Stoke-on-Trent City Council has reopened its Supported Living and Social Opportunities Framework for learning disability, autism, mental health and physical disability services. This framework is focused on care, support and social opportunity provision for people who need structured support to live well and take part in their community.
If you are exploring a bid for this long-term, high-value framework, contact Thornton & Lowe. Our experts can rapidly help you assess if this opportunity aligns with your organisation and ensure your efforts are well-invested.
Framework overview
The framework is being reopened under the Light Touch Regime for health, social care and related services. The notice describes this as a combined year 2 and year 3 reopening of the existing framework, with an estimated total value of £146.2m excluding VAT.
The framework is split into two lots:
- Lot 1: Care and Support, including support for people with learning disabilities, mental health needs and physical disabilities, alongside outreach support.
- Lot 2: Social Opportunities, including building-based and community-based activities designed to support independence, wellbeing and community participation.
This makes the opportunity relevant to supported living providers, outreach support organisations, community support providers and specialist organisations delivering meaningful day opportunities or structured social activities.
Key dates and contract details
- Buyer: Stoke-on-Trent City Council
- Notice: Visit Find a Tender
- Estimated value: £146.2m excluding VAT
- Framework duration: 120 months
- Submission deadline: 1 July 2026 at 4:00pm
- Lots: Care and Support; Social Opportunities
Who should consider bidding?
This opportunity is best suited to providers that can evidence safe, person-centred support, strong safeguarding arrangements, trained staff, quality assurance, robust mobilisation and positive outcomes for individuals. The wording of the notice means suppliers should avoid presenting themselves too narrowly unless they are only targeting a specific lot. A provider delivering autism support, mental health outreach or community-based activities may be just as relevant as a traditional supported living provider.
Thornton & Lowe regularly supports providers with social care tender writing, including evidence development around quality, safeguarding, workforce, mobilisation and outcomes. For this framework, the strongest responses are likely to be clear on how support will be tailored to individual need, how risks will be managed, and how independence and community inclusion will be measured.
Bid preparation priorities
Before drafting, suppliers should review the lot structure and decide whether their experience is strongest in care and support, social opportunities, or both. Evidence should be specific and recent, ideally showing measurable outcomes for people with comparable needs. Generic statements about being person-centred will not be enough on their own.
Useful preparation areas include:
- case studies showing improved independence, wellbeing or community participation;
- staff training records and supervision arrangements;
- safeguarding, incident management and quality monitoring evidence;
- mobilisation planning for new packages or activity provision;
- partnership working with families, commissioners, social workers and community organisations.
Final thoughts
This is a substantial long-term framework for specialist care, support and social opportunity services in Stoke-on-Trent. Suppliers should treat the reopening as a focused commissioner-led opportunity, not a broad generic care tender. Strong submissions will need to show practical delivery capability, safe service models and clear benefits for individuals.
