Official UK procurement notice
GMCA 2201: NW Regional Children's Services Contract
Authority: Greater Manchester Combined Authority (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThere are four regional purchasing systems operated by NWADCS on behalf of the 24 North West authorities, these date back to 2009 for the first regional residential contract. These arrangements now include over 500 providers and at any one time over 3000 children are living in homes sourced via a regional contract.
The planned contract end dates were January 2028 for Residential, March 2028 for Fostering, February 2031 for SENDAP and October 2031 for Supported Accommodation. As a result of changes in the operating context, including the implementation of the Procurement Act 2023 we are reviewing all four arrangements at the same time.
Through this work we are aiming for:
Reduced duplication in procurement activity across the region.
Improved transparency and oversight.
Better understanding of sufficiency.
Improved approach to pricing and uplifts.
Local and sub regional collaboration.
The new contracts will replace the current arrangements. We cannot transfer providers onto any new contracts so you will need to apply to join.
Currently there are three 'lead authorities', Bolton, Cheshire East and Trafford. Current suppliers will have dealt with these authorities when they applied to join the purchasing system. All new arrangements will have Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) as the lead authority.
There is a significant amount of work involved in developing the new arrangements. We want to ensure we have addressed as many of the challenges providers have already raised during consultation as possible. As soon as we have a timeline in place this will be shared, and we are working towards a contract award in August 2026.
The GMCA will be hosting a series of engagement sessions throughout November 2026.
These engagement opportunities are in place to support providers being able to effectively contribute to the development of the new regional contracts for the North West. NWADCS have welcomed the spirit in which providers have participated in the early market engagement and the progress this has brought in better understanding the challenges faced in the sector and how our contracting arrangements can support effective working relationships with authorities.
We are seeking input from a range of providers, with a range of opportunities to contribute, recognising that in particular smaller providers may find it challenging to take the time to participate.
Current Local Authorities Participating include -
Blackburn with Darwen Council
Blackpool Council
Bolton Council
Bury Council
Cheshire East Council
Cheshire West and Chester Council
Cumberland Council
Halton Borough Council
Knowsley Council
Lancashire County Council.
Liverpool City Council
Manchester City Council
Oldham Council
Rochdale Borough Council
Salford City Council
Sefton Council
St Helens Council
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
Trafford Council
Warrington Borough Council
Westmorland and Furness Council
Wigan Council.
Wirral Council
Plus any company in which any of the above local authorities is a shareholder (as sole shareholder or as a co-shareholder with any of the above local authorities and/or any other contracting authority); and
Which at the time meets the requirements of regulation 12(1) of the Public Contracts Regulation 2015.
Further details and links on how to register are available on the chest procurement portal
CPV: Social work and related services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Framework period
- 8 yrs from 1 Aug 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).
- “GMCA 2201: NW Regional Children's Services Contract” 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 Greater Manchester Combined Authority buys Social work and related services (CPV 8530), and who usually turns up
Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s published record next to the market for the same work. Compared with other frameworks and DPS only. Whole-market view: Social work and related services (CPV 8530) →
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.
No small-firm winners recorded among this authority’s published awards in this sample.
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.
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 75 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.
The market share is a minimum: 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 bid7% / 0%
2–30% / 13%
4–67% / 0%
7+87% / 88%
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 8530Published estimate£14bn
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 84 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid4%
2–311%
4–618%
7+68%
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- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- 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
- 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
- 8 Oct 2026, 19:38 BST
- Last source update
- 12 Oct 2026, 14:29 BST
- Authority reference
GMCA- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-096132- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-078441Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- —
Timeline
8 Oct 2026 → 1 Aug 2027 · 5 dates- Planning notice published19 days ago8 Oct 2026, 19:38 BST
- Latest notice published16 days ago12 Oct 2026, 14:29 BST
- Today28 Oct 2026
- Market engagementin 27 days24 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
Location: Various
Organisations with previous experience in delivering the following services to North West authorities or delivering these services in the region are encouraged to attend; alternative provision, family assessment centres, fostering, residential, SEND schools and colleges and supported accommodation.
Market engagement workshops
In person sessions to hold detailed discussion of the specification and specific terms and conditions for each lot. Providers who get a place will need to commit to reviewing documentation beforehand and attending prepared to contribute effectively.
