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Early Market Engagement - Learning Disability Supported Living Accommodation in the preferred areas of Larne/Carrickfergus or Antrim/Ballymena areas as secondary options

Northern Health and Social Care Trust

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

23 Jul 2026 at 11:02

Planning Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Northern Health and Social Care Trust is exploring providers for bespoke, single-occupancy supported living accommodation for one person with a learning disability and complex behaviours, including challenging behaviour. The service would combine suitable accommodation with 24-hour care and support in a dedicated facility. The preferred delivery areas are Larne or Carrickfergus, with other locations in the Antrim or Ballymena areas considered as secondary options. This is a health and social care service. The requirement is intended to identify both existing and potential future capacity in the market for a highly tailored residential support arrangement, rather than a standard shared living or general domiciliary care service. Providers would need to offer accommodation and care designed around the individual’s complex needs, behaviour and safety requirements.

This procurement is at the planning stage and is an early market engagement exercise, not an invitation to tender. The Trust is using it to scope current and future market capacity, and has not committed to running a subsequent procurement. The expected next notice date is 6 August 2026. Any future competition would be run under the final tender documentation and could differ from this early requirement. The anticipated service would operate 24 hours a day, with one-to-one staffing during waking hours, general observations at night, and staffing for personal care tasks varying between two-to-one and three-to-one according to the task. Three-to-one staffing is required in community settings. The engagement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement.

This requirement is likely to suit established supported living, social care or specialist learning disability providers able to develop and operate a bespoke single-occupancy service. Relevant strengths include experience supporting people with complex behaviours and challenging behaviour, delivering safe 24-hour care, and managing changing staffing levels around personal care and community activities. Providers should be able to sustain one-to-one waking support, night-time observations and two-to-one or three-to-one interventions where required, including three staff when the service user is in the community. The model will favour organisations with suitable accommodation, robust safeguarding and behavioural support arrangements, and the workforce capacity to provide consistent, highly individualised care. Providers with facilities or development options in Larne, Carrickfergus, Antrim or Ballymena are particularly well placed to prepare.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Early Market Engagement - Learning Disability Supported Living Accommodation in the preferred areas of Larne/Carrickfergus or Antrim/Ballymena areas as secondary options

Notice Description

This is a Prior Information Notice (PIN) by way of an Early Market Engagement scoping for the NHSCT to ascertain current capacity and potential future capacity in the market for the provision of a bespoke single occupancy Learning Disability Supported Living Accommodation for a Service User with complex behaviours in the preferred areas of Larne / Carrickfergus or the Trust will consider other Antrim / Ballymena areas as secondary options.

Lot Information

Lot 1

This is a PIN by the NHSCT for an Early Market Engagement (NOT a Call for Tender) to ascertain current capacity in the market AND potential future capacity for the provision of bespoke single occupancy Learning Disability Supported Living Accommodation for a complex service user who presents with challenging behaviour. Given complexity, care must be provided in a 24/7 bespoke facility with anticipated 1:1 staffing ratio during wakening hours and general observations at night. The staffing ratio for personal care tasks can fluctuate between 2:1 to 3:1 staffing, which can fluctuate dependent on the care task being carried out. 3:1 staffing ratio required when in community settings. Accommodation in the preferred areas of Larne / Carrickfergus or the Trust will consider other Antrim / Ballymena areas as secondary options. Additional information: This is not a Call for Tender and there is no guarantee any procurement process will be run. Any interest shown by Providers will be further explored but this does not constitute a commitment to progress in a procurement exercise. Failure to show interest does not restrict providers from participating in any future procurement exercise held by NHSCT. This notice has been placed to alert the Sector of a specific requirement. Any future procurement exercise will be conducted in accordance with the information contained in any final published tender documentation.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d198
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069567-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Planning Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85000000 - Health and social work services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
23 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
6 Aug 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Northern Health and Social Care Trust
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BALLYMENA
Postcode
BT43 6HL
Postcode Area
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN0F Mid and East Antrim
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Mid and East Antrim
Electoral Ward
Fair Green
Westminster Constituency
North Antrim

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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