Kent County Council has published a preliminary market engagement notice for a new accommodation and support service that will bring together elements of supported living and residential care into one future contract. This notice is not a tender. It is intended to engage the market early and gather feedback before the formal procurement approach is finalised.
For providers and delivery partners across learning disability, physical disability and mental health services, this is a meaningful early window to shape how the future model will work.
What is being commissioned?
Kent County Council explains that existing services are due to end in 2027 and that it wants a new contract bringing together:
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Supported living
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Residential care (learning disability, physical disability and mental health)
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Related support elements currently delivered through other arrangements
The notice states that dates are provisional and subject to change.
Contract size and likely scale
The council estimates a total contract value of £3.02bn (excluding VAT). The contract dates are estimated as 1 June 2027 to 31 May 2032, with a possible extension to 31 May 2037.
Market engagement: key dates
The engagement deadline is 31 March 2026.
Kent County Council has scheduled four virtual market engagement sessions to take place via Microsoft Teams. Each is expected to last around three hours:
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19 February 2026 (1pm–4pm)
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25 February 2026 (9:30am–12:30pm)
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4 March 2026 (2pm–5pm)
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6 March 2026 (9am–12pm)
Potential providers are required to submit responses by Monday 16 February 2026 to book a place.
What the sessions will cover
The published agenda topics are clear, and provide a useful guide for what to prepare:
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Key elements of the service
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Commissioning intentions, accommodation strategy and specification
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Geographical, delivery and pricing
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Procurement approach
How providers can prepare to get value from engagement
If you attend, it is worth going in with a short pack of evidence and a tight list of questions. Kent County Council is explicitly testing delivery shape, pricing and performance, so providers should be ready to contribute practical suggestions.
Suggested prep checklist
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A clear description of your delivery model: support planning, staffing, escalation and safeguarding routes
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Your geographic coverage and capacity approach (including surge capacity and mobilisation)
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Your pricing approach, with the assumptions you need clarified
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Examples of measurable outcomes you can report (and what data you need from the authority)
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KPI suggestions that drive quality without unintended consequences
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Any practical risks in the proposed integrated model and how you would mitigate them
How Thornton & Lowe can help
Thornton & Lowe are experts in writing health and social care tenders. We can support providers to:
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Prepare a market engagement response that positions your organisation well
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Build a tender evidence plan now (policies, case studies, outcomes, workforce plan)
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Develop a bid strategy aligned to the likely evaluation themes: quality, delivery, mobilisation, reporting and value
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a tender?
No. This is a preliminary market engagement notice only.
When are the engagement sessions?
They are scheduled across 19 Feb, 25 Feb, 4 Mar and 6 Mar 2026.
When does the contract start?
The notice indicates an estimated start date of 1 June 2027 (subject to change).
