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Find a TenderPlanned procurementPreliminary market engagement notice
Published 28 May 2025, 09:16 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Provision of Asylum Support and Accommodation Services

Official notice Competition analysis

Authority: Home Office (Central government)

ServicesAbove thresholdLight touch regimeSME suitableVCSE suitable
Sectors: Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services (55)Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services (63)IT Services & Software (72)
+3 moreBusiness Services & Consultancy (79)Health & Social Care (85)Community & Cultural Services (98)
 Delivery: UK
Planned pipeline value£0pipeline notice, not a live tender
Tender notice expected 16 Nov 2026from the planned procurement notice
Contract term 7 yrsends 31 Aug 2036 · up to 31 Aug 2039 with extensions · starts 1 Sept 2029

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The Future Asylum Contracts Transformation (FACT), formerly Asylum Support and Accommodation Programme (ASAP), is a long-term transformation programme in the delivery of asylum support and accommodation services.

The objective is a transformative re-procurement of services to replace the following contracts:

  • Asylum Accommodation Support Contracts (AASC)
  • Advice Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE)
  • Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services (BATS)
  • Asylum Support Payments (ASP)

The Home Office will be going to market for supplier(s) who can:

  1. Accommodation Provision – Identify, acquire, and maintain a diverse range of safe, suitable, and legally compliant accommodation types within agreed timescales and contracted regions to meet the varied needs of asylum seekers. Ensure accommodation aligns with statutory and regulatory standards, and is approved and allocated in collaboration with Local Authorities to support lawful use, community integration, and minimal impact on local services.
  2. Accommodation Management – Maintain accommodation to defined standards throughout its lifecycle, with robust systems in place for maintenance, temporary housing, and complaint communication and resolution to ensure a safe, suitable, and responsive living environment for asylum seekers.
  3. Transport – Arrange, manage, and deliver a 24/7/365 transportation service that is safe, timely, and responsive to asylum seeker needs in line with Home Office policy, whether independently or as directed by the Home Office. This includes the use of suitable, appropriately equipped, roadworthy vehicles and professional drivers, supported by an appropriate IT booking system, and ensuring the transport of asylum seekers, their dependents, and permitted belongings with appropriate assistance and within agreed timescales.
  4. Sustenance – Ensure that asylum seekers receive appropriate interim support through food vouchers or cash, including issuing food vouchers as a temporary or emergency measure until a Section 4 payment card is provided or replaced, and providing cash where full board accommodation is not available.
  5. Safety and Security – Ensure the safety and security of all staff and asylum seekers by implementing appropriate training, incident management, cross-provider collaboration, and vetting procedures.
  6. Audit & Assurance Services – Monitor provider compliance and performance through a structured assurance framework, combining inspections, desk-based reviews, and data analysis to identify trends, risks, and areas for improvement. The assuror must also produce clear, evidence-based reports to support supplier management and meet the reporting requirements of external assurance bodies.
  7. Service User Assistance – The Provider must ensure that asylum seekers receive clear, accessible, and timely information and support throughout their asylum journey - from initial application and arrival at accommodation to integration into the community. This includes maintaining a reliable single point of contact, delivering oral and written communication in a way asylum seekers can understand, assisting with access to local services, and continuously monitoring and improving the asylum seeker experience through inclusive feedback mechanisms.
  8. Wellbeing and Safeguarding – Establish effective communication channels with relevant partners to ensure timely notification and coordination on safeguarding and wellbeing matters. Where safeguarding concerns are identified, specialist safeguarding staff must be deployed and follow the prescribed action plan.

Proactively prevent and reduce safeguarding incidents, the Provider must offer ongoing support to asylum seekers and ensure that all staff and asylum seekers have access to resources that help them recognise, respond to, and report safeguarding concerns.

Regular welfare checks must be conducted for all asylum seekers.

-------

The Home Office intends to procure a proportion of the services under the Light Touch regime in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023.

For the avoidance of doubt following the delivery model change in relation to Service User (SU) Assistance and External Assurance.

To clarify, Service User Assistance will be procured via a separate Competitive Flexible Procedure (CFP), supported by its own Market Engagement (ME) activity, and is therefore out of scope of the current procurement.

In addition, External Assurance will be procured via an alternative route and does not form part of this CFP.

Suppliers are requested to continue monitoring the original PMEN for any updates or further clarifications relevant to the current procurement.

