Leicestershire County Council has opened applications for its £496 million Home Care Framework 2027, offering opportunities for domiciliary care and live-in care providers delivering services across Leicestershire.
The procurement is a continuation of the Council's existing open framework, allowing eligible new providers to apply while established framework suppliers are carried forward. It covers home care services designed to help people remain independent, maintain their wellbeing and receive appropriate support within their own homes.
The application deadline is 4pm on 9 December 2026. Providers considering this opportunity should review the service specification, admission requirements and hourly rate guidance carefully, particularly because the framework uses a pass-based admission model.
Home Care for Leicestershire 2027 overview
Leicestershire County Council commissions home care services for residents assessed as requiring support with their daily lives. The framework is intended to help the Council work with independent care providers that can demonstrate suitable quality standards, appropriate regulatory compliance and an approach focused on enabling people to live as independently as possible.
Services may also support people returning home from hospital or moving out of residential or other building-based care settings. This means providers must be able to demonstrate effective care planning, reliable delivery and coordination with health and social care professionals.
Detail | Information |
|---|---|
Contracting authority | Leicestershire County Council |
Procurement reference | DN776276 |
Estimated value | £496 million |
Framework type | Continuation of an open framework |
Framework period | 12 October 2027 to 11 October 2034 |
Service lots | Lot 1: Home Care (maintenance); Lot 3: Live-in Care / 24-Hour Care |
Maximum suppliers | Unlimited |
Enquiry deadline | 20 November 2026, 4pm |
Submission deadline | 9 December 2026, 4pm |
What services does the framework cover?
The framework focuses on home care services that promote independence, safety, wellbeing and recovery. Providers are expected to deliver support in accordance with the Council's specification, with the Care Quality Commission's regulations and the Care Act 2014 forming an important part of the service requirements.
The published procurement includes two available lots, identified as Lot 1 and Lot 3.
Lot 1: Home Care (maintenance)
Lot 1 covers home care services intended to help individuals maintain their wellbeing and independence through ongoing support. It has an estimated published lot value of £490 million, making it the largest element of the procurement.
Providers appointed to this lot will be eligible to receive individual packages of care through the framework's Call of Procedure. The precise requirements for accepting, managing and delivering those packages are set out in the supporting tender documents.
This lot is likely to be particularly relevant to established domiciliary care providers with the workforce, management systems and operational coverage required to deliver reliable services across their chosen areas.
Lot 3: Home Care (Live-in Care / 24-Hour Care)
Lot 3 covers live-in care and 24-hour care arrangements for people who require more extensive support in their own homes. The published notice assigns this lot an estimated value of £1 million.
Providers considering this lot should assess the specific staffing, continuity, safeguarding and service delivery requirements. Live-in care can involve different operational arrangements from scheduled home care visits, particularly where individuals require sustained support throughout the day and night.
The detailed service specification will determine the precise care requirements and provider obligations for this lot.
How does the open framework operate?
The Home Care for Leicestershire 2027 procurement continues the existing 2026 open framework. Under this arrangement, previously appointed providers are carried forward, while new organisations can apply to join through the current procurement.
There is no maximum number of suppliers specified in the notice. Instead, the Council intends to award a place to any provider that passes all the required elements of the application process.
The framework will operate through a call-off procedure, which is used to allocate individual packages of care to eligible providers. Call-offs may be made with or without competition, in accordance with the framework's operating rules.
Admission to the framework creates eligibility for future care packages but does not guarantee that a provider will receive a particular volume of work. Organisations should review the operational documentation to understand how packages are offered, accepted and managed.
What are the application and evaluation requirements?
The procurement uses an open procedure under the light-touch regime of the Procurement Act 2023. The notice identifies quality as the award criterion and describes admission as dependent on passing all required elements.
Unlike some framework procurements, the published notice does not set out percentage-based quality and price weightings. Providers should therefore rely on the supporting tender documentation to understand the precise pass requirements, evidence expectations and assessment process.
The notice also states that bidders must provide an hourly rate within the Council's published guide rates. This makes it important to review commercial affordability alongside regulatory and operational requirements before deciding whether to apply.
How should home care providers prepare their applications?
Demonstrate regulatory compliance and safe care
Providers should prepare evidence showing how their services comply with applicable care regulations and quality standards. This may include relevant CQC registration, safeguarding procedures, medication management, recruitment checks and staff training arrangements.
The response should go beyond identifying policies by explaining how procedures are implemented, monitored and improved. Thornton & Lowe's social care tender writing specialists support providers with presenting this kind of evidence clearly in public sector applications.
Show how care promotes independence
The Council's service objectives emphasise helping individuals maintain, regain or develop the skills needed to live independently. Providers should therefore demonstrate how care plans reflect people's strengths, preferences and personal outcomes rather than focusing exclusively on the tasks being delivered.
Relevant examples might include supporting individuals following hospital discharge, helping people regain confidence with daily activities or adapting care packages as their needs change. A convincing submission will explain how progress is monitored and how the provider works with individuals and their families.
Explain workforce capacity and continuity
Reliable care delivery depends on having sufficient trained staff, suitable supervision and effective scheduling arrangements. Providers should be ready to demonstrate how they recruit, retain and develop care workers while maintaining continuity for people receiving support.
Evidence could include staff turnover, training completion, visit reliability, supervision processes and arrangements for managing absence or unexpected demand. For live-in care, particular attention should be paid to continuity, staff wellbeing and the arrangements needed to maintain safe 24-hour support.
Prepare evidence of service quality
Because admission depends on satisfying the required quality elements, providers should organise their supporting evidence before completing the application. This may include inspection findings, quality audits, service-user feedback, complaints monitoring and records of improvements made following incidents or concerns.
Case studies should demonstrate what the organisation achieved and how it responded to individual needs. Thornton & Lowe's bid writing guide explains how to structure evidence-based responses around the buyer's requirements rather than relying on general descriptions of services.
Review the hourly rate requirements
Providers must submit an hourly rate within the guide rates specified by the Council. Before doing so, they should consider the full cost of delivery, including staff pay, travel, supervision, training, insurance, management and other operational requirements.
Care providers should avoid treating the guide rates as a substitute for detailed financial planning. A sustainable rate must support the level of care quality, workforce stability and service reliability required throughout the contract.
Assess operational readiness
Organisations should consider how they will mobilise and manage care packages if admitted to the framework. This includes geographical coverage, staffing availability, referral arrangements, communication with commissioners and processes for responding to urgent changes in people's needs.
A structured bid management approach can help ensure that operational, commercial and compliance teams contribute the necessary information before submission.
How to apply for Home Care for Leicestershire 2027
The procurement is being managed through Source East Midlands under reference DN776276. Interested providers should register on the portal, download the full specification and application documents, and confirm their eligibility for the relevant lot.
The important dates are:
- 20 November 2026, 4pm: Enquiry deadline
- 9 December 2026, 4pm: Tender submission deadline
Further information is available through:
Providers should ensure that all supporting evidence, declarations and commercial information are complete before submission. The current tender documents should be treated as the definitive source for the application requirements.
Preparing a strong Leicestershire home care application
The £496 million Home Care Framework provides opportunities for providers seeking to deliver care services across Leicestershire over a seven-year period. Its open admission model creates a route for eligible businesses and voluntary organisations, but applicants must still demonstrate that they satisfy the Council's quality and commercial requirements.
Thornton & Lowe helps home care providers prepare framework applications, develop technical responses and organise the evidence needed to demonstrate their service quality. Our bid writing team can support organisations throughout the application process, from an initial review of requirements to the final submission.
