Staffordshire County Council has reopened its Residential and Nursing Care Home Services for Adults Aged 65 and Over Framework. Issue 2 gives new service providers an opportunity to join the agreement from 15 February 2027, while providers already appointed to the original framework do not need to submit again.
The framework has an estimated value of approximately £1.565 billion excluding VAT and £1.878 billion including VAT. It covers four residential and nursing care categories and can run until August 2034 if the available extensions are used.
If your care home is eligible for Issue 2, speak to Thornton & Lowe about your response before the September deadline.
What is the Residential and Nursing Care Home Services Framework?
This procurement is designed to create a framework of approved providers for residential and nursing care home services in Staffordshire. That means the Council is not simply awarding a single contract. Instead, it is establishing a framework through which providers can be appointed and then accessed for future requirements over the life of the agreement. For suppliers, that makes framework appointment the key first step in positioning for later call-off opportunities.
The scope is focused specifically on adults aged 65 and over who have been assessed as needing care and support. This makes the opportunity particularly relevant to providers with established expertise in older people’s residential care, nursing care, dementia support, complex needs, safeguarding, and regulated service delivery.
Why this framework matters for care providers
The size and structure of this framework make it strategically important. A place on a council framework can create a more structured route to market than competing for standalone placements on an ad hoc basis. It also gives providers the chance to demonstrate quality, compliance, capacity and local delivery strength in a formal procurement setting tied to long-term demand. With adult social care under sustained pressure, frameworks like this can become an important source of visibility and continuity for successful providers.
This opportunity should be especially relevant to providers already operating in Staffordshire or the wider region, as well as those able to evidence strong inspection outcomes, safe staffing models, responsive admissions processes and experience of supporting older adults with a range of assessed care needs. The Council’s wording makes clear that regulated delivery, care quality and suitability for assessed needs will sit at the heart of the opportunity.
What is changing under Issue 2?
The original framework commenced on 1 September 2026. Issue 2 is a formal reopening designed to add new providers to the existing agreement rather than replace the providers already appointed.
This is important for organisations that missed the first application window or were not ready to submit earlier in the year. Successful Issue 2 providers are expected to join from 15 February 2027.
The official Find a Tender notice confirms that unsuccessful suppliers can also apply again when the framework is reopened, provided they have addressed the reasons their earlier submission was not accepted.
Which care services are covered?
The reopening covers four lots:
- Lot 1: Residential for Older People
- Lot 2: Residential for Older People with Dementia
- Lot 6: Nursing for Older People
- Lot 7: Nursing for Older People with Dementia
Providers must be registered with the Care Quality Commission for the relevant residential or nursing care activity. The specification also expects providers to hold any additional registrations needed for the specialisms they offer.
Placements can include long-stay, temporary and respite arrangements. The framework is primarily aimed at people ordinarily resident in Staffordshire, excluding Stoke-on-Trent, although placement decisions are based on assessed need and the Council may consider homes outside the usual distance where appropriate.
Our healthcare tenders guide provides wider advice on demonstrating quality, safeguarding, staffing and service outcomes in public sector care bids.
How does the framework operate?
The framework is an open arrangement that can be reopened at intervals. There is no maximum number of suppliers and no framework fee.
When a placement is required, Staffordshire can use a standard award procedure, an emergency procedure or award without competition in defined circumstances. This means framework appointment gives providers access to placement opportunities, but it does not guarantee a minimum volume of business.
Providers should therefore look at the framework commercially as well as operationally. Capacity, location, fee assumptions and the types of residents a home can safely support all influence the value of appointment.
100% quality weighting
The published award criteria for Issue 2 are 100% quality. That removes a scored price element from framework admission and places greater emphasis on whether providers can demonstrate that their service model meets Staffordshire's required standard.
Bidders should prepare clear evidence around:
- CQC registration and regulatory compliance
- safeguarding and incident management
- staffing levels, recruitment, retention and training
- dementia and nursing capability where relevant
- care planning and person-centred delivery
- business continuity and emergency cover
- quality monitoring and improvement
- referral responsiveness and admissions processes
- management of changing or multiple care needs
Generic care-home descriptions are unlikely to be enough. The response should show how the provider's actual systems, staffing and governance work in practice.
Key dates
- Issue 2 notice published: 1 September 2026
- Enquiry deadline: 22 September 2026 at 12:00pm
- Tender submission deadline: 30 September 2026 at 12:00pm
- Estimated award decision: 21 December 2026
- Issue 2 provider commencement: 15 February 2027
- Current framework end: 31 August 2030
- Possible extension: to 31 August 2034
Use the reopening to submit a stronger application
Issue 2 gives eligible care providers a fresh route onto one of the largest local-authority care frameworks currently in the market. The quality-only evaluation makes it especially important to provide specific, well-supported evidence rather than relying on broad statements about compassionate care or experienced staff.
At Thornton & Lowe, we regularly support health and social care providers with framework applications and tender responses. Contact our healthcare bid team if you want help reviewing, drafting or strengthening your Staffordshire submission.