**The content of this Notice, including the nature of works and services including start date of contract, may be subject to change.**

CPV: Accommodation management services · Accommodation services · Auditing services · Catering services · Facilities management services · Guidance and counselling services · Security services · Social work and related services · System quality assurance assessment and review services · Transport agency services · Travel management services · Travel services · +1 more

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1PlannedRenewal 7 yrsSMEVCSE
Contract period: 1 Sept 2029 – 31 Aug 2036 (7 yrs) · up to 31 Aug 2039 with extensions
Delivery: UKEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible
Extensions: Extension options published
55520000 Catering services63515000 Travel services63516000 Travel management services63520000 Transport agency services72225000 System quality assurance assessment and review services79212000 Auditing services

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published

How Home Office buys Social work services (CPV 8531), and who usually turns up

Home Office’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Social work services (CPV 8531) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bid
This buyerHome Office · division 85
The marketSocial work services (CPV 8531) · Greater London (authority’s region)
What to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
i

How often small and medium firms win.

Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.

The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 4 of 10 known-size awards · market: CPV 8531 · Greater London (authority’s region), n=147
40%49%

Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.

How often do local suppliers win?
i

How often local firms win similar work.

Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.

Here, local means registered in Greater London (authority’s region).

A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 6 of 9 known-location awards · market: CPV 8531 · Greater London (authority’s region), n=243
67%69%

Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in Greater London.

How long to a decision?
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 4 decided notices · market: CPV 8531 · Greater London (authority’s region), n=36
227 days78 days

Half of these awards were announced within 227 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
i

How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.

Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.

Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.

Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: at least 7 of 10 procurements with awards had no recorded rival · market: CPV 8531 · Greater London (authority’s region), n=187
70%66%

Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.

How many bids did past lots attract?

i

How many bids past lots received.

Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.

Past bids do not predict this tender.

Last 36 months.

This buyer27 lots with bid counts · all categories
11% had one bid
The market81 lots with bid counts · CPV 8531 · Greater London (authority’s region)
27% had one bid
Buyer / market · select a colour for counts
1 bid11% / 27%
Buyer: 3 of 27 lots with published bid counts. Market: 22 of 81 lots with published bid counts.
2–337% / 40%
Buyer: 10 of 27 lots with published bid counts. Market: 32 of 81 lots with published bid counts.
4–641% / 23%
Buyer: 11 of 27 lots with published bid counts. Market: 19 of 81 lots with published bid counts.
7+11% / 10%
Buyer: 3 of 27 lots with published bid counts. Market: 8 of 81 lots with published bid counts.

How did awards compare with estimates?

i

Where winning prices landed against estimates.

Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.

Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.

Last 36 months.

This buyer31 lots with estimate and award · all categories
45% below estimate
The market60 lots with estimate and award · CPV 8531 · Greater London (authority’s region)
25% below estimate
Buyer / market · select a colour for counts
Below estimate45% / 25%
Buyer: 14 of 31 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 15 of 60 lots with an estimate and award.
Within ±2%39% / 65%
Buyer: 12 of 31 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 39 of 60 lots with an estimate and award.
Above estimate16% / 10%
Buyer: 5 of 31 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 6 of 60 lots with an estimate and award.
2

Assess each lot
i

What past awards tell you about each lot.

See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.

No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.

Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list

Lot #1CPV 853184 monthsSME suitableNo real estimate
Expected competition
i

How many bids this lot may attract.

The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.

Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 81 past lots.

A forecast, not a list of bidders.

—No model forecast yet27% single-bid risk
Past bids on 81 similar lots
1 bid27%
22 of 81 similar past lots received 1 bid (27%).
2–340%
32 of 81 similar past lots received 2–3 (40%).
4–623%
19 of 81 similar past lots received 4–6 (23%).
7+10%
8 of 81 similar past lots received 7+ (10%).
Comparable past lots usually drew 3 bids.
Commercial price forecast
i

Where the award price may land.

The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.

No comparable awards for this lot yet.

A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.

—No real estimate
The buyer published £0 as the estimate (a placeholder, not the contract’s value), so there is nothing to forecast against.

Who has supplied this buyer on similar work?
i

Who has done similar work for this buyer.

Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.

A past supplier may not bid again.

No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.

Who could compete for this lot?
i

Who could compete for this lot?

Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.

None is confirmed as a bidder.

Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.

About this data
  • Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
  • Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
  • Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
  • Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Planned procurement
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
28 May 2025, 09:16 BST
Last source update
29 Sept 2026, 10:59 BST
Authority reference
Project_838 - ASAP - Asylum Support and Accommodation Programme
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-091726
Latest notice
Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
Classification (CPV)
Accommodation management servicesAccommodation servicesAuditing servicesCatering servicesFacilities management servicesGuidance and counselling servicesSecurity servicesSocial work and related servicesSystem quality assurance assessment and review servicesTransport agency services
+3 moreTravel management servicesTravel services
Delivery area
UK
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-052777 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Submission deadline
—

Timeline

28 May 2025 → 1 Sept 2029 · 5 dates
  1. Planning notice published
    28 May 2025, 09:16 BST
  2. Latest notice published21 days ago
    29 Sept 2026, 10:59 BST
  3. Today
    20 Oct 2026
  4. Market engagementin 11 days
    30 Oct 2026, 23:59 GMT

    The Future Asylum Contracts Transformation Team will carry out the engagement in three phases, the first phase will focus on gathering market feedback between June and July 2025, and the second phase will focus on validating strategy with market insights between July and September 2025. The third phase will focus on the latest FACT strategy which has been updated to reflect Ministerial steer, government priorities and market developments and testing this with the market to ensure sufficient rigour and validate what may be proposed in the future ITTs. The objective is to identify potential risks early. Further phases may be included in advance of any formal procurement launch.

