Sheffield City Council has opened an Enhanced Care Framework worth £171.6 million for services supporting people over the age of 16 with learning disabilities and/or autism, particularly those who display behaviours that challenge and those with a mental health condition.

This is an open framework procured under the Procurement Act, running for a maximum of eight years. Within that eight-year term, it must reopen at least twice: after the first three years, then again three years later, with the final framework running for two years. So if you miss this round, there will be another opportunity later.

Tenders closed on 7 August 2026 at 12:00, with the contract awarded on 7 September 2026. Even if you’re reading this after the initial deadline, the framework’s open structure means future reopening windows will follow.

What services are required?

The framework covers six lots with sub-lots across the enhanced care spectrum. The scale of the £171.6 million budget reflects how much ground it covers:

Lot 1: Enhanced Supported Living (£75m annual value)

• Lot 1.1: Support Linked with Accommodation
• Lot 1.2: Community Care and Support

Lot 2: Severe Multiple Disadvantage (£10m annual value)

• Lot 2.1: Support Linked with Accommodation
• Lot 2.2: Community Care and Support

Lot 3: Care and Nursing Homes (£45m annual value)

• Lot 3.1: Residential Care (care home services without nursing)
• Lot 3.2: Nursing Care (care home services with nursing)

Lot 4: Planned Enhanced Overnight Short Breaks (£4m annual value)

Lot 5: Emergency Enhanced Overnight Short Breaks (£4m annual value)

Lot 6: Crisis and Bridging Support (£5m annual value)

Providers can express interest in one or more lots depending on their service model and capacity. Given Lot 1 represents the largest annual value at £75m, providers with strong supported living portfolios will find it the most substantial opportunity. Our supported living tender writing service is specifically built to support providers bidding for frameworks of this scale.

What is it solving?

Sheffield is shifting away from process-driven commissioning toward an outcomes-based approach. The focus moves from how a service operates to what it actually achieves for the person being supported, with individuals and their advocates playing a more central role in measuring success.

The framework also addresses the specific and often complex needs of people with learning disabilities and autism who display behaviours that challenge. These are cohorts that benefit from specialist providers rather than generic services, and the six-lot structure lets the Council match the right provider type to the right care intensity.

For the people being supported, the goal is choice, independence, dignity and continuity of care, delivered by providers held to consistent quality standards across an eight-year commissioning horizon.

Who is it ideal for?

This framework suits established health and social care providers with experience supporting adults with learning disabilities, autism, mental health conditions, and severe multiple disadvantage. The scope is broad, so it fits:

• Enhanced supported living providers
• Residential and nursing care providers
• Providers offering community-based care and support
• Overnight short breaks providers (planned and emergency). Our dedicated short breaks (respite care) tender writing service supports providers bidding into Lots 4 and 5.
• Crisis and bridging support specialists

Delivery is to Sheffield only. Providers do not need to be Sheffield-based, but you need the operational capability to deliver locally.

Service type and user group

The service is for people over 16 years old with:

• Learning disabilities
• Autism
• Behaviours that challenge
• Co-occurring mental health conditions

Provider caps by lot

Unlike some frameworks with unlimited provider admissions, Sheffield has set caps on most lots:

Competition will be sharper on the capped lots, particularly Lots 1, 2 and 6.

Mandatory eligibility requirements

These are the pass-or-fail conditions:

• Minimum score of 60% required for Lot eligibility. This is the qualifying threshold across the assessment.
• Cyber Essentials Plus certification is mandatory. IT networks must be operated and maintained in line with the Government’s Cyber Essentials Scheme at Cyber Essentials Plus level.
• Insurance levels required pre-contract (not at participation stage):
  • Employer’s Liability: minimum £10,000,000
  • Public Liability: minimum £10,000,000
  • Medical Malpractice Liability: minimum £2,000,000
• Exclusion Grounds assessment passed
• Legal Capacity to perform the contract
• Financial Capacity confirmed
• Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) completed
• Conflicts of Interest assessment completed

Required policies and legislation compliance

Providers must comply with:

• Health & Safety at Work Act 1974
• Data Protection Legislation
• Freedom of Information Act 2000
• Environmental Information Regulations 2004
• Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Standard policies expected include Safeguarding, Equality & Diversity, Health & Safety, Data Protection, and Whistleblowing.

Regulatory registration

Regulatory registration requirements are not explicitly named in the tender documents. Providers delivering personal care will typically need CQC registration for the relevant regulated activities, but the documents do not specify a named regulator or category for this framework.

Timeline

What should providers have in place?

• Cyber Essentials Plus certification at the point of application. This is one of the more unusual pass-or-fail conditions and providers without it will need to secure certification before bidding.
• Insurance cover at the required levels ready to activate pre-contract.
• Specialist workforce for enhanced care, with training in positive behaviour support, autism-specific practice, mental health awareness, and person-centred planning.
• CQC registration for regulated activities delivered under Lots 1, 2 and 3 where personal care applies.
• Person-centred and outcomes-based service model that fits Sheffield’s commissioning direction.
• Operational capability in Sheffield or a credible plan to deliver locally.
• A completed Procurement Specific Questionnaire and evidence pack for the assessment.

If you would like to see how we have supported providers to win frameworks of similar scale and complexity, our case studies set out the outcomes achieved across enhanced care, supported living and specialist adult social care contracts.

For further reading on how outcomes-based commissioning, framework structures, and pass-or-fail thresholds are shaping current tenders, visit our blog.

Watch: tender summary video

Next steps

If you want to speak to a sales manager about your application, contact the AssuredBID team. We will talk through your eligibility across the six lots, your Cyber Essentials Plus position, your workforce and CQC readiness, and your bid strategy. Our specialist bid writers can then support your submission for this round or a future reopening.

To browse all current opportunities we are tracking, visit our open tenders page.