Tag: Tender Writing

The Dementia Support Service tender seeks one provider to deliver a coordinated service across Birmingham and Solihull. NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board has stated an estimated value of £3,336,000 excluding VAT, with submissions due by 5pm on 29 July 2026.

This is a specialist community health service, not a routine domiciliary care contract. The successful provider will need to show how people living with dementia, their carers and families will receive timely information, practical support, effective navigation and joined-up referral pathways.

The official Dementia Support Service tender notice on Find a Tender confirms a single lot for Birmingham, an open procedure and a quality weighting of 90 per cent. The detailed conditions of participation and service requirements remain in the Atamis procurement documents, so bidders should search for project reference C387762 before making a final bid decision.

In this guide: we explain the service scope, contract structure, bidder fit, evidence priorities and practical steps required to prepare a credible response to the Dementia Support Service tender.

Dementia Support Service Tender at a Glance

• Buyer: NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board
• Procurement support: NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit
• Project reference: C387762
• Procurement ID: ocds-h6vhtk-060f00
• Procedure: open procedure
• Regime: Procurement Act 2023, light touch contract
• Lots: one
• Delivery area: Birmingham, with the service covering Birmingham and Solihull
• Estimated value: £3,336,000 excluding VAT
• Stated annual value: £834,000
• Initial term: 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2028
• Extension: up to two further years, to 31 December 2030
• Quality weighting: 90 per cent
• Price weighting: 10 per cent
• Submission deadline: 5pm on 29 July 2026
• Submission portal: Atamis

The public enquiry deadline was 5pm on 17 July 2026, which has passed. Bidders should still review every published clarification and document version in Atamis before submission. Review the Dementia Support Service tender record on Care Sync Experts for a convenient summary, then use the buyer’s portal as the final authority. You can also browse our wider feed of healthcare tender opportunities.

What Service Is the Buyer Commissioning?

The buyer wants a single point of access for information and advice about dementia, including support available before and after diagnosis and clear guidance on how people can access it.

The public notice describes a service that should provide or facilitate:

• signposting to relevant support services and community groups;
• practical emotional support that helps people feel safer and more resilient;
• coaching for people living with dementia and their carers, tailored to their circumstances;
• access to peer-led group support;
• person-centred support that promotes independence and wellbeing;
• better coordination across health, social care and voluntary sector partners;
• proactive intervention intended to reduce avoidable crises, hospital admissions and delayed discharges;
• meaningful involvement of lived experience in service design, delivery and evaluation;
• clear referral pathways into, through and out of the service;
• equitable access across different communities and areas of Birmingham and Solihull.

This scope aligns with the local Birmingham and Solihull Dementia Strategy 2023 to 2028, which prioritises information, timely diagnosis with support, crisis prevention and personalised care planning. A strong tender response should connect its delivery model to these local priorities without simply repeating strategy language.

Who Is This Tender Likely to Suit?

The opportunity is likely to suit established dementia charities, voluntary and community organisations, community health providers, social care organisations and partnerships that can demonstrate relevant specialist experience at scale.

The notice identifies the opportunity as particularly suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises. That does not remove the need to prove capacity, governance, financial resilience and safe mobilisation for a contract of this size.

A domiciliary care or supported living provider may have relevant experience, but it should not assume that care delivery or CQC registration alone proves suitability. The public notice does not state that CQC registration is a condition of participation. The detailed procurement documents must be checked before making any claim about mandatory registration, accreditations, turnover thresholds or insurance levels.

Before bidding, leadership should be able to evidence:

• specialist knowledge of dementia and its impact on people, carers, families and communities;
• a credible single point of access and navigation model;
• strong local partnerships and referral arrangements across Birmingham and Solihull;
• accessible delivery for diverse communities and people affected by health inequalities;
• a competent, supervised and resilient workforce;
• safe information sharing, safeguarding and risk management;
• measurable outcomes and reliable performance reporting;
• mobilisation capacity for a 1 January 2027 start;
• financial sustainability at the proposed price.

If your team is new to public procurement, read our guide to tenders in health and social care before building the compliance matrix.

Why the 90 Per Cent Quality Weighting Matters

The published award criteria allocate 90 per cent to technical quality and 10 per cent to commercial cost. This makes the evidence, clarity and credibility of the delivery solution central to the competition.

It does not mean price can be ignored. A low quality response will struggle, but an unsustainable or poorly evidenced cost model can still damage the submission. Bid teams should align the service model, staffing assumptions, activity volumes, partnership commitments and price before final drafting.

