London Borough of Lambeth is looking for care providers to join two Approved Provider Lists (APL) for services supporting adults with learning disabilities and/or autism.

With  room for up to 24 providers in total, eight on the Residential Care list and 16 on the Supported Living list, this opportunity is worth approximately £88.8 million and is split into two very different service models: Residential Care and Supported Living.

The services are intended for Lambeth clients who need residential care, personal care or supported living, and may also include Continuing Healthcare (CHC)-funded clients and Lambeth Children’s Services clients turning 18.

The tender opened on 1 September 2026 and closes on 6 October 2026. You can expect the proposed contract award decision on 15 February 2027. Interested already? Grab your popcorn and jotter for this.

It is very important to understand that these are not two versions of the same opportunity. the accommodation requirement, CQC expectations and delivery model are different between the two lots.

What is Lambeth actually looking to commission?

Lambeth is creating two Approved Provider Lists for the provision of care and support to adults with learning disabilities and/or autism.

The two lots are:

Lot 1: APL Residential Care

This is for providers delivering residential care and personal care.

You are expected to provide quality accommodation as well as the care and support. So if your organisation already operates residential care services and can meet the relevant CQC requirements, this is the lot that suits your existing model.

Lot 2: APL Supported Living

With Supported Living, it is a bit different.

Under this lot, you do not have to provide the accommodation. Instead, people are expected to live in their own homes, with you delivering the care and support they need.

You may work alongside housing providers and registered social landlords where possible. Being strong in residential care does not mean that the existing model automatically translates into supported living.

Residential Care vs Supported Living

At a glance, the two lots can look similar because both involve supporting adults with learning disabilities and/or autism. The practical difference is who provides the home and what role the care provider plays in it.

Who are the services for?

The core service user group is adults with learning disabilities and/or autism. Also:

Continuing Healthcare-funded clients

The Approved Provider Lists may include CHC-funded clients, meaning you could need to work within the requirements associated with Continuing Healthcare-funded support.

Young people turning 18

Lambeth also anticipates supporting Children’s Services clients who are turning 18.

That makes transition experience particularly relevant. You must be able to demonstrate that you understand the difference between simply providing a care placement and supporting someone through a significant change in their life and care arrangements.

Ultimately, the services are about providing people with appropriate care and support while maintaining safety, dignity, choice and independence wherever possible.

How many providers will Lambeth appoint?

This is where the opportunity becomes particularly competitive. Lambeth intends to appoint:

So while the overall opportunity is worth approximately £88.8 million, simply meeting the minimum requirements does not mean you are guaranteed a place.

For Lot 1 in particular, there are only eight places available.

That makes the quality of the evidence in your submission important. You will need to demonstrate that you are eligible, and that you have the relevant experience, workforce, policies and operational capability to deliver the service.

What does a provider need to be eligible?

There are several requirements that you need to check before spending time on a full submission.

Relevant experience

Lambeth requires evidence of relevant technical and professional ability.

Providers are asked for up to three references from the past three years for relevant services, or up to five years for experience from the public, private or VCSE sectors.

If you cannot provide the required references, the tender allows for an explanation of how your organisation otherwise meets the technical and professional ability criteria, subject to the specified response requirements.

This is worth checking early. If your references are not immediately available, you do not want to discover the problem halfway through the bid.

Service experience is scored

Experience is assessed using a 0–5 scoring scale, and providers need to achieve a score of at least 3 to pass.

So, your evidence should make it clear what you delivered, who you supported, the nature of the service and what your organisation was responsible for.

What CQC registration and rating do you need?

This is one of the most important parts of the tender.

CQC registration is required for both lots, but the relevant registration differs.

Lot 1 – Residential Care

You need registration covering residential and personal care.

The required CQC rating is Good or above following the most recent inspection.

Lot 2 – Supported Living

You need registration covering support with personal care for adults with learning disabilities.

The tender accepts providers rated Good or Outstanding. Where a provider requires improvement, a demonstrable improvement plan is required.

In other words, your CQC position should be one of the first things you check before deciding whether to bid.

If your registration does not cover the relevant activity, or your current rating does not meet the applicable requirement, that needs to be resolved or understood before you commit resources to the tender.

What policies and workforce arrangements are required?

Lambeth expects you to have the basic safeguarding and operational infrastructure you will expect from an organisation delivering care to adults who may have complex support needs.

The tender identifies policies covering:

1. Safeguarding Adults
2. Staff Code of Conduct
3. Medication
4. Managing Finances
5. Health and Safety
6. Whistleblowing
7. Care and Support Planning
8. Infection Prevention and Control
9. Equality

The Equality policy must comply with the Equality Act 2010.

Your staff also need appropriate training, experience and qualifications, including the competence required for medication administration.

DBS checks are also implied through the safeguarding requirements.

For providers preparing a bid, this is a good point to audit the evidence behind your policies. Having a policy document is one thing; being able to demonstrate that it is implemented in practice is another.

What are the financial requirements?

Lambeth has set a minimum financial threshold.

Providers need a minimum annual turnover of £500,000.

The required insurance levels are:

• Employers’ Liability: £10 million
• Public Liability: £5 million
• Professional Indemnity: £1 million

Sole traders are exempt from the Employers’ Liability requirement.

If you are considering bidding, make sure your financial and insurance documents are readily available rather than leaving them until the final stages of the submission.

How will pricing work?

There is no fixed hourly, daily or weekly rate specified in the tender.

Instead, providers submit their prices using the relevant Pricing Schedule here

Price is part of the evaluation, with the pricing methodology using the lowest-priced compliant tender as the benchmark against each provider’s submitted price.

That means this is not simply a case of putting forward the lowest number possible.

You still needs to demonstrate that its proposed price can support the staffing, accommodation, safeguarding, training and operational requirements of the service.

The tender also makes provision for abnormally low tenders. Where the council considers a tender abnormally low, you may be required to demonstrate its ability to deliver at that price or withdraw within one working day.

Timeline

Here are the dates you need to take note of:

If you are considering this opportunity, the time between now and the deadline should be used to check eligibility, gather evidence, review your CQC position and build your response rather than leaving everything to the last minute.

What should providers have ready before bidding?

Before starting the submission, you should ideally be able to tick most of these boxes:

• CQC registration appropriate to the lot you are applying for
• The required CQC rating
• Up to three relevant references from the required period
• Appropriate staff training, experience and qualifications
• Competence in medication administration
• A Staff Code of Conduct
• Safeguarding Adults procedures
• Managing Finances procedures
• Health and Safety procedures
• Whistleblowing procedures
• Care and Support Planning procedures
• Infection Prevention and Control procedures
• An Equality Policy complying with the Equality Act 2010
• Minimum annual turnover of £500,000
• The required insurance cover
• A completed Pricing Schedule

Is this opportunity right for your organisation?

The Lambeth tender is particularly relevant if you already operate in residential care, supported living, learning disability or autism services and have the regulatory infrastructure to support your application.

Worthy of note is that the two lots require different things. Lot 1 for residential care and accommodation providers and Lot 2 for providers who provide care and support to people living in their own homes.

You as a provider should not only rely on simply passing the minimum requirements because Lambeth has capped the number of providers at 8 for Residential Care and 16 for Supported Living.

Watch the Tender Breakdown Video:

Way Forward

There are only a few days to get this tender submitted. If you want to speak to a sales manager about your application, contact the AssuredBID team. We will talk through your eligibility and whether this is the best opportunity for you. Our specialist bid writers can then support your submission for this round or a future reopening.

Click here to view this tender.