Social and other specific services – public contracts
Contract notice
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Midlothian Council
Fairfield House, 8 Lothian Road
Dalkeith
EH22 3AA
UK
Contact person: Barbara Foxwell
E-mail: barbara.foxwell@midlothian.gov.uk
NUTS: UKM73
Internet address(es)
Main address: http://www.midlothian.gov.uk
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA00336
I.2) Joint procurement
The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body
I.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge at:
www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent electronically to:
www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Regional or local authority
I.5) Main activity
General public services
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Independent Advocacy Services for Adults 16+
Reference number: MID/26/17
II.1.2) Main CPV code
85000000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
Midlothian Council seeks to establish a contract or contracts for the provision of independent advocacy services for adults 16+.
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
Yes
II.2) Description
Lot No: 1
II.2.1) Title
Independent advocacy service for adults aged 16 and over with a mental health condition, dementia or have a physical disability
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
85300000
85140000
85323000
85310000
85000000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKM73
Main site or place of performance:
Midlothian
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Provider will deliver independent advocacy for adults aged 16 and over with a mental health condition, including dementia, and adults with physical disabilities, including older adults. This will include both individual advocacy and collective advocacy provision.
The service will support individuals to understand and exercise their rights, express their views, and participate in decisions about their care or treatment, or where there is an involvement in statutory processes.
II.2.6) Estimated value
Value excluding VAT:
796 333.00
GBP
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
Lot No: 2
II.2.1) Title
Independent advocacy service for adults aged 16 and over with a learning disability
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
85300000
85140000
85323000
85310000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKM73
Main site or place of performance:
Midlothian
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Provider will deliver independent advocacy for adults aged 16 and over with a learning disability, including both individual advocacy and collective advocacy provision.
The service will support individuals to understand and exercise their rights, express their views, and participate in decisions about their care and treatment, in line with statutory duties and national guidance from the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance.
II.2.6) Estimated value
Value excluding VAT:
265 444.50
GBP
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1) Conditions for participation
III.1.4) Objective rules and criteria for participation
Suitability to pursue the professional activity:
Relevant selection criteria are included in the SPD module. Of particular note is question 4A2b.
It is a mandatory requirement of this contract that Tenderers hold current membership of the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance (SIAA) at the time of tender submission.
Tenderers must provide evidence of active SIAA membership as part of their tender response.
Failure to provide evidence of current SIAA membership will result in exclusion from the procurement process.
III.2) Conditions related to the contract
III.2.2) Contract performance conditions
The contract will be governed by Midlothian Council terms & conditions.
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Open procedure
IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number in the OJ S:
2026/S 000-036619
IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date:
24/08/2026
Local time: 12:00
IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
EN
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.2) Information about electronic workflows
Electronic ordering will be used
Electronic invoicing will be accepted
Electronic payment will be used
VI.3) Additional information
Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any situation referred to in regulation 58 of The Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Financial Viability Test
The financial information will be evaluated using the Midlothian Council Financial Viability Test, please see Appendix 1.
The Tenderer will require to submit evidence in the form of their audited accounts or equivalent for the most recent 2 years (2 sets of signed, audited accounts), along with details of any significant changes since the last year end.
Tenderers must not contact anyone at the Local Authority directly in relation to this tender exercise, doing so may result in your exclusion from any further part in the process.
All questions must be raised using the Question & Answer facility within this notice.
NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Public Contracts Scotland Web Site at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=837893.
The buyer has indicated that it will accept electronic responses to this notice via the Postbox facility. A user guide is available at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/sitehelp/help_guides.aspx.
Suppliers are advised to allow adequate time for uploading documents and to dispatch the electronic response well in advance of the closing time to avoid any last minute problems.
Community benefits are included in this requirement. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-procurement/
A summary of the expected community benefits has been provided as follows:
All Tenderers must sign Schedule 8 Community Benefits - Lot 1 and/or Schedule 9 Community Benefits - Lot 2 as a commitment to engage with Midlothian Council to identify and deliver community benefits to make positive contributions to people living in Midlothian.
The successful Tenderer(s) is required as part of their contract to provide community benefits in compliance with Midlothian Council requirements as set out in Schedule 8 Community Benefits - Lot 1 and/or Schedule 9 Community Benefits - Lot 2.
(SC Ref:837893)
Download the ESPD document here: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/ESPD/ESPD_Download.aspx?id=837893
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Edinburgh Sheriff Court
Sheriff Court House, 27 Chambers Street
Edinburgh
EH1 1LB
UK
Telephone: +44 1312252525
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
21/07/2026