2019 Holiday Activities and Food Pilot

The Department for Education is exploring options to award grant funding to organisations to pilot local coordination of free holiday provision (healthy food and enriching activities) for disadvantaged children in a number of local authority areas across England. We envisage that these coordinators will be responsible for funding and overseeing free holiday provision in their area - ensuring there is enough good quality provision to meet demand; and that those who need the provision are aware of it and can access it.

School holidays can be particular pressure points for some families and there is a growing body of evidence of a holiday experience gap with children from disadvantaged families less likely to access organised out-of-school activities; more likely to experience 'unhealthy holidays' in terms of nutrition and physical health; and more likely to experience social isolation. In January 2018, the Government announced a programme of work to explore the best ways to address this issue, including a pilot programme for 2019.

We are exploring options around establishing a grant fund to pilot local Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) coordinators in a number of local areas across England who will fund, support and promote provision in their area. During the bidding process it would be our intention to welcome bids from: • A range of organisations (including local authorities, third sector organisations and existing providers), provided they can evidence the ability to deliver at this scale; and • both individual organisations and from partnerships and consortia, although we would expect there to be a lead organisation and accountable body for the partnership or consortium.

The DfE is not committing to undertake any formal commissioning activity resulting from this notice, and we may use the information gathered via this process to support any future commercial activity. Organisations intending to bid for grant funding for this work would need to be able to start work from Spring 2019 with provision delivered during the 2019 summer holidays.

The value of the grant fund is yet to be determined. Grants would be awarded from spring to autumn 2019 although this is an estimate only and will be further informed by responses.

Additional information: We will be hosting a market engagement event on Wednesday 31st October from 3pm-5pm in London and via video-link in Sheffield. The intention of this market engagement is to identify the level of interest and gather feedback from suppliers about our requirements and delivery proposals, which will help shape our approach.

The event is aimed at organisations who are interested in carrying out this local coordination role and who have capacity to deliver at this scale. We would ask that you limit this to one representative per organisation.

Please also indicate whether you will be attending in London or in Sheffield. We also have facilities for people to dial-in to the meeting so please let us know if you would like to dial in.

Please indicate in the subject box 'HAF 2019 pilot market engagement event'. Please note that this PIN is not a call to competition and the DfE is not bound to enter into any procurement activity because of it.