    It is our intention to invite those suppliers that express an interest in this opportunity. In the event of high demand, we reserve the right to limit attendance to ensure fair and manageable engagement. Where attendance is limited, efforts will be made to ensure a representative cross-section of the market is included. For example, 13 suppliers were invited to 1-2-1 meetings between 29th August – 5th September 2025. When choosing which suppliers to speak with, the following four areas were considered:

    • RFI 2 responses: Supplier responses to every RFI 2 question were reviewed to identify any feedback that highlighted innovative approaches, especially if relevant to one of the areas the Home Office wanted to test during the 1-2-1 sessions, namely the delivery model, route to market and lotting strategy.
    • Service area coverage: The Home Office wanted to ensure a fair representation of different suppliers covering the difference service areas in the FACT procurement.
    • National and regional coverage: The Home Office aimed for mix of national and regional suppliers to provide give a balanced view in the subject areas tested in the supplier 1-2-1s.
    • Mix of supplier size: The Home Office wanted feedback from suppliers of all sizes to ensure the views of both the biggest players in the market and SMEs were covered for each service area.

    Suppliers who are unable to attend will not be disadvantaged in any future procurement and will be provided with access to any relevant materials or outputs from the engagement session.

    For the purposes of this Preliminary Market Engagement Notice, the estimated contract value has been listed as £0. This figure does not reflect the expected final value of the contract. The actual estimated value is currently being finalised and will be shared as part of the ongoing market engagement process.

    1. To express an interest, participants must first be registered on the Home Office eSourcing Suite. If you have not yet registered, this can be done online at homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html ↗ by following the link. Please note that, to register, you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation which you are registering and who will be entering into a contract if invited to do so.
    2. Send an 'Expression of Interest' email following the instructions:

    Email to: [email protected]

    Email title: Expression of Interest - ASAP - NDA Request - (DUNS number)

    1. The email must include the following:

    Supplier name (as on Companies House)

    DUNS number

    Jaggaer registration details

    Contact person - Name, job title, email address, contact number

    1. The suppliers will be added to the NDA event on Jaggaer to access the NDA. This will contain the instruction to access and return signed copies.
    2. The suppliers will receive countersigned NDAs and access to the Background Note providing details of the services in scope, engagement process and timelines.

    PHASE 1: Gathering Market Feedback

    ASAP Industry Day (In-person, London):

    Publish Preliminary Market Engagement Notice – 28 May 2025

    (Updated on August 27 )

    Industry Day – 10 June 2025

    Request for Information (RFI – Round 1):

    RFI live –16 June 2025

    RFI response deadline; 16:00 BST on – 04 July 2025

    PHASE 2: Validating Strategy with Market Insights

    Request for Information (RFI – Round 2):

    RFI live – 22 July 2025

    RFI response deadline – 8 August 2025

    Supplier 1:1s:

    Notification of supplier 1:1s – 27 August 2025

    Hold virtual supplier 1:1s – 29 August 2025 to 5 September 2025

    Request for Information (RFI – Round 3):

    RFI live – 8 September 2025

    RFI response deadline; 16 BST on – 26 September 2025

    PHASE 3: Testing Strategy pre-ITT

    Request for Information (RFI - Round 4)

    RFI live - 25 November 2025

    RFI response deadline - 19 December 2025

    Request for Information (RFI - Round 4.5):

    RFI live - 15 December 2025

    RFI response deadline - 16 January 2026

    Request for Information (RFI - Round 5):

    RFI live – 20 April 2026

    RFI response deadline – 1 May 2026

    FACT Industry Day - Pre-ITT Launch to provide context of all the key commercial changes pre-ITT launch from the initial industry day and summarise the key market engagement findings the Home Office has collected to-date.

    Industry Day – Week Commencing 13th April 2026

    The Home Office intends to host an Industry Day during the week commencing 13th April 2026. The final date and location will be confirmed in invitations issued via Jaggaer once arrangements have been finalised.

    If a supplier is interested in attending and has not previously expressed an interest in this procurement, please follow the steps set out in this notice to register your interest.

