Official UK procurement notice
Contract for Provision of accommodation and support for homeless individuals with multiple vulnerabilities
Authority: Durham County Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionHomelessness 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 publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£750,000
What it takes to wini
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 morei
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).
Published sub-criteria (3)
- Contract Specific Questions: 39%
- Stage 2 - Property Inspection: 35%
- Price: 26%
Published award criteria (3)
- Contract Specific Questions: 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 https://www.OPEN-UK.org" target="_blank" class="govuk-link break-word" aria-label="www.OPEN-UK.org (opens in a new window)">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 https://www.OPEN-UK.org" target="_blank" class="govuk-link break-word" aria-label="www.OPEN-UK.org (opens in a new window)">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 = 26
- Stage 2 - Property Inspection: 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 https://www.OPEN-UK.org" target="_blank" class="govuk-link break-word" aria-label="www.OPEN-UK.org (opens in a new window)">www.OPEN-UK.org
- 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
- Awarded
- 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
- 20 Apr 2026, 15:21 BST
- Last source update
- 10 Aug 2026, 15:00 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 17 Jul 2026
- Authority reference
003191- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-035744- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06869dFind 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
- 26 May 2026, 10:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 19 May 2026, 10:00 BST
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Documentation regarding this opportunity can be accessed free of charge at www.open-uk.org ↗ using project reference Project # OPEN2026799
Timeline
20 Apr 2026 → 1 Oct 2026 · 8 dates- Tender notice published187 days ago20 Apr 2026, 15:21 BST
- Clarification questions by158 days ago19 May 2026, 10:00 BST
- Submission deadline151 days ago26 May 2026, 10:00 BST
- Award decision expected by99 days ago17 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
- Assessment summaries sent87 days ago30 Jul 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published75 days ago10 Aug 2026, 15:00 BST
- Standstill ends66 days ago19 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts24 days ago1 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
4 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 20 Apr 2026- Tender notice published20 Apr 2026, 15:21 BSTUK4
- Contract award notice published10 Aug 2026, 15:00 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete10 Aug 2026, 15:00 BST
- Contract signature expected28 Aug 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jigsaw Recovery Project CIC1 Oct 2026 – 30 Sept 2028 · up to 30 Sept 2030Extensions: 2 x 12 months allowable extension periods can be taken subject to budget and commissioner approval · Options: The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. 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. | £750,000 | 30 Jul 2026standstill to 19 Aug 2026 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4final-stage tenders · 5 at stage one | 4 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- JIGSAW RECOVERY PROJECT CICAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications Documentation regarding this opportunity can be accessed free of charge at www.OPEN-uk.org using project reference Project # OPEN2026799
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender