Short, medium and long term block bed accommodation & support provision

Pre-Tender Market Engagement Questionnaire

Provision of Accommodation and Support Services for Young People

The Trust intends to commission interrelated accommodation services to support vulnerable young people to overcome the multiple disadvantages they face in order to prevent or delay the need for higher cost care and support services whilst improving key outcomes. This proposal will provide additional regulated under 18 capacity and provide accommodation and support for over 18s. This is a new commissioning offer that will prepare young people for living independently and provide a buffer whilst accommodation is being sourced, or planned independent support takes place to ensure that they are ready for tenancy.

We are inviting providers to participate in a market engagement exercise to help shape the future commissioning of accommodation and support services for these young people. This includes short, medium, and long-term provision for the following cohorts:

• 16-17-year-olds, looked after children, and children subject to S17 in Registered provision
• Vulnerable 18-year-olds
• Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) aged 18+ - Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking children 16 - 18 - Registered provision
• Mothers-to-be, or young mums under 18

This is a valuable opportunity to inform the design and delivery of a future block contract for bed-based services. It is accepted that as a provider you may be able to offer all or parts of this service, and we welcome your insights, innovations, and feedback through this Pre-Tender Market Engagement Questionnaire.

1. Organisation Details

• Organisation Name:
• Contact Name:
• Email Address:
• Telephone Number:
• Registered Address:
• Type of Organisation (e.g., Charity, Private Provider, Housing Association):

2. Service Overview

Please indicate your organisation's experience and capacity to provide accommodation and support for the following cohorts (tick all that apply):

• 16-17-year-olds, looked after children, and children subject to S17 in Registered provision
• Vulnerable 18-year-olds
• Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) aged 18+ - Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking children 16 - 18 - Registered provision
• Mothers-to-be, or young mums under 18

For each selected cohort, please briefly describe your current or previous service provision, including:

• Type of accommodation (e.g., shared, self-contained)
• Support model (e.g., 24/7 staffing, floating support)
• Outcomes achieved

3. Capacity and Delivery

• What is your current capacity (number of beds) for each cohort?
• What is your potential capacity to scale up within 3-6 months?
• What geographical areas do you currently operate in or could expand to?
• What is your preferred contract length (e.g., 1 year, 3 years, 5 years)?

4. Service Design and Innovation

• What models of support do you believe are most effective for each cohort?
• How do you ensure trauma-informed, culturally competent, and age-appropriate support?
• What innovations or best practices would you recommend for this service?
• Would your offer include step down provision to post 18 accommodation and if so, how you deliver this service (for example satellite provision, changing bed spaces etc.)

5. Quality and Safeguarding

• How do you ensure quality assurance and continuous improvement?
• What safeguarding policies and procedures do you have in place?
• How do you involve young people in service design and feedback?

6. Commercial and Contracting

• What pricing models would you propose (e.g., block contract, spot purchase, tiered pricing)?
• What is your indicative weekly cost per bed for each cohort?
• What are your views on risk-sharing and performance-based payments?

7. Additional Comments

Please provide any other suggestions, considerations, or feedback that could help shape the future tender.

Submission Instructions

Please return your completed questionnaire to [email protected] by Friday 1st August 2025.