Find a TenderCancelledProcurement termination notice
Published 16 Jan 2026, 14:34 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

003191 - Contract for Provision of accommodation and support for homeless individuals with multiple vulnerabilities

Official notice

Authority: Durham County Council (Local council)

ServicesCompetitive flexible procedureAbove thresholdLight touch regimeSME suitableVCSE suitable
Published estimate£750,000≈ £375k / year · £900,000 inc. VAT
Submissions closed 9 Mar 2026
Contract term 2 yrsends 30 Jun 2028 · up to 30 Jun 2030 with extensions · starts 1 Jul 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Homelessness can lead individuals and their families and friends into a cycle that can have a profound effect on all aspects of life. It is not just a lack of accommodation; homelessness can affect our physical and mental health and wellbeing, educational achievement, ability to gain and sustain employment and puts pressure on personal and family relationships. The impact of homelessness devastates lives, and it is often a long journey for an individual to build their life up again.

Being at risk of, or losing a home, can be the result of many different structural or personal factors. Unless these factors are addressed, the ability of an individual to become resilient and improve their chance of a positive future is greatly reduced, placing them at risk of becoming trapped in a cycle of homelessness.

The County Durham Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy (2024-2029) was adopted in July 2024. The strategy was written following a robust review of homelessness across the County.

Due to the Council's statutory duties under homeless legislation, the number of households meeting the requirement for temporary accommodation has increased significantly over recent years. From approximately 48 households in 2018/19 to almost 140 households in early 2025.

The number of verified rough sleepers within the county remains consistent at approximately 15 per single night. Total presentations from rough sleepers in the first three quarters of 2024/25 were 213 compared to 182 in the first three quarters of 2025/26.

Durham County Council recognise the need for a holistic, trauma-informed accommodation support model that will help to create a pathway of provision for single people who are rough sleeping and present with multiple vulnerabilities or who are at high risk of sleeping rough. A tailored, person-centred, accessible package with a range of rapid interventions is required so that individuals can exit rough sleeping quickly and sustainably.

  • How the procedure runs: The procurement exercise is being run as a multiple stage Competitive Flexible procedure pursuant to the section 20 2(b) of PA23. Stage 1 - has been designed to assess the suitability of bidders to deliver the Council's accommodation and support for homeless individuals with multiple vulnerabilities service requirement(s), to exclude any unsuitable bidders, and to produce a shortlist of those bidders most suited to proceed to Stage 2. The Council will shortlist a maximum of 3 bidders only (assuming that there are at least 3 suitably qualified organisations). Stage 2 - has been designed to assess the property from Provision of accommodation and support for homeless individuals with multiple vulnerabilities support service will be delivered. Stage 3 - Bidders with the highest combined score from Stage 1 and Stage 2 will be deemed the successful provider and once standstill has expired will be invited to meet with the Council to finalise the proposal to ensure this meets the Council's needs prior entering into contract (if required). This procurement exercise is also being undertaken to award a light touch contract, that is, a contract that is wholly or mainly for the supply of services as specified in Procurement Regulations 2024, Schedule 1.

CPV: Accommodation services · Residential health facilities services · Social work services with accommodation

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1AwardedRenewal 2 yrsSMEVCSEPublished value£750,000
Contract period: 1 Jul 2026 – 30 Jun 2028 (2 yrs) · up to 30 Jun 2030 with extensionsValue: £750,000 exc. VAT · £900,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: North EastEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible
Extensions: At the Council's discretion, should the Council acquire further funding, including from different sources, additional services may be required and may slightly differ to that detailed in the Specification but will fall under the remit of accommodation and support for homeless individuals with multiple vulnerabilities. The Council reserves the right to apply inflationary uplifts to the contract value at its sole discretion and will be based upon the availability of funding and commissioning priorities. The Council reserves the right to modify the service specification if new legislation and/or guidance regarding accommodation and support for homeless individuals with multiple vulnerabilities is published by the Government. If a successful bidder's contract is terminated, either at the Council's or the provider's discretion, the council has the discretion to approach one or all of the other successful bidders to offer them the opportunity to deliver accommodation and support for homeless individuals with multiple vulnerabilities services in this geographical area OR go to market for a new supplier. · Two extension periods of 12 months each to be used subject to commissioner and budget approval

