How to win: Provision of Children's Short Breaks Activities and Support (Aiming High)

About this contract

Staffordshire County Council is undertaking Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) to inform the future recommissioning of its Provision of Children's Short Breaks Activities and Support (known internally as Aiming High SEND Short Breaks Service), currently expected to commence from April 2027. The Council wishes to engage with current and potential providers to better understand market capacity, capability, innovation, and potential delivery models for providing high-quality short breaks and support opportunities for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families across Staffordshire. The Aiming High programme forms part of Staffordshire's wider short breaks offer and aims to: • improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND; • promote independence, inclusion and preparation for adulthood; • enable children and young people to participate in positive activities within their communities; • support family resilience and help parents and carers continue in their caring role; • provide opportunities for social development, friendships and community participation; and • deliver timely support that helps prevent the escalation

How to win contracts like this

• ✓Answer against the marking scheme, not the question text — Staffordshire County Council scores each response, so map your evidence to the published criteria and weightings.
• ✓At £900,000, expect quality and social value to carry a large share of the score — price alone rarely wins services work.
• ✓Show recent, comparable delivery: name similar services contracts you've delivered for public bodies, with measurable outcomes.
• ✓Start early: it closes 24 August 2026 and a strong bid takes iteration.

BidWriter drafts your responses from your company profile, scores them against the marking scheme, and tracks your whole pipeline. Free to start — no card needed.

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