Official UK procurement notice
Bedford Borough Council Residential and Nursing Care Homes Framework Agreement
Authority: Bedford Borough Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionBedford Borough Council is looking to set up an Open Framework Agreement for Residential and nursing care homes services under the Light Touch Regime.
CPV: Health and social work services · Social work services with accommodation
How this framework works
From the published notice- Framework period
- 6 yrs · up to 8 yrs from 5 Jul 2027
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedWhat 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).
- “Bedford Borough Council Residential and Nursing Care Homes Framework…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How Bedford Borough Council buys Social work services (CPV 8531), and who usually turns up
Bedford Borough Council’s published record next to the market for the same work. Compared with other frameworks and DPS only. Whole-market view: Social work services (CPV 8531) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
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.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered. The market figure counts awards delivered in East of England.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered in the region where that award was delivered.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 40 days of the bid deadline.
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.
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.
1 bid18% / 0%
2–318% / 0%
4–627% / 0%
7+36% / 100%
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.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS: the price is set later, on each call-off.
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.
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 8531Estimate not published
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 25 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid0%
2–30%
4–60%
7+100%
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.
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.
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.
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
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Light touch regime
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 29 Oct 2026, 16:04 GMT
- Last source update
- 29 Oct 2026, 16:04 GMT
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-102809- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0793f3Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- —
Timeline
29 Oct 2026 → 5 Jul 2027 · 4 dates- Planning notice published2h ago29 Oct 2026, 16:04 GMT
- Today29 Oct 2026
- Market engagementin 14 days12 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
Following the strong engagement at our first market engagement event in April, Bedford Borough Council would like to invite you to a second engagement session to help shape the development of our new Residential and Nursing Care Framework Agreement.
This is an important opportunity for providers to hear how feedback from the previous session has influenced our proposals and to contribute directly to the next stage of framework development. Your experience and insight are essential in helping us create a framework that supports high-quality care, reflects market realities, and promotes a sustainable provider market.
Why attend?
By attending, you will have the opportunity to:
- Hear how provider feedback from the previous session has informed our approach
- Contribute to the ongoing design and development of the framework
- Discuss proposed pricing structures, service expectations, and quality standards
- Receive an update on the procurement approach and indicative timeline
- Engage directly with the Council's Commissioning and Procurement Team
- Help ensure the framework reflects current market conditions and operational challenges
Your voice matters. The decisions made through this process will help shape the future commissioning arrangements for residential and nursing care services across Bedford Borough.
Event Details
Date: Thursday 12th November, 2026
Time: 10:00 to 12:30
Location: Kings House, 245 Ampthill Rd, Bedford MK42 9AZ
Further information, including the agenda, will be shared shortly.
We strongly encourage all providers to attend and take part in the discussion. This is your opportunity to influence the development of a framework agreement that will support providers, the Council, and most importantly, the residents who rely on these services.
To confirm attendance and registration, or if you have any questions in advance of the event, please contact Lisa Balderson, Care Network Business Manager, Bedfordshire Care Group
Email: lisa@bedscaregroupltd.co.uk
Telephone: 07538 416655
- Tender notice expectedin 67 days4 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 248 days5 Jul 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published29 Oct 2026, 16:04 GMTUK2
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
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender