Coproduction Services in Essex

Essex County Council is seeking a provider to deliver an integrated co-production and engagement service to support Adult Social Care (ASC) across Essex.

The contract will bring together existing co-production services into a single, unified model, providing a coordinated approach to engaging adults, carers and people with lived experience. The service will operate within the Council’s statutory duties under the Care Act 2014 and support its commitment to person-centred, inclusive service design.

Service Overview

The successful provider will deliver an integrated co-production model designed to:

• Maintain and strengthen engagement with adults, carers and people with lived experience.
• Provide structured engagement through locality networks, lived experience forums and other engagement activities.
• Capture and use insight to inform policy development, commissioning and service improvement.
• Expand participation and improve representation, including among seldom-heard groups.
• Embed co-production within Adult Social Care governance, assurance and decision-making.

The overall aim is to establish a coherent and consistent approach to co-production that strengthens the influence of lived experience across Adult Social Care services.

Contract Information

Buyer: Essex County Council

Deadline: 18 August 2026 – 12:00pm

Contract Value: £966,000 excluding VAT (£1,159,200 including VAT)

Delivery Length: 1 December 2026 to 31 March 2029, with the option to extend by two additional one-year periods, giving a maximum contract term of four years and four months.

Tender Link: https://open-uk.org/login

Evaluation Criteria

Tenders will be evaluated using:

• Quality (Technical) – 60%
• Price – 30%
• Quality (Social Value) – 10%

Participation and Compliance Requirements

The successful provider will be required to meet a range of participation and compliance requirements, including:

• Employer’s Liability Insurance of £5 million.
• Public Liability Insurance of £10 million.
• Compliance with electronic procurement requirements.
• Acceptance of TUPE arrangements where applicable.
• Compliance with requirements relating to modern slavery, equality and diversity, health and safety, safeguarding and information governance.
• Demonstration of equitable access and representation in line with the Accessible Information Standard (AIS).

Procurement Information

The procurement will be conducted using an Open Procedure.

Essex County Council has confirmed that the requirement will be awarded as a single contract to provide a coordinated and consistent service model, replacing multiple existing arrangements and improving efficiency through a unified approach.

Electronic tender submissions are required via the Open procurement system.

This opportunity offers organisations with expertise in co-production, community engagement and Adult Social Care the chance to help shape policy, commissioning and service improvement by embedding lived experience at the heart of decision-making across Essex.

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