Newcastle City Council and Redcar and Cleveland Council are acting as the joint Lead Authorities on behalf of the North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO) and its Member Authorities, in respect of a commissioning and procurement exercise to establish a Flexible Procurement Agreement (Contract) for Provision of Independent Foster Care Services for use by the NEPO Member Authorities. Following engagement with the independent foster care market and the Nationwide Association of Fostering Providers (NAFP) we have agreed to consult with these key stakeholders on our proposed Commissioning Model during the commissioning phase.