Public Affairs Support Services

Social Care Wales is seeking to engage with the market in advance of procuring a provider of public affairs support and political intelligence services. The successful supplier will support Social Care Wales to monitor political and policy developments in Wales and, where relevant, at Westminster; provide strategic intelligence, stakeholder analysis and briefings; and support engagement with Members of the Senedd (MSs) and other key stakeholders.

The contract will include a combination of ongoing and ad hoc support, including political monitoring, horizon scanning, intelligence gathering, stakeholder mapping, production of briefings, strategic advice, and support for engagement activities and events. The supplier will be expected to provide experienced public affairs practitioners with strong knowledge of the Welsh political and policy landscape and the ability to respond flexibly to changing organisational and political priorities.

The purpose of the contract is to support Social Care Wales in building awareness and understanding of its statutory role and responsibilities, strengthening relationships with political stakeholders, increasing awareness of the social care sector in Wales, identifying emerging opportunities and risks, and ensuring access to timely political intelligence and analysis to inform organisational planning and decision-making.

Activities will be undertaken on a strictly non-partisan basis and will not include lobbying for changes to government policy. The contract is intended to provide consistent support through a period of significant political change, including the expansion of the Senedd and the next Senedd election cycle.

Aims and Objectives

The successful supplier will support Social Care Wales to

• Provide timely and actionable political intelligence and analysis to support organisational planning and decision making.
• Identify emerging risks, opportunities and policy developments relevant to Social Care Wales.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with MSs, their staff, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Increase awareness and understanding of Social Care Wales and its statutory role and wider remit.
• Raise awareness of the importance and value of what social care is and how it works in Wales, the social care workforce, and the wider social care, early years and childcare sector, in Wales.
• Create engagement opportunities that position Social Care Wales as a trusted source of evidence, expertise and insight.
• Provide advice and support during key political events and periods of change, including elections, government formation and committee restructuring.
• Develop a strategic, evidence-based and outcome-focused approach to public affairs activity.

Desired Outcomes

The contract should enable Social Care Wales to

• Maintain an informed understanding of the political and policy environment in Wales.
• Identify and respond effectively to emerging political and policy developments.
• Strengthen relationships with elected representatives and key stakeholders.
• Improve awareness and understanding of Social Care Wales amongst policymakers.
• Increase opportunities for meaningful engagement with political stakeholders.
• Enhance the organisation's reputation as a trusted and authoritative source of evidence and expertise.
• Maintain continuity of engagement and intelligence throughout periods of political transition.

Please see Specification for further detail