Accommodation Based Care Framework
Framework Description
Shropshire Council ran preliminary market engagement in April 2026 on how it should buy accommodation-based care: care homes and supported living. Its Approved Provider List no longer works under the Procurement Act 2023, so the Council is weighing a new framework that could cover all age groups, estimated at £914 million from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2032. It would sit alongside the existing FCA framework for learning disabilities and autism.
Context & Use Case
Shropshire's commissioners place people in care homes and supported living across the county. This engagement notice is not a call for competition: it asks providers for insight on their solutions and on how the procurement should be structured. The answers will help the Council design a route that keeps placements flowing once the Approved Provider List is retired.
Scope of Services
Care home provision Supported living services Possible extension to further accommodation-based provision Potential coverage of all age groups
Lots
See framework link
Who Can Apply
Care home operators and supported living providers that work, or want to work, with Shropshire Council. The engagement survey closed on 30 April 2026, and there is nothing to join yet: providers will win a place by bidding when the Council publishes the tender.
Buyer Benefits
The Council needs a compliant replacement for its Approved Provider List that still lets it place people quickly and locally. Hearing from providers first helps it set a structure, pricing approach and quality criteria the market can deliver, and an all-age design would let one arrangement serve adults and children's services alike.
Next Steps
Read Find a Tender notice 035290-2026 for the Council's plans and watch for the tender notice that follows. Start assembling CQC ratings, occupancy data, fee structures and case studies for care home and supported living placements, and decide which age groups and service types you would bid for, so you are ready when the competition opens.
How Athena Can Help
Shropshire's new route will replace the Approved Provider List, so providers need to be ready when the tender lands. Athena's help getting onto frameworks includes a 6 to 12 month pipeline plan, so your policies, case studies and certificates are ready before the notice is published.
When the competition opens, our bid managers can plan and write the submission, and our public sector bid consultants can help you price care home and supported living placements to win while keeping a margin.
