Wirral Council has launched the Choice, Independence and Community Living Framework, an eight-year open framework estimated at £507.52 million. It covers care and accommodation, day opportunities and two forms of short-break support for adults across Wirral.
The framework is designed to remain open to new suppliers and has no overall cap on provider numbers. The live tender closes on 5 October 2026, making this a time-sensitive opportunity for eligible care and support organisations.
If your organisation is considering the Wirral CIL Framework, speak to Thornton & Lowe about the right lot, your quality evidence and the October submission.
About the framework
Four service routes
The framework is divided into four service routes with different commercial and evaluation profiles.
- Lot 1: Care and Accommodation, focused on accommodation-based support and supported living. Estimated value £468 million.
- Lot 2: Day Opportunities, including enablement and skills support, community-based provision and specialist or intensive day opportunities. Estimated value £34.4 million.
- Lot 3a: Short Breaks, Bed Based, including residential respite, supported living overnight arrangements, specialist units and emergency respite. Estimated value £2.56 million.
- Lot 3b: Short Breaks, Non-bed Based, including home and community support, activities, evenings, weekends and other personalised arrangements. Estimated value £2.56 million.
An eight-year open framework
The framework is planned to run from February 2027 to January 2035. It is an Open Framework under the Procurement Act 2023, with awarded suppliers carried forward and new providers able to bid at future opening points.
There is no maximum number of suppliers and no framework fee. Call-offs may be awarded with or without further competition, so providers need to consider both the establishment tender and how they will position themselves for future packages of work.
Evaluation varies by lot
The published weightings are not identical across the framework.
- Lot 1: 80% quality, 10% social value and 10% price.
- Lot 2: 60% quality, 10% social value and 30% price.
- Lot 3a: 60% quality, 10% social value and 30% price.
- Lot 3b: 85% quality, 10% social value and 5% price.
What providers should prepare
The high quality weightings make operational evidence central to the bid. Providers should be ready to demonstrate:
- Person-centred support planning and outcomes.
- Safeguarding, risk management and incident response.
- Recruitment, retention, training and supervision.
- Support for complex needs and behaviour where relevant to the chosen lot.
- Community inclusion and strengths-based practice.
- Accommodation quality and tenancy-related support for Lot 1.
- Meaningful activity, progression and skills for Lot 2.
- Flexible respite and carer support for Lots 3a and 3b.
- Quality assurance, service-user feedback and continuous improvement.
- Specific, measurable social value relevant to Wirral.
Key dates
The enquiry deadline is 25 September 2026 at 12:00pm and the tender submission deadline is 5 October at 12:00pm. The estimated award decision is 1 December 2026, with the framework scheduled to start on 1 February 2027.
The official Find a Tender notice sets out the current lot values and evaluation weightings. Suppliers should use the complete tender documents for the detailed Conditions of Participation and quality questions.
Match the bid to the service route
The four routes require different evidence. A strong supported living submission should not read like a generic day-services bid, and a short-break provider should make its flexibility and response model clear.
Our guidance on health and social care tendering provides wider advice on compliance, quality and evidence for local authority care procurements.
Focus on the lot where your evidence is strongest
The open-framework model creates a long-term route into Wirral’s care market, but the immediate establishment tender is still competitive. Providers should concentrate on the services they can evidence clearly and make the operational model easy for evaluators to understand.
Thornton & Lowe supports supported living, day opportunities and wider social care providers with public sector tenders. Contact our team if you want help with the Wirral Choice, Independence and Community Living Framework.
