Birmingham City Council has opened P2269, an Open Framework for the provision of temporary accommodation through the private rented sector and private registered providers of social housing. The framework runs for three years from award, with an option to extend by a further two years in yearly increments. Unlike a traditional closed framework, this one remains open to new applications throughout its lifetime with applications assessed at fixed review windows rather than continuously. Providers who miss the first round will be able to apply again at future review points.

What services are required?

The Council is procuring self-contained residential temporary accommodation for vulnerable households placed under its statutory homelessness duties. Properties are commissioned across six size bands – one, two, three, four, five and six bedrooms and must meet the most current health and safety standards relevant to the accommodation type. The framework covers both private rented sector landlords and private registered providers of social housing, giving the Council a single quality-assured route to source temporary accommodation from across the housing market.

What is it solving?

Birmingham, like every major English local authority, is under sustained pressure on temporary accommodation. The framework addresses three connected challenges:

1. Discharging statutory duty – The Council must provide temporary accommodation to eligible households under the Housing Act 1996, the Homelessness Act 2002 and the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, and needs a reliable supply chain to do so. 
2. Quality and safety assurance – A single open framework with consistent standards is more defensible than ad-hoc nightly placements, particularly as scrutiny of temporary accommodation conditions has intensified. 
3. Supply flexibility – Keeping the framework open to new applications throughout its three-to-five-year life means the Council can keep absorbing new property as the market and homelessness pressures shift.

For vulnerable households – families with children, single adults at risk, people fleeing domestic abuse; the underlying purpose is safe, decent, secure accommodation while their longer-term housing situation is resolved, rather than placement in poor-quality or distant accommodation that compounds vulnerability.

Who is it ideal for?

This framework is suited to private landlords with portfolio properties in or near Birmingham, registered providers of social housing, supported housing providers with self-contained stock, and accommodation managers with the operational infrastructure to handle Council placements. Because the framework is open throughout its lifetime, it suits both established providers ready to apply now and growing providers who may want to join at a later review window once they have built more stock.

Service type and user group

The service is temporary accommodation for vulnerable households placed by the Council under its statutory homelessness duties. No specific age band is set – placements cover the full range of households the Council has a duty to accommodate, from single adults through to large families. Providers should expect to accommodate a wide mix of household compositions and circumstances, with the safeguarding and management arrangements to match.

Lot structure

The framework is divided into two lots, with property commissioned across six size bands: one, two, three, four, five and six bedrooms. Providers should apply to the lot or lots that match their portfolio and management capacity, with property size details aligned to actual stock rather than aspirational holdings.

Location restriction

Properties do not need to be located within the Birmingham city boundary, but they must be no more than one hour from Birmingham city centre by public transport. This out-of-borough flexibility is important, it widens the catchment for landlords with stock in the wider West Midlands while protecting placed households from being moved so far that schools, family, healthcare and support networks are disrupted.

Mandatory eligibility requirements

•       Self-contained residential property – The framework only accepts self-contained accommodation; shared HMO-style provision is out of scope.
•       Property size aligned to the six bands – One, two, three, four, five or six bedrooms, with bidders applying for the bands they have stock in.
•       Within one hour of Birmingham city centre by public transport – In-borough or out-of-borough property is acceptable provided this travel-time test is met.
•       Current health and safety compliance – All accommodation must meet the most current health and safety standards relevant to the property type, including fire safety, electrical safety, gas safety and HHSRS compliance.
•       Status as a private landlord or registered provider – The framework is open to private rented sector providers and private registered providers of social housing.

What should providers have in place?

•       Compliant property stock – Valid gas safety certificates, electrical safety reports (EICRs), fire safety assessments, energy performance certificates, and HHSRS compliance for every property submitted into the framework.
•       Up-to-date policies and procedures – Safeguarding, tenancy management, anti-social behaviour, complaints, equality and diversity, and incident reporting policies appropriate to housing vulnerable households.
•       Property management infrastructure – Systems for handling Council referrals, sign-ups, repairs, void management and rent collection at the volume and pace the Council expects.
•       Safeguarding and tenant support arrangements – Documented escalation routes for vulnerable tenants, with clear interfaces into the Council’s housing options and social care teams.
•       Out-of-hours response capability – Emergency repairs cover, especially for safety-critical issues such as heating, hot water, security and fire alarms.
•       Financial standing – Evidence of the financial capacity to hold and manage portfolio property over a three-to-five-year framework term.

Watch: tender summary video

Next steps

If you would like to speak to a sales manager about your application for this Open Framework, book a consultation with the AssuredBID team. We will talk through your portfolio, eligibility across the property bands, and bid strategy, and outline how our specialist bid writers can support your submission — whether you are applying in the next assessment window or at a later review point.

To review the full eligibility criteria, lot specifications, property standards and submission process, visit BIDSuite — Birmingham City Council P2269 Open Framework for Temporary Accommodation.