Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) - Adult Advocacy Services

Swindon Borough Council invites you to contribute to preliminary market engagement in relation to Adult Advocacy Services and welcomes the views of providers on the questions set out in the accompanying questionnaire.

The purpose of this engagement is to gather feedback from the market to help shape the final service specification and commercial model, ensuring the procurement delivers high-quality, legally compliant, and person-centred advocacy services.

Service Overview
Swindon Borough Council is seeking to commission a single supplier to deliver a comprehensive Adult Advocacy Service for residents of Swindon.

The service will support adults to have their voice heard, rights upheld, and interests represented in line with statutory duties. The provider will be required to deliver a range of advocacy services across multiple legislative frameworks.

The commissioned service will include the following components:
Required Services
The provider may be required to deliver all the following services:
1. Independent Care Act Advocacy (ICAA)
Supporting individuals who have substantial difficulty in being involved in Care Act assessments, care planning, reviews, and safeguarding processes, where there is no appropriate person to support them.
2. Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA)
Supporting individuals who lack capacity to make specific decisions and have no appropriate representation, in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
3. Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)
Supporting qualifying patients under the Mental Health Act 1983 to understand and exercise their rights.
4. Independent Health Complaints Advocacy (IHCA)
Supporting individuals to make complaints about NHS services and navigate the NHS complaints process.
5. Independent Social Care Complaints Advocacy
Supporting individuals to raise complaints regarding adult social care services.
6. Rule 1.2 (Rule 3A) Representative Advocacy
Providing representation within the Court of Protection where required.
7. Litigation Friend Advocacy
Supporting individuals in legal proceedings where a litigation friend is required.
8. Learning Disability Partnership Board
Facilitation of the quarterly, face-to-face board.

Service Aims
The overarching aim of the Adult Advocacy Service is to:
• Promote independence, empowerment, and choice
• Ensure individuals are supported to understand and exercise their rights
• Facilitate meaningful participation in decision-making processes
• Uphold principles of independence, confidentiality, and person-centred support
• Ensure compliance with:
o Care Act 2014
o Mental Capacity Act 2005
o Mental Health Act 1983
o Relevant complaints regulations

Key Expectations of the Provider
The successful provider will be expected to:
• Deliver a fully integrated advocacy service across all required service areas
• Maintain independence from Swindon Borough Council decision-making
• Provide advocacy that is:
o Person-centred
o Accessible and inclusive
o Responsive and timely
• Ensure availability for:
o Urgent and statutory advocacy referrals
o Court-related advocacy requirements
• Demonstrate:
o Strong workforce capability across all advocacy types
o Knowledge of relevant legislation and statutory duties
o Ability to manage complex and fluctuating demand

Contract Intentions
Swindon Borough Council intends to:
• Award a single provider contract
• Establish a multi-service advocacy model
• Use feedback from this engagement to:
o Finalise service design
o Refine delivery expectations
o Inform procurement approach

Estimated contract length and contract spend
The initial contract term will be for 36 months, with an option to extend for a further 24 months (in two periods of 12 months), giving a potential total contract term of up to 5 years.
The total contract value has not yet been determined and will be confirmed as part of the Council’s commissioning and procurement process.

• Contract to begin 1st April 2027 with the end of the initial three-year contract being the 31st March 2030

Engagement Process
To participate in this Preliminary Market Engagement: DN818702
• Suppliers must register on ProContract via: www.supplyigthesouthwest.org.uk
• Suppliers must register an interest to access the PME documentation.
• Responses to the PME questionnaire must be submitted by: 24th June 2026

Common procurement Vocabulary (CPV) codes
• CPV codes – https://www.bipsolutions.com/news-and-resources/cpv-codes/
98200000 - Equal opportunities consultancy services.
85311200 - Welfare services for the handicapped
85312400 - Welfare services not delivered through residential institutions.
85311100 - Welfare services for the elderly.
85312310 - Guidance services.
85312300 - Guidance and counselling services.
85000000 – Health & Social Work Services