The notice directs suppliers to the procurement documents for the detailed quality criteria. Do not invent sub-weightings or assume the final questions. Build the response plan from the latest Atamis pack, including every schedule, declaration, word limit and clarification.

Eight Evidence Areas to Prepare

1. A clear person-centred pathway

Map the journey from first contact to triage, information, support planning, intervention, onward referral and exit. Explain choice, consent, accessibility, handovers and what happens when a person’s needs change.

The NICE dementia guideline places the person’s individuality, perspective, relationships and wellbeing at the centre of good practice. Use this as a clinical and practice reference, then show exactly how your operating model will deliver it.

2. Local access and health inequalities

The notice expects the service to consider geographical demand, population differences and dementia prevalence across Birmingham and Solihull. A generic city-wide claim is not enough. Show where and how people will access the service, including communities that may experience language, cultural, digital, transport or trust barriers.

3. Referral pathways and partnership governance

Identify likely referral partners, their roles, handover standards and escalation routes. Distinguish a supportive relationship from a formal commitment. Any letters of support should be current, specific and consistent with the proposed delivery model.

4. Support for carers and families

Explain how carers will receive information, practical coaching, emotional support and appropriate onward referral whilst protecting the rights and wishes of the person living with dementia. Show how the service will recognise carer strain and respond proportionately.

5. Lived experience and co-production

The notice calls for lived experience to be embedded in design, delivery and evaluation. Define who will participate, how their contribution will be supported, how feedback will influence decisions and how you will report the changes made.

6. Workforce competence and supervision

Set out roles, caseload assumptions, specialist competencies, induction, ongoing learning, supervision and cover arrangements. The workforce plan should connect directly to activity, geography, opening hours and the needs of diverse communities.

7. Outcomes, data and learning

Separate service activity from meaningful outcomes. Contact volumes and referrals are useful measures, but the buyer will also need confidence that the service improves access, wellbeing, independence, coordination and crisis prevention. Define data quality controls and how learning will change practice.

8. Mobilisation and continuity

Work backwards from 1 January 2027. Cover governance, recruitment, technology, information governance, referral testing, partner onboarding, communications, training, readiness reviews and business continuity. Give each dependency an owner and decision date.

Care Sync Experts can help turn the procurement pack into a traceable response plan through our healthcare tender writing service.

How to Turn the Dementia Support Service Tender Quality Weighting Into Scorable Evidence

The 90 per cent technical weighting makes the quality narrative central, but evaluators can only score what the response demonstrates. A strong bid should create a traceable line from each requirement to the delivery method, accountable role, evidence source and measurable outcome. The controls below help prevent specialist knowledge from becoming a set of unscored general statements.

Show the pathway, not only the service values

Values such as compassion, choice and person-centred support matter, but they need an operating method. Explain how a person or carer enters the service, receives accessible information, is triaged, agrees priorities, accesses support and moves between services. Include decision points, handovers, consent, safeguarding and exit planning. This gives evaluators a usable picture of the experience rather than asking them to infer it.

Use evidence that matches the commitment

For each important promise, identify evidence of relevant delivery. A case example may demonstrate practice, performance data may demonstrate consistency and a policy may demonstrate organisational control. None of these sources should be stretched beyond what it proves. Where direct evidence is limited, explain the gap, the transferable element and the mobilisation control. Do not present an unrelated care contract as proof of specialist dementia navigation.

Define local partnership accountability

A partnership list is not a pathway. Name the likely role of each partner, referral direction, information exchange, governance route and escalation point. Separate confirmed commitments from relationships that still need to be established. The mobilisation plan should show when agreements will be completed, how the pathway will be tested and what happens if a dependency is delayed.

Connect outcomes to service activity

Explain how contacts, referrals and group attendance contribute to outcomes that matter to people living with dementia and carers. Define the measure, data source, review frequency and person responsible for quality assurance. Include how feedback and lived experience will change the service, not simply how they will be collected. This helps demonstrate that performance management will support learning rather than becoming a reporting exercise.

Complete an independent evaluator review

A reviewer who did not draft the response should check whether every question has been answered, every claim can be verified and every commitment is reflected in staffing and price. Flag vague phrases such as seamless support or strong partnerships unless the method immediately follows. A separate compliance review should confirm declarations, attachments, word limits, filenames and the latest Atamis document versions before upload.