    Supplier Update Session

    The Home Office intends to host an online Supplier Update Session prior to any formal procurement launch and will endeavour to provide this update to the market as soon as it is appropriate and feasible to do so.

    Further details, including the date and joining instructions, will be issued via Jaggaer once arrangements have been finalised.

    The event is expected to include:

    • An overview of the requirements and programme objectives.
    • The finalised procurement approach.
    • Opportunities for suppliers to ask clarification questions.

    If a supplier is interested in attending and has not previously expressed an interest in this procurement, please follow the steps set out in this notice to register your interest.

    Please Note:

    The dates above are indicative and are subject to change.

    This is an open process, and the Home Office welcomes any new suppliers that have joined at a later stage. The Home Office will ensure suppliers have full visibility of all activity to-date.

    The Home Office reserves the right to amend the Market Engagement process at a later date if needed. Any changes will be updated on the Preliminary Market Engagement Notice and through Jaggaer.

  5. Tender notice expectedin 28 days
    16 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
  6. Contract starts
    1 Sept 2029, 00:00 BST

Notice history

29 events · 35 releases on Find a Tender · since 28 May 2025
  1. First planning notice published
    28 May 2025, 09:16 BST
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    23 Jun 2025, 18:07 BST
    UK2
  3. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    23 Jun 2025, 18:11 BST
    UK2
  4. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    23 Jun 2025, 18:18 BST
    UK2
  5. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    27 Aug 2025, 13:29 BST
    UK2
  6. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    17 Oct 2025, 15:04 BST
    UK2
  7. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    25 Nov 2025, 16:21 GMT
    UK2
  8. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    25 Nov 2025, 16:58 GMT
    UK2
  9. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    25 Nov 2025, 17:04 GMT
    UK2
  10. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    25 Nov 2025, 17:16 GMT
    UK2
  11. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    25 Nov 2025, 17:21 GMT
    UK2
  12. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    23 Feb 2026, 13:45 GMT
    UK2
  13. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    23 Feb 2026, 13:54 GMT
    UK2
  14. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    23 Feb 2026, 13:56 GMT
    UK2
  15. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    23 Feb 2026, 13:57 GMT
    UK2
  16. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    25 Mar 2026, 13:20 GMT
    UK2
  17. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    25 Mar 2026, 13:27 GMT
    UK2
  18. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    25 Mar 2026, 13:28 GMT
    UK2
  19. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    25 Mar 2026, 13:29 GMT
    UK2
  20. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    15 May 2026, 15:49 BST
    UK2
  21. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    30 Jun 2026, 15:26 BST
    UK2
  22. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    17 Jul 2026, 12:28 BST
    UK2
  23. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    17 Jul 2026, 12:30 BST
    UK2
  24. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    13 Aug 2026, 14:17 BST
    UK2
  25. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    25 Aug 2026, 13:08 BST
    UK2
  26. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    25 Aug 2026, 13:20 BST
    UK2
  27. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    27 Aug 2026, 11:16 BST
    UK2
  28. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    29 Sept 2026, 10:51 BST
    UK2
  29. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    29 Sept 2026, 10:59 BST
    UK2
Published amendments (26)

1. Additional CPV coverage; 2. Updated engagement process and timelines.

1. Change of the Project Name 2. Notfication of Supplier 1:1s 3. Notification of Request for Information Round 3

1. Update of Engagent Deadline 2. Update to the Engagment Process Description

1. Update of Engagement Deadline 2. Update to CPV codes 3. Update to the Engagement Process Description 4. Information regarding the launch of Phase 3 of market engagement

1. Update of Engagement Deadline 2. Update to CPV codes 3. Update to the Submission Date

Routine re-releases (35)
  • 2026-08: 3 releases · 13 Aug 2026, 25 Aug 2026
  • 2026-07: 2 releases · 17 Jul 2026, 17 Jul 2026
  • 2026-06: 1 release · 30 Jun 2026
  • 2026-05: 1 release · 15 May 2026
  • 2026-03: 5 releases · 25 Mar 2026, 25 Mar 2026
  • 2026-02: 5 releases · 23 Feb 2026, 23 Feb 2026
  • 2025-11: 5 releases · 25 Nov 2025, 25 Nov 2025
  • 2025-10: 1 release · 17 Oct 2025
  • 2025-08: 1 release · 27 Aug 2025
  • 2025-06: 6 releases · 23 Jun 2025, 23 Jun 2025
  • 2025-05: 2 releases · 28 May 2025, 28 May 2025

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Pipeline notice
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Home Office

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PWGC-6513-PQLZ 2 Marsham Street, London, London, SW1P 4DFContact name, email

Official documents & specifications (35)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

Show 22 more notices

5 further documents are listed in the JSON mirror.