Enhanced Care Framework
Framework Description
Sheffield City Council is procuring the Enhanced Care Framework to buy specialist care for people aged over 16 with learning disabilities and/or autism, including those with behaviours of distress or mental health conditions. It is being set up as an open framework with an eight-year maximum term (3+3+2 years) and at least two reopenings, running to 31 January 2035. Six lots cover different care settings and levels of urgency.
Context & Use Case
Sheffield's adult social care commissioners will use it to place people whose needs go beyond standard supported living or residential care: those at risk of placement breakdown, those who need planned or emergency overnight breaks, and those who need a crisis or bridging service while a longer-term home is arranged. The Council has held market engagement events to explain the lot-specific requirements before the formal tender.
Scope of Services
Enhanced Supported Living Severe Multiple Disadvantage Care and Nursing Home Planned Enhanced Overnight Short Breaks Emergency Overnight Short Breaks Crisis/Bridging support
Lots
Yes: Enhanced Supported Living, Severe Multiple Disadvantage, Care and Nursing Home, Planned Enhanced Overnight Short Breaks, Emergency Overnight Short Breaks, Crisis/Bridging support
Who Can Apply
Suits CQC-registered providers of supported living, care and nursing homes or short breaks that already support autistic people and people with learning disabilities who have complex needs. The framework has not yet been awarded, so the first route in is the initial tender. Because it is an open framework, the planned reopenings give later chances to join.
Buyer Benefits
Sheffield gains a vetted pool of providers able to support people with the highest-risk profiles, so it can act quickly when a situation escalates. Separate lots for planned and emergency overnight breaks and for crisis/bridging support let commissioners match the service to the urgency of need, and reopenings let the Council add capacity over the eight-year term.
Next Steps
Read Find a Tender notice 059285-2026 and attend any of Sheffield City Council's remaining market engagement events. Decide which of the six lots fit your registration and service model, then gather CQC reports, staff training records for positive behaviour support and outcome case studies. If the first round comes too soon, plan for a reopening: the framework can run to 31 January 2035.
How Athena Can Help
With six lots and a client group that includes people in crisis, Sheffield's tender will reward providers who show exactly how they manage risk and behaviours of distress. Athena can start on that now. Our bid writing team builds win themes around your outcomes, writes responses to the quality criteria and runs a Bid Health Check before submission.
If you are unsure which lots to enter, our bid/no-bid advice tests each one against your capacity and pricing. As an open framework it will reopen, and our framework registration support can plan your application for those later windows too.
