Contract value
    £49.6k
    Published 5 Jun 2026

    Reading Borough Council is inviting Independent Fostering Agencies to collaborate on testing a new retainer-based block commissioning model for local foster care capacity.

    🇬🇧United Kingdom· EnglandPublished 5 Jun 2026· 2 months agoviaFind a Tender
    Contract value
    £49.6k
    Published 5 Jun 2026

    Decision brief

    4 fields
    • Contract value
      £49,600indicative
      Pounds sterling
    • Closing date
      Rolling
      No closing date published
    • Sector
      Social Care
      Browse related listings
    • Location
      🇬🇧United Kingdom
      England

    Lifecycle

    Open

    Open tender — no closing date published. Opened 2 months ago.

    5 June 2026
    Open tender · no closing date published

    Brief

    Reading Borough Council is conducting market testing to explore a new commissioning model for securing local foster care capacity through a retainer-based block approach. The Council is seeking early engagement with Independent Fostering Agencies (IFAs) to test the viability of this model, particularly regarding carer availability within a 20-mile radius of Reading Civic Centre, and to assess operational practicality and commercial attractiveness for providers. This is a collaborative co-design exercise where IFAs can help shape service expectations, delivery approaches, and model refinement ahead of any formal procurement. The engagement process is structured to inform the Council's decision on proceeding to a full pilot and to ensure the final model is realistic, deliverable, and aligned with market capacity and provider expertise. IFAs with existing or potential carers in the Reading area, providers able to support local placement development, and organisations interested in collaborative model design are encouraged to participate.

    Track record

    6 awards · 6 winners
    Open field

    No single supplier dominates the field.

    In this category, READING BOROUGH COUNCIL has awarded 6 contracts to 6 suppliers.

    Who wins here
    1. ICE CREATES LIMITED1× · 17%
    2. AN SSC LIMITED1× · 17%
    3. DAYBREAK FAMILY GROUP CONFERENCES1× · 17%
    4. AGE UK BERKSHIRE1× · 17%
    5. READING MENCAP1× · 17%
    6. LAUNCHPAD READING1× · 17%

    Across this category, the most active winners are CARE LINE HOMECARE LIMITED, SPRINGFIELD HOME CARE SERVICES LIMITED, Roche Diagnostics Ltd — the field to beat, or your route in as a partner.

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    Take action
    View tender on sourceFind a Tender

    Full notice and submission process on the publisher's site

    Publisher
    UK Cabinet Office
    Licence
    OGL v3.0
    Source
    find-tender.service.gov.uk
    Record ID
    ocds-h6vhtk-06aebc
    RB
    Buyer
    READING BOROUGH COUNCIL
    Sector
    Social Care