What the Light Touch Open Procedure Means

The notice classifies the procurement as a light touch contract under the Procurement Act 2023 and uses an open procedure. Government light touch contract guidance explains that these services are subject to a more flexible regime, whilst open procedure guidance describes a single-stage competition in which any supplier may submit a tender.

For a bidder, the practical point is simple: do not mistake procedural flexibility for relaxed evidence requirements. The buyer has published a competitive opportunity, and the response must meet the conditions, instructions and evaluation criteria in the procurement pack.

A Practical Bid Preparation Plan

1. Confirm the live pack: access Atamis, search C387762 and record every document version and clarification.
2. Run the bid decision: test specialist fit, local delivery capacity, partnerships, evidence, price and mobilisation risk.
3. Build a compliance matrix: map every question, attachment, declaration, limit, criterion and owner.
4. Lock the service model: agree the pathway, access routes, workforce, governance, partnerships, outcomes and information flows.
5. Validate evidence: use current examples, data and documents that directly support each claim.
6. Reconcile solution and price: check that staffing, volumes, overheads, partnership costs and performance commitments are financially consistent.
7. Review independently: complete factual, compliance, evaluator, financial and presentation reviews.
8. Submit early: verify every upload and retain the portal receipt before 5pm on 29 July 2026.

Common Reasons a Dementia Support Service Bid Could Lose Marks

• describing generic dementia awareness rather than a working service pathway;
• claiming partnerships without named roles, referral processes or accountability;
• treating lived experience as a consultation exercise with no influence on delivery;
• failing to explain equitable access across Birmingham and Solihull;
• using activity counts as substitutes for outcomes;
• presenting workforce numbers that do not match geography, demand or opening hours;
• ignoring carers, crisis prevention or coordination with other services;
• guessing requirements that are only available in the Atamis documents;
• allowing the cost model and delivery narrative to contradict each other;
• submitting against an old document version or missing a mandatory attachment.

A disciplined response makes each requirement easy to find and each material claim easy to verify. Our article on public contract readiness for smaller providers provides further context for building a stronger evidence base.

Should Your Organisation Bid?

Bid for the Dementia Support Service tender if you can demonstrate specialist dementia support capability, a realistic local delivery model, credible partnerships, a robust workforce, measurable outcomes and sustainable pricing.

Consider a no-bid decision if the organisation would need to invent local capacity, rely on unconfirmed partners, stretch unrelated care experience to fit the requirement or mobilise a service model it has not costed properly.

Before approving the bid, leadership should be able to answer:

1. Why are we a strong fit for this exact service?
2. What evidence proves our pathway will work across Birmingham and Solihull?
3. Which gaps remain, and can they be closed before submission and mobilisation?
4. Can we deliver every commitment safely and sustainably at our proposed price?

Need Support With the Dementia Support Service Tender?

Care Sync Experts can help you review the Dementia Support Service tender, build the compliance matrix, strengthen evidence and prepare a clear, evaluator-friendly tender response. We will also tell you when the available evidence supports a no-bid decision.

Book a tender consultation to discuss your current evidence and submission timetable.

This article is an independent summary based on the public notice and official guidance available on 19 July 2026. It is not the procurement pack and does not replace Atamis documents, buyer clarifications or professional legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the deadline for the Dementia Support Service tender?

The official Dementia Support Service tender notice states that tenders must be submitted by 5pm on 29 July 2026. Bidders should confirm the live deadline and any formal amendment in Atamis.

How much is the contract worth?

The estimated value is £3,336,000 excluding VAT. The notice also states an annual value of £834,000 and provides an initial two-year term with an option to extend for up to two further years.

Is CQC registration required?

The public notice does not state that CQC registration is a condition of participation. Bidders must check the full procurement documents before deciding which registrations, accreditations and evidence are mandatory.

Can an SME or voluntary organisation bid?

Yes. The notice identifies the opportunity as particularly suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises. Every bidder must still meet the published conditions and demonstrate capacity to deliver the full contract.

How will the tender be evaluated?

The published criteria allocate 90 per cent to technical quality and 10 per cent to cost. The detailed questions, scoring method and sub-criteria must be taken from the current Atamis documents.

The Thurrock floating support tender is a £1,106,241 opportunity for one provider to deliver short-term, community-based support to residents with poor mental health and/or a learning disability. Thurrock Council has set the tender submission deadline at 12 noon on 14 August 2026. The enquiry deadline is earlier, at 5pm on 5 August 2026.

