Youth Services Provision - Invitation to Quote

Background

Woodley Town Council is committed to supporting positive outcomes and opportunities for children and young people living in Woodley. Although the provision of youth services is not a statutory responsibility of the Town Council, the Council has a longstanding commitment to investing in services and activities that benefit local young people.

The Council's Strategy for Youth Services 2025-2030 provides the framework for how the Council will support youth provision during the strategy period. The Strategy has been developed following research and consultation with young people and relevant stakeholders and is intended to ensure that the Council's resources are used to support provision which is accessible, relevant and responsive to the needs of young people in Woodley.

The Council is now seeking quotations from suitably experienced organisations and individuals to deliver youth services and/or activities during the forthcoming financial year (1 April 2027 - 31 March 2028), in support of the aims and priorities set out in the Youth Strategy.

The opportunity

Woodley Town Council is inviting quotations from suitably experienced and appropriately qualified youth service providers, voluntary and community organisations, social enterprises and other organisations with relevant experience to propose the delivery of youth services and activities within Woodley.

The Council is deliberately adopting a flexible approach to the scope of this opportunity. It is not necessarily seeking a single provider to deliver all elements of youth provision. The Council may appoint one provider or a number of providers whose individual services and activities, taken together, contribute to the achievement of the Council's Youth Strategy objectives.

Proposals may therefore focus on a particular group of young people, a particular youth work approach, or a specific activity or programme.

For details of the current provision make up, please see the Council's Youth Service webpage.

What the Council is looking for

The Council is particularly interested in proposals which:

engage children and young people broadly within the 9-21 age range;

provide positive, safe and inclusive opportunities for young people;

engage young people who may be vulnerable or at risk of becoming vulnerable;

reach young people who are not currently engaging with existing youth provision;

support young people's personal development, confidence, skills, wellbeing and connection with their community;

provide opportunities for young people to participate in activities which are interesting, relevant and accessible to them;

demonstrate an understanding of the local context and the needs of young people in Woodley; and

where appropriate, complement rather than duplicate existing provision and work collaboratively with relevant local organisations and partners.

The Council is particularly interested in provision taking place during school holidays and on Friday evenings, although proposals for other weekday evenings, weekends or particular dates/events will also be considered where they demonstrate a clear benefit to young people.

Types of provision

The Council is open to a broad range of proposals. Examples could include, but are not limited to:

regular activity-led youth sessions;

sports and physical activity;

arts, music, creative or cultural activities;

workshops, courses or training;

personal development, employability or life-skills activities;

mentoring or targeted support;

leadership and volunteering opportunities;

competitions and challenges;

structured trips or one-off activities;

targeted provision for particular groups or demographics; and

other innovative approaches which support the aims of the Youth Strategy.

Providers are encouraged to put forward proposals which they consider will have a meaningful and measurable benefit for young people rather than seeking to fit their service into a prescribed model.

Location and accessibility

The Council's priority is to fund provision which takes place within the Woodley Town Council boundary, or provision outside the boundary where the funding provides access and a clear benefit specifically to Woodley residents.

Providers should identify the proposed location(s) of their provision and explain how the proposed venue and delivery model will enable young people to access the service.

Outcomes and monitoring

Proposals should explain the outcomes the provider expects to achieve and how these will be measured.

The Council will be interested in evidence of both participation and impact. Depending on the nature of the service, this may include measures such as attendance, engagement with new participants, repeat participation, feedback from young people, progress against identified objectives, partnership working and other appropriate indicators.

Providers will be expected to provide appropriate monitoring information and reporting to the Council during the contract period.

Funding and contract period

The Council is due to consider the youth service budget for the forthcoming financial year in the Autumn, and will base this on the provision desired following responses to this invitation. For reference, the Council allocated £40k funding for youth provision for current financial year.

The Council reserves the right to appoint one provider or multiple providers and to determine the allocation of available funding between successful proposals.

Who should apply?

The opportunity is open to suitably experienced organisations and individuals with the skills, experience and appropriate safeguarding arrangements necessary to deliver services to children and young people.

The Council welcomes proposals from established youth service providers as well as voluntary and community organisations, social enterprises and other appropriately constituted organisations with relevant experience.

Providers should demonstrate:

relevant experience of working with children and/or young people;

appropriate safeguarding policies, procedures and practices;

appropriately qualified, experienced and vetted staff and/or volunteers;

suitable arrangements for managing risk;

appropriate insurance and governance arrangements; and

the capacity to deliver the proposed service reliably throughout the contract period.

Invitation to Quote

Interested providers are invited to submit a quotation and proposal addressing the requirements on the accompanying Supplier Response form.

Submissions should clearly set out:

the service or activities being proposed;

the young people the proposal is intended to engage;

the proposed location, frequency and timing of provision;

the intended outcomes and how these will be measured;

the experience and suitability of the proposed provider and delivery team;

safeguarding, risk management and other relevant operational arrangements;

proposed partnership or collaborative working arrangements, where applicable; and

the full cost of delivering the proposed service, including any relevant assumptions.

The Council is keen to encourage innovative and proportionate proposals which demonstrate a clear understanding of the Youth Strategy and provide meaningful opportunities for young people in Woodley.