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Supported living tenders: how councils buy supported living services

Supported living services give people care and support in their own home. When councils start a new procurement for these services, it now comes under the Procurement Act 2023. If you provide supported living, or want to, this guide covers what councils have to do, the registration you'll need, and how to get onto the lists councils buy from. It covers England.

Why councils buy supported living, and how

Under the Care Act 2014 (section 5), a council must promote the efficient and effective operation of a market in care and support services. The aim is that people who need care have a variety of providers to choose from, high-quality services, and enough information to choose.

A council can buy through one-off contracts, through frameworks, or through open lists that providers can join over time. Read each council's procurement pages to see which it uses. Our guide to council tenders explains how to find them.

Do you need CQC registration for supported living?

If you provide personal care, yes. CQC says the regulated activity of personal care includes personal care provided through housing with care or supported living services. The care must be provided where the person is living at the time.

CQC also says that where people live in accommodation that requires them to need and receive a care service, there must be a real separation between the personal care and the accommodation for the service to be correctly registered for personal care. It's the nature of the care you provide that decides whether you need to register.

When you apply, CQC's page on supported living services lists the extra documents to send: a business plan and financial forecast, evidence of legal occupancy, service user guides and a staff training plan, plus the additional form for personal care providers. Specialist services for autistic people and people with a learning disability must also send a positive behaviour support policy and a restraint policy.

The light touch regime: what it means for supported living tenders

Under the Procurement Act 2023, health, social and related services listed in Schedule 1 of the Procurement Regulations 2024 are light touch services. The list includes health and social work services, social work services with accommodation, welfare services for disabled people, and social work services without accommodation.

For a light touch contract, the Act sets no minimum period for the participation or tendering stages (section 54). So timetables can be short. Watch notices closely and keep your documents ready.

Frameworks and dynamic markets: how to get on the list

A framework is usually a list of providers chosen through one competition. If you miss it, you may have to wait for the next one.

A dynamic market is the Procurement Act's open list (sections 34 to 40). The buyer must accept applications to join at any time while it runs, consider them within a reasonable period, and admit suppliers that meet the conditions as soon as reasonably practicable. Conditions for joining must be proportionate. A dynamic market that isn't a utilities dynamic market can provide for a fee charged to suppliers that win contracts through it, set as a fixed percentage of the awarded contract's estimated value. Our guide to dynamic markets explains how they work.

Before you apply to either, check the lots, the areas, the client groups and the minimum requirements against what you can deliver now.

How many supported living tenders there are (our figures)

From our own count of the public data, for social care and support as a whole:

Read each notice to see what kind of award it is. Our guides to care tenders and domiciliary care tenders cover the wider care market.

Do you need a tender writer?

A good writer can help you answer quality questions clearly. But they can't fix a missing registration, policy or track record, and a writer is only worth paying once you know a tender fits. On our /tender comparison, checked 29–30 Oct 2026, a bid writer cost £450–750 a day, and a per-bid writer from £600 a bid plus 5% on a win. See our guides to what tender writing services cost and a bid writer or a tender desk.

Questions

How do I win supported living contracts?

Get your CQC registration in place if you provide personal care, then find out how each council buys: one-off contracts, frameworks or open lists. Check each notice's lots, areas and minimum requirements against what you can deliver before you bid.

Do I need CQC registration for supported living?

If you provide personal care, yes. CQC says personal care includes care provided through supported living services, and there must be a real separation between the personal care and the accommodation. It's the nature of the care you provide that decides whether you need to register.

Are supported living tenders under the light-touch regime?

Social care services, including social work services with and without accommodation and welfare services for disabled people, are listed as light touch services in the Procurement Regulations 2024. The Act sets no minimum participation or tendering period for a light touch contract.

How do I get on a council's supported living framework?

Frameworks are usually set up through one competition, so you apply when the council runs it. A dynamic market is different: the council must accept applications at any time while it runs, and admit suppliers that meet its conditions as soon as reasonably practicable.

Should I pay a supported living tender writer?

Only once you know the tender fits. A writer can help with quality answers but can't fix a missing registration or track record. On our /tender comparison, checked 29–30 Oct 2026, a bid writer cost £450–750 a day.

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Sources

This guide summarises the official sources above. It isn't legal advice. Check the notice and tender documents for each contract.

Written with AI assistance by the Your Evenings team at Your Evenings Ltd. Last updated 31 October 2026.

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