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add more
How bids were scored
Quality: 74%Price: 26%
Published sub-criteria (3)
  • Quality: 39%
  • Stage 2: 35%
  • Price: 26%
Published award criteria (3)
  • Quality: Percentage weighting is split up into the following 6 a Contract Specific Essential Criteria questions each with 10% weighting: - Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults and Children and Young People - Pass / Fail Question - Data Protection - Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)- Pass / Fail Question - General Data Protection Regulations (UK GDPR) - Pass / Fail Question - Disclosure and Barring Service - Pass / Fail Question - Lone Working, Violence and Aggression - Pass / Fail Question - Transfer of Undertaking (Protection of Employment) Regulations - Pass / Fail Question - Accommodation Readiness and Property Compliance Submission Evaluation criteria can be accessed free of charge in the documentation at www.OPEN-UK.org Real weighting is 60% of stage 1, however stage 1 is split into 65% of the total score 60 x 0.65 = 39
  • Price: Pricing schedule can be accessed free of charge in the documentation at www.OPEN-UK.org Real weighting is 40% of stage 1, however stage 1 is split into 65% of the final evaluation score. 40 x 0.65 = 39
  • Stage 2: Following Stage 1 evaluation, shortlisted bidders will proceed to Stage 2, which consists of a site inspection of the proposed premises intended for use as a Provision of accommodation and support for homeless individuals with multiple vulnerabilities. The purpose of this inspection is to assess the suitability, safety, and readiness of the facility to deliver high-quality, secure accommodation for service users. The score from Stage 1 equals 65% of the total score The score from Stage 2 equals 35% of the total score. The scores will be added together to give overall weighting for which they are bidding evaluation criteria for stage 2 can be found free of chargein the documentation at www.OPEN-UK.org
What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 26 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 2.6 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Competitive flexible procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Cancelled
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Light touch regime
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
16 Jan 2026, 14:34 GMT
Last source update
7 Apr 2026, 16:49 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 15 Apr 2026
Authority reference
Peg - 003191
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-003953
Latest notice
Procurement termination notice (UK12)
Classification (CPV)
Accommodation servicesResidential health facilities servicesSocial work services with accommodation
Delivery area
North East (UKC14)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0607c5 Find a Tender
How it runs

The procurement exercise is being run as a multiple stage Competitive Flexible procedure pursuant to the section 20 2(b) of PA23.

Stage 1 - has been designed to assess the suitability of bidders to deliver the Council's accommodation and support for homeless individuals with multiple vulnerabilities service requirement(s), to exclude any unsuitable bidders, and to produce a shortlist of those bidders most suited to proceed to Stage 2. The Council will shortlist a maximum of 3 bidders only (assuming that there are at least 3 suitably qualified organisations).

Stage 2 - has been designed to assess the property from Provision of accommodation and support for homeless individuals with multiple vulnerabilities support service will be delivered.

Stage 3 - Bidders with the highest combined score from Stage 1 and Stage 2 will be deemed the successful provider and once standstill has expired will be invited to meet with the Council to finalise the proposal to ensure this meets the Council's needs prior entering into contract (if required).

This procurement exercise is also being undertaken to award a light touch contract, that is, a contract that is wholly or mainly for the supply of services as specified in Procurement Regulations 2024, Schedule 1.

How it was run

Official notice
Submission deadline
9 Mar 2026, 10:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
10 Feb 2026, 10:00 GMT
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Documentation can be accessed, reviewed and submitted via www.open-uk.org ↗ with project reference OPEN202692

Timeline

16 Jan 2026 → 1 Jul 2026 · 6 dates
  1. Tender notice published281 days ago
    16 Jan 2026, 14:34 GMT
  2. Clarification questions by257 days ago
    10 Feb 2026, 10:00 GMT
  3. Submission deadline230 days ago
    9 Mar 2026, 10:00 GMT
  4. Latest notice published200 days ago
    7 Apr 2026, 16:49 BST
  5. Award decision expected by192 days ago
    15 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
  6. Contract starts116 days ago
    1 Jul 2026, 00:00 BST

Notice history

3 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 16 Jan 2026
  1. Tender notice published
    16 Jan 2026, 14:34 GMT
    UK4
  2. Procurement termination notice published
    7 Apr 2026, 16:49 BST
    UK12
  3. Status changed to complete
    7 Apr 2026, 16:49 BST

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 1
Awarded toValueDateStatus
supplier not published—7 Apr 2026CancelledDear Bidder, After an internal review the Council has made the decision to terminate the current procurement process. We intend to republish this opportunity in the near future with an updated specification and encourage you to participate once it is relaunched. Kind Regards, Corporate Procurement

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Durham County Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PMPB-8772-VYWM Corten House, Dunholme Close, Durham, North East, DH1 5WBContact email

Official documents & specifications (3)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Bidding documents and specificationstenderBidding documents and specificationsDocumentation regarding this opportunity can be accessed free of charge at www.OPEN-uk.org using project reference Project # OPEN202692

Notices published for this procedure

  • Procurement termination notice tenderProcurement termination noticeUK12Procurement termination notice on Find a Tender
  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender