Community Based Care Framework
Framework Description
This is Shropshire Council's preliminary market engagement for community-based care, meaning domiciliary care and day care, on a framework estimated at £540 million. The Procurement Act 2023 makes the existing Approved Provider List unworkable, so the Council is testing alternative models before committing. The framework could cover all age groups, run from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2032 with a possible extension to 2035, and supplement the existing FCA framework for learning disabilities and autism.
Context & Use Case
Home care and day service providers in Shropshire currently reach Council work through the Approved Provider List. Before launching any competition, the Council wants to know what solutions and functionality the market offers and how a replacement route should work. Providers can use the engagement to explain delivery realities, such as travel time and staffing, directly to the commissioners who will design the procurement.
Scope of Services
Domiciliary care Day care services Possible extension to other community-based provision Potential coverage of all age groups
Lots
See framework link
Who Can Apply
Home care agencies and day service providers already active in Shropshire, or planning to enter the county. Participation is open to all, carries no commitment and has no bearing on later evaluation. No framework exists to join yet, so taking part now is preparation rather than a route in.
Buyer Benefits
The Council wants a route that keeps home care packages and day placements moving without breaching the new Act. Engaging first helps it judge structure, pricing and entry points for new providers, so the eventual arrangement matches local supply and avoids gaps in coverage that delay care starting.
Next Steps
Respond to Shropshire Council's engagement through Find a Tender notice 012337-2026, setting out your coverage, capacity and the model you would prefer. Track the Council's notices for the procurement that follows. Meanwhile, refresh your CQC evidence, recruitment and retention data, and examples of outcomes for people supported at home, as these commonly feature in care quality questions.
How Athena Can Help
Domiciliary and day care tenders often turn on how convincingly you evidence workforce stability and outcomes. Athena can help you use this engagement stage well, then turn what you learn into a winning submission. Our public sector tender support starts with bid/no-bid and "bid for the bid" planning, so your effort goes where you can win.
Once the route is published, our framework application service handles the selection questions, policies and narrative responses, and our bid writing support adds win themes and a compliance check before you submit.