The service is designed to help people live independently, remain in their homes and reduce the risk of homelessness. Support may continue for up to two years, depending on need. This is an open procedure under the light touch regime, with one contract and a stated quality-to-price balance of 80% to 20%.

The official Thurrock Council tender notice is the primary source for the facts in this guide. Providers must also review the complete In-tend pack, every buyer clarification and any later amendment before making a bid decision.

In this guide: we explain the service scope, contract dates, evaluation structure, provider fit, evidence priorities and the practical steps needed to prepare a compliant response.

Thurrock Floating Support Tender at a Glance

• Buyer: Thurrock Council
• Notice: 2026/S 000-064371
• Procurement identifier: ocds-h6vhtk-06c6bf
• Service: floating support for residents with poor mental health and/or a learning disability
• Procedure: open procedure
• Regime: light touch
• Lots: one
• Estimated value: £1,106,241 excluding VAT
• Expected contract dates: 1 January 2027 to 31 March 2032
• Possible extension: up to 31 March 2033
• Enquiry deadline: 5pm on 5 August 2026
• Tender deadline: 12 noon on 14 August 2026
• Submission route: Thurrock Council In-tend portal

Review the Thurrock floating support opportunity on Care Sync Experts for a convenient summary. The official notice and the buyer portal remain the final authority.

What Must the Thurrock Floating Support Tender Service Achieve?

The Thurrock floating support tender seeks a service that supports people with fluctuating needs to live as independently as possible. The official notice describes short-term support of up to two years. Delivery is community based and preventative, with a clear focus on helping people remain in their own homes and preventing homelessness wherever possible.

That description points to a practical, outcome-led service. A credible operating model should show how the provider will move from referral and assessment to an agreed support plan, regular review, step-down and planned exit. It should also explain what happens when a person’s needs increase, risks change or urgent multi-agency action is required.

Providers should avoid turning this into an accommodation-based or clinical service in their response unless the procurement documents specifically require those elements. Floating support usually depends on flexible, community-based work that helps people sustain tenancies, manage daily responsibilities, connect with services and build confidence. The final specification must determine the exact boundaries.

Which Providers Should Consider the Thurrock Floating Support Tender?

The Thurrock floating support tender may suit organisations with proven experience in housing-related support, community mental health support, learning disability services or comparable preventative services. The strongest fit will be a provider that can evidence safe lone working, flexible outreach, person-centred planning, multi-agency coordination and measurable progress towards independence.

Before approving a bid, leadership should be able to demonstrate:

• relevant delivery experience and outcomes for comparable people and services;
• a workforce model that supports continuity, flexibility and safe community work;
• clear safeguarding, escalation, incident and lone-working controls;
• strengths-based assessment and support planning;
• effective partnership working with housing, social care, health and community services;
• a credible mobilisation plan for the expected January 2027 start;
• performance measures that show prevention, tenancy sustainment, independence and planned exits;
• a price that supports every staffing and delivery commitment.

Do not assume that holding a particular registration, office location, rating or policy is enough. Test each condition of participation against the current procurement pack. If the documents require specific regulatory, financial, insurance or local-presence evidence, record the exact requirement and the evidence date before sign-off.

How Will the Thurrock Tender Be Evaluated?

The public notice for the Thurrock floating support tender gives a 20% price weighting and an 80% quality weighting. The quality criteria are spread across nine areas:

For the Thurrock floating support tender, this weighting makes the operating model and case study especially important, but every scored area still needs a direct, evidenced response. A bidder should build one joined-up service model, then show how each answer proves a different part of that model. Repeating the same general statements across nine questions will not create nine strong answers.

Price and quality should be developed together. Staffing ratios, caseload assumptions, management time, travel, supervision, training, data systems, absence cover and social value commitments must all be reflected in the cost model.

Eight Evidence Priorities for the Thurrock Floating Support Tender

1. A clear referral-to-exit pathway

Map how referrals are received, screened and allocated. Explain assessment, goal setting, review, risk escalation, step-down and closure. State who makes each decision, how quickly it happens and what records prove it.

2. Strengths-based assessment

Show how the provider identifies the person’s strengths, preferences, housing risks, support network and priorities. Connect each assessment finding to a measurable goal and a realistic support action.

3. A responsive outreach model

Explain where and how support is delivered, how contact frequency changes, how missed visits are managed and how the service responds to fluctuating needs. Separate planned flexibility from unsafe or unfunded availability.

4. Workforce competence and continuity

Connect recruitment, induction, specialist learning, supervision and competency checks to the people being supported. Explain caseloads, travel planning, lone working and cover. Distinguish existing staff from people who still need to be recruited.

5. Safeguarding and risk escalation

Describe the route from concern to immediate protection, reporting, management oversight, multi-agency action and learning. Include practical controls for self-neglect, exploitation, tenancy risk, deterioration and missed contact where the specification makes them relevant.

6. Partnership working

Define how the provider will work with council teams, housing services, health professionals, families, advocates and community organisations. Use named roles, referral routes, information-sharing controls and escalation times rather than broad partnership language.

7. Outcomes and performance

Identify measures that show whether people are sustaining accommodation, increasing independence, engaging with appropriate services and moving towards planned exits. Explain data ownership, quality checks, reporting and corrective action.

8. A credible case study

Select an example that closely matches the tender’s service model. Keep it anonymous, specific and evidence based. Show the starting position, risks, support actions, partnership work, measurable result and what the organisation learned.

Care Sync Experts can help turn the procurement pack into a traceable response plan through our healthcare tender writing service.

A Practical Thurrock Floating Support Tender Plan Before 14 August

1. Confirm the live pack: register on Thurrock In-tend and record every document version and clarification.
2. Separate the dates: submit clarification questions before 5pm on 5 August and the complete tender before 12 noon on 14 August.
3. Run the bid decision: test eligibility, experience, workforce, systems, mobilisation and financial viability.
4. Build a compliance matrix: map every instruction, question, attachment and declaration to an owner and due date.
5. Lock the operating model: agree the referral pathway, staffing, caseloads, partnerships, outcomes and risks before writing separate answers.
6. Create an evidence register: identify the document, metric or example that supports every important promise.
7. Reconcile quality and price: make sure the commercial model funds the response.
8. Review independently: complete compliance, factual, evaluator and financial reviews before upload.
9. Submit early: verify every file on the portal and retain the submission receipt.

If your team is new to public procurement, read our guide to tenders in health and social care. Our Harrow Council homecare tender guide also shows why provider fit, evidence and local delivery must be tested against each buyer’s exact requirements.

Common Reasons a Floating Support Bid Could Lose Marks

• describing generic values instead of a working referral-to-exit pathway;
• treating fluctuating needs as a reason for vague or unlimited availability;
• claiming partnership working without named roles, routes or timescales;
• using policies as evidence without showing implementation and results;
• presenting training lists without linking competence to the service model;
• using an unrelated case study with no measurable outcome;
• making social value promises that are not costed, owned or measurable;
• failing to reconcile caseload, travel and supervision with the price;
• confusing the enquiry deadline with the tender deadline;
• submitting an old document version or missing a mandatory attachment.

Should Your Organisation Bid?

Bid for the Thurrock floating support tender if your organisation meets the current conditions, has closely relevant experience, can mobilise a safe community-based model and can evidence every major promise. Consider a no-bid decision if the response depends on unconfirmed staff, overstated partnerships, unrelated experience or a price that cannot sustain the proposed service.

A disciplined bid decision should answer four questions:

1. What current evidence proves we are eligible and relevant?
2. Can our operating model deliver the required outcomes safely?
3. Can we mobilise by the expected start date without relying on assumptions?
4. Does the price fund every commitment in the response?

Need Support With the Thurrock Floating Support Tender?

Care Sync Experts can help you review the Thurrock floating support tender pack, build the compliance matrix, strengthen the evidence and prepare a clear, evaluator-friendly response. We will also tell you when the evidence supports a no-bid decision.

Book a tender consultation to discuss your eligibility, evidence gaps and submission timetable.

This article is an independent summary based on the public notice and official information checked on 19 July 2026. It does not replace the official procurement pack, buyer clarifications, portal instructions or professional legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the deadline for the Thurrock floating support tender?

The enquiry deadline is 5pm on 5 August 2026. The tender submission deadline is 12 noon on 14 August 2026. Providers should check Thurrock In-tend for any formal amendment.

How much is the Thurrock floating support contract worth?

The official notice gives an estimated value of £1,106,241 excluding VAT and £1,327,490 including VAT.

Who will the floating support service help?

The service is for Thurrock residents with poor mental health and/or a learning disability. It is intended to provide short-term, community-based support that promotes independence and helps prevent homelessness.

How important is quality in the evaluation?

The published criteria allocate 80% to quality and 20% to price. Operating model and case study each carry 15%, whilst the other quality areas cover outcomes, workforce, assessments, performance, outreach, engagement and social value.

When is the Thurrock contract expected to start?

The official notice gives an expected start date of 1 January 2027. The initial period may run to 31 March 2032, with an optional twelve-month extension to 31 March 2033.

The 25076 Homecare Framework is a major Cambridgeshire County Council opportunity for regulated homecare providers. The framework has an estimated value of £773.4 million excluding VAT, covers 17 lots and is expected to run from November 2027, with possible extensions to October 2037. The deadline for requests to participate is 12 noon on 19 August 2026.

This is a two-stage competitive flexible procedure. Providers first submit a Procurement Specific Questionnaire, or PSQ. Applicants that meet the minimum criteria may then be invited to the tender stage. The enquiry deadline is 12 noon on 7 August 2026, but that is not the submission deadline.

The official 25076 Homecare Framework notice is the primary source for the facts in this guide. Providers must also review the full Cambridgeshire In-Tend pack, all buyer clarifications and every later amendment before deciding whether to bid.

In this guide: we explain the 17 lots, key dates, contract value, participation route, provider fit, bid restrictions, evaluation method and the evidence a serious homecare provider should prepare.

25076 Homecare Framework at a Glance

• Buyer: Cambridgeshire County Council
• Reference: 25076
• Notice: 2026/S 000-066926
• Procurement identifier: ocds-h6vhtk-05186c
• Service: regulated homecare services for adults aged 18 and over
• Procedure: two-stage competitive flexible procedure
• Regime: light touch contract under the Procurement Act 2023
• Framework value: £773,400,000 excluding VAT
• Initial contract dates: 1 November 2027 to 31 October 2030
• Possible extensions: to 31 October 2037
• Enquiry deadline: 12 noon on 7 August 2026
• PSQ participation deadline: 12 noon on 19 August 2026
• Submission portal: Cambridgeshire In-Tend

Review the 25076 Homecare Framework record on Care Sync Experts for a convenient opportunity summary. The official notice and buyer portal remain the final authority. You can also browse our wider feed of healthcare tender opportunities.

What Services Is Cambridgeshire County Council Commissioning?

The council intends to establish a multi-provider framework through which it can commission regulated homecare packages for adults across Cambridgeshire. The public notice includes older people, people with physical disabilities, people with learning disabilities, people with mental health needs, autistic people and other eligible adults with assessed care and support needs.

The council describes a locality-based model intended to support responsive delivery, continuity of care and coordination with health and community services. Its stated objectives include place-based services, stronger local care markets, improved consistency and quality, a sustainable provider base, preventative practice and value for money.

The notice says the council is seeking providers that can demonstrate strong quality and safeguarding standards, flexible delivery, workforce stability, collaboration and innovation. These are broad expectations, not a substitute for the detailed conditions, questions and evidence requirements in the procurement pack.

Providers should not infer a particular CQC rating, registered office rule, turnover threshold or insurance level from this public summary alone. Confirm every mandatory requirement in the current PSQ and tender documents. If the pack requires a local registered base or a minimum CQC rating, test the exact wording, eligible postcodes, evidence date and any exception before approving the bid.

How Are the 17 Lots Structured?

The 25076 Homecare Framework contains 15 geographic homecare zones and two countywide specialist lots.

Cambridge and East Cambridgeshire

• Lot 1: Cambridge East
• Lot 2: Cambridge North
• Lot 3: Cambridge West
• Lot 4: East Cambridgeshire North
• Lot 5: East Cambridgeshire South

Fenland

• Lot 6: West Fenland, Wisbech area
• Lot 7: Central Fenland, March area
• Lot 8: East Fenland, Chatteris area

Huntingdonshire

• Lot 9: Huntingdonshire East
• Lot 10: Huntingdonshire North
• Lot 11: Huntingdonshire South
• Lot 12: Huntingdonshire West

South Cambridgeshire and countywide services

• Lot 13: South Cambridgeshire East
• Lot 14: South Cambridgeshire North
• Lot 15: South Cambridgeshire West
• Lot 16a: countywide live-in care
• Lot 16b: countywide night-time care, including sleeping and waking nights

The official notice sets a maximum number of appointed providers for each of the 15 zoned lots. It also says a supplier may bid for a maximum of eight lots and may be awarded a maximum of four. This restriction should shape the bid decision. A provider needs to select the zones where it can prove workforce coverage, operational resilience, travel viability and genuine local capacity.

The framework has additional flexibility because it is for light touch services. The authority states that it may add new providers during the framework term where demand cannot be met or provider capacity is insufficient. Any later appointment would still be subject to a procurement process.

Who Should Consider Bidding?

The opportunity is likely to suit established domiciliary care providers that can evidence safe regulated delivery, reliable workforce capacity and a commercially sustainable model for one or more Cambridgeshire zones. It is also relevant to providers with credible live-in care or night-time care capability.

The notice identifies the opportunity as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises. Suitability does not remove the need to meet the conditions of participation or to prove that the proposed delivery model can operate at the required scale.

Before bidding, leadership should be able to evidence:

• current regulatory and safeguarding governance appropriate to the services offered;
• safe recruitment, induction, supervision and competency assurance;
• a realistic workforce plan for the selected zones or countywide lot;
• capacity to accept, start and sustain care packages safely;
• continuity arrangements for sickness, vacancies, travel disruption and demand peaks;
• person-centred care planning and outcome review;
• effective medication, incident, complaints and safeguarding controls;
• digital systems that support scheduling, monitoring, audit and information governance;
• credible collaboration with the council, NHS partners and community services;
• financial resilience and pricing that supports every delivery commitment.

If your organisation is new to public procurement, read our guide to tenders in health and social care before building the compliance matrix. Our earlier Harrow Council homecare tender guide also shows how local authority homecare opportunities can differ in lot structure, eligibility and delivery expectations.

How Does the Two-Stage Competitive Flexible Procedure Work?

The first stage is shortlisting. Applicants express interest and submit the completed PSQ, mandatory documents and any other material required by the buyer. The authority then assesses whether applicants meet the minimum criteria.

Applicants that pass the first stage may be invited to the second stage, which is the Invitation to Tender. The detailed tender stage will test the provider’s solution, evidence, commercial offer and compliance with the buyer’s instructions.

This distinction matters. The 19 August 2026 deadline is for requests to participate, not the final ITT return. A bid team should not wait for the ITT stage to resolve basic eligibility, corporate documents, insurance, financial evidence, regulatory evidence or delivery capacity.

Meeting the minimum PSQ criteria does not guarantee a place on the framework. The notice explains that compliant bidders will be ranked and allocated to available zone places, subject to the authority’s published methodology and the maximum of four awards per bidder.

Eight Evidence Priorities for the 25076 Homecare Framework

1. A zone-specific operating model

Show how the service will work in each selected lot. Map referral acceptance, assessment, care planning, rostering, visits, reviews, escalation and package closure. Explain travel assumptions, local management, on-call cover and how the provider will avoid overstretch across multiple zones.

2. Workforce capacity and continuity

Connect recruitment, retention, pay, travel time, contracted hours, supervision and cover arrangements to forecast demand. A strong answer distinguishes existing staff, committed recruits and future recruitment. Do not present an aspirational headcount as current capacity.

3. Safe mobilisation

Work backwards from the expected 1 November 2027 start. Cover governance, recruitment, TUPE where applicable, systems, care record transfer, service-user communication, workforce checks, training, rota testing and readiness assurance. Give each dependency an owner, milestone and fallback action.

4. Person-centred outcomes

Explain how care plans translate assessed needs, strengths, preferences and risks into deliverable outcomes. Show how people and representatives influence reviews, how changes are recorded and how staff recognise deterioration or unmet need.

5. Safeguarding and quality governance

Describe the operating route from concern to immediate protection, reporting, investigation, learning and oversight. Connect front-line reporting to registered manager review, senior governance, audit and improvement. Use current evidence that proves the system works, not only a policy title.

6. Partnership and escalation

Set out how the provider will work with social workers, commissioners, community health teams, hospitals, families and advocates. Define referral routes, information exchange, consent, handovers and escalation. Separate confirmed local relationships from arrangements that still need to be established.

7. Data, performance and digital assurance

Identify the measures that will show timeliness, continuity, quality, safety, outcomes and capacity. Explain data ownership, validation, reporting frequency and corrective action. Digital monitoring should support care, not replace professional judgement or human oversight.

8. Financial sustainability

Reconcile the price with pay, travel, training, supervision, management, technology, insurance, absence cover and overheads. Test demand variation and package complexity. Every promise in the method statements should be supported by the resource and cost model.

Care Sync Experts can help turn the current procurement pack into a traceable response plan through our healthcare tender writing service.

What Does Price Per Quality Point Mean for Bidders?

The notice says the framework will use a Price Per Quality Point, or PPQP, methodology. The bidder’s price is divided by its quality score, then multiplied by 100. Compliant bidders are ranked from the lowest PPQP to the highest before zone places are allocated under the published method.

The practical lesson is that price and quality cannot be developed separately. A lower price does not repair a weak or non-compliant quality response. A high quality score does not make an undeliverable price safe. The bid team should reconcile the service solution, staffing model, operating assumptions, evidence and commercial submission before final sign-off.

Build a requirement-to-evidence map for every scored question. Identify the delivery method, accountable role, supporting evidence, measure and review route. Vague phrases such as robust governance, seamless partnership or person-centred care should be followed immediately by a specific method that an evaluator can assess.

A Practical Preparation Plan

1. Confirm the live pack: register on Cambridgeshire In-Tend, express interest and record every document version and clarification.
2. Separate the dates: submit clarification questions before 12 noon on 7 August and the complete PSQ return before 12 noon on 19 August.
3. Run the bid decision: test eligibility, selected lots, workforce, local capacity, evidence, mobilisation and financial viability.
4. Build the PSQ evidence file: gather corporate, financial, insurance, regulatory, policy and technical evidence against the exact instructions.
5. Create a lot strategy: rank the zones or countywide lots using current operational evidence, not ambition alone.
6. Lock the delivery model: agree staffing, management, systems, partnerships, outcomes, risks and commercial assumptions.
7. Review independently: complete factual, compliance, evaluator and financial reviews before upload.
8. Submit early: verify every answer and attachment, then retain the portal receipt.

Common Reasons a Homecare Framework Bid Could Lose Marks

• confusing the enquiry deadline with the PSQ participation deadline;
• bidding for zones without credible workforce and travel capacity;
• assuming CQC registration alone proves full tender eligibility;
• using policies as evidence without showing implementation and results;
• describing person-centred values without a working care pathway;
• making partnership claims that have no named roles or referral process;
• failing to reconcile method statements with staffing and price;
• overlooking the maximum of eight bids and four awards;
• submitting an old PSQ version or missing a mandatory attachment;
• leaving portal submission until the final hour.

Should Your Organisation Bid?

Bid for the 25076 Homecare Framework if your organisation meets the current PSQ conditions, has a credible service model for the selected lots, can prove safe workforce capacity and can deliver every commitment at a sustainable price.

Consider a no-bid decision if the organisation would need to invent local capacity, rely on unconfirmed staff, stretch unrelated experience, assume eligibility or price below the true cost of safe delivery. A disciplined no-bid decision protects resources and reputation.

Before approving the application, leadership should be able to answer:

1. Which lots are we bidding for, and why are they our strongest fit?
2. What current evidence proves our regulatory, operational and financial capability?
3. Which gaps remain, and can they be closed before the relevant stage?
4. Can we mobilise and sustain the service safely at our proposed price?

Need Support With the 25076 Homecare Framework?

Care Sync Experts can help you review the 25076 Homecare Framework, build the PSQ and tender compliance matrix, strengthen evidence and prepare a clear, evaluator-friendly response. We will also tell you when the evidence supports a no-bid decision.

Book a tender consultation to discuss your lot strategy, evidence gaps and submission timetable.

This article is an independent summary based on the public notice and official information checked on 19 July 2026. It is not the procurement pack and does not replace the official notice, Cambridgeshire In-Tend documents, buyer clarifications, portal instructions or professional legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the deadline for the 25076 Homecare Framework?

The enquiry deadline is 12 noon on 7 August 2026. The deadline for requests to participate, including the PSQ return required at stage one, is 12 noon on 19 August 2026. Providers should check Cambridgeshire In-Tend for any formal amendment.

How much is the 25076 Homecare Framework worth?

The official notice gives an estimated total value of £773,400,000 excluding VAT and £928,080,000 including VAT. The initial term is expected to run for three years, with optional extensions that could take the framework to 31 October 2037.

How many lots can a provider bid for?

A supplier may bid for a maximum of eight lots and may be awarded a maximum of four. Providers should confirm the detailed allocation method and preferences in the current tender documents.

Is this a one-stage open tender?

No. The notice describes a two-stage competitive flexible procedure. Stage one is the PSQ shortlist. Applicants that meet the minimum criteria may be invited to submit an Invitation to Tender response at stage two.

Can new providers join the framework later?

The official notice says the authority may add providers during the framework term where demand or capacity requires it. Any additional appointment would be subject to a procurement process and does not remove the need to compete for the current opportunity.