Due to limited room capacity places will be allocated to providers on a first come first served basis with a maximum of one attendee per organisation. We reserve the right to limit places for multiple representatives from providers in the same group structure or from linked organisations.
Sessions will be in central Manchester as below:
9 Nov 2026 10am - 12.30pm: Fostering
11 Nov 2026 10am - 12.30pm: SEND Schools and Colleges
11 Nov 2026 2pm - 4.30pm: SEND Alternative Provision
12 Nov 2026 10am - 12.30pm: Residential
12 Nov 2026 2pm - 4.30pm: Residential Family Centres
23 Nov 2026 10am - 12.30pm: Supported Accommodation
23 Nov 2026 2pm - 4.30pm: Therapeutic/Health
Please ensure you are able to make these sessions before requesting a place.
Request a place at these sessions here: Design workshop: Provider registration forms.cloud.microsoft/e/W6d7Q4MCfT ↗ - Fill in form. Please make your request before 5pm on 23 October and places will be confirmed by 28 October.
Notes from these sessions will be shared with all providers to allow further input from a wider stakeholder group.
Interested parties should register their interest in the design workshops by 23 October 2026.
Review forums
These online sessions will follow the sharing of draft documents, focus on specific areas and will provide an opportunity for providers to feed back on the documents and terms and conditions.
Invites to these sessions will be sent to providers who are on the current regional contracts. Providers who are not on the current regional contracts can register to receive invites here: Review forum: Provider mailing list registration - Fill in form forms.cloud.microsoft/e/AD6Eh0db4y ↗
Online feedback form
Recognising that there is commercial sensitivity and providers also may find it hard to attend on set dates this online form will remain open throughout to allow providers to ask questions, give feedback and input into the development.
The online form can be found here: Development of NW new regional contracts - Fill in form. forms.cloud.microsoft/e/MV6E83zvty ↗
Further information
Purpose of the sessions
These engagement opportunities are in place to support providers being able to effectively contribute to the development of the new regional contracts for the North West. NWADCS have welcomed the spirit in which providers have participated in the early market engagement and the progress this has brought in better understanding the challenges faced in the sector and how our contracting arrangements can support effective working relationships with authorities.
We are seeking input from a range of providers, with a range of opportunities to contribute, recognising that in particular smaller providers may find it challenging to take the time to participate.
Update on the progress of contract development can be found on our website here: www.nwadcs.org.uk/development-new-regi… ↗.
Context
There are four regional purchasing systems operated by NWADCS on behalf of the 24 North West authorities, these date back to 2009 for the first regional residential contract. These arrangements now include over 500 providers and at any one time over 3000 children are living in homes sourced via a regional contract.
The planned contract end dates were January 2028 for Residential, March 2028 for Fostering, February 2031 for SENDAP and October 2031 for Supported Accommodation. As a result of changes in the operating context, including the implementation of the Procurement Act 2023 we are reviewing all four arrangements at the same time.
Through this work we are aiming for:
Reduced duplication in procurement activity across the region.
Improved transparency and oversight.
Better understanding of sufficiency.
Improved approach to pricing and uplifts.
Local and sub regional collaboration.
The new contracts will replace the current arrangements. We cannot transfer providers onto any new contracts so you will need to apply to join.
Currently there are three 'lead authorities', Bolton, Cheshire East and Trafford. Current suppliers will have dealt with these authorities when they applied to join the purchasing system. All new arrangements will have Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) as the lead authority.
There is a significant amount of work involved in developing the new arrangements. We want to ensure we have addressed as many of the challenges providers have already raised during consultation as possible. As soon as we have a timeline in place this will be shared, and we are working towards a contract award in August 2026.
Further details can be found on the Chest Procurement Portal
- Tender notice expectedin 124 days1 Mar 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 276 days1 Aug 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
3 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 8 Oct 2026- Pipeline notice published8 Oct 2026, 19:38 BSTUK1
- Preliminary market engagement notice published9 Oct 2026, 12:55 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published12 Oct 2026, 14:29 BSTUK2
Published amendments (1)
Addition of hyperlinks
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 (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender