---
title: "GMCA1667.3 Greater Manchester Integrated Rehabilitation Services (GMIRS) Women's Service"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06672e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06672e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06672e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06672e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "GREATER MANCHESTER COMBINED AUTHORITY"
published: "2026-03-11"
---

# GMCA1667.3 Greater Manchester Integrated Rehabilitation Services (GMIRS) Women's Service

Buyer: GREATER MANCHESTER COMBINED AUTHORITY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06672e

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## Summary

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has awarded a public procurement contract to the Greater Manchester Women's Support Alliance to deliver the Greater Manchester Integrated Rehabilitation Services (GMIRS) Women's Service. This direct award is valued at £1,628,043 and will cover an 18-month period commencing on 1 April 2026 and concluding on 30 September 2027. This tender, which falls under the services sector, specifically involves social services related to the rehabilitation of criminals and is being conducted under a 'light touch' special regime, aligning with national approaches for CRS contracts in the UK. The procurement process is currently at the award stage following a rationalised approach due to complexities in changing providers, as this would present significant logistical challenges within the shortened interim timeframe before the establishment of a long-term contract set to begin in October 2027. The location for the delivery of these services is primarily in the Greater Manchester region.

This tender represents a significant business opportunity, particularly for organisations experienced in delivering social services, especially those focusing on rehabilitation and support for marginalised groups. The direct award to the Greater Manchester Women's Support Alliance acknowledges their incumbent role and expertise in this domain, showcasing a model of consistent high-quality service delivery and operational efficiency. Businesses that have capabilities in similar sectors and can demonstrate an ability to manage complex logistics and service continuity may find future opportunities in such public procurement initiatives, particularly as larger and longer-term contract opportunities are projected beyond this interim period.

## Notice

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) intends to award a contract of up to PS1,628,043 to Greater Manchester Women's Support Alliance (GMWSA) to support the delivery of the Greater Manchester Integrated Rehabilitation Services (GMIRS) Women's Support Service over an 18-month period, commencing 1 April 2026 to 30 September 2027 (on a 12 month + 6 month basis). The funding for the initial 12-month contract period will be PS1,085,362. Subject to confirmation of funding, PS542,681.00 will be issued for the period 1 April to 30 September 2027. Greater Manchester Women's Support Alliance (GMWSA) are the incumbent provider of the GMIRS Women's Support Services which aims to assist vulnerable and marginalised women to reduce their reoffending and help them to cope, recover and move forward positively in their lives through a needs-led and Trauma Informed approach. The current contract for the provision of the Women's Support Services (GMCA 255.5), was awarded following a competitive Open procurement process in 2021, during which GMWSA submitted the most economically advantageous bid. The current contract will expire on 31st March 2026, and budget confirmation for GMIRS covering 1st April 2026 to 31st March 2027 was received from HMPSS in November 2025. A compliant procurement process is now underway to award a new Greater Manchester Rehabilitation Services (GMRS) contract starting from 1st October 2027, ensuring alignment with the national approach for CRS contracts (regionally referred to as GMRS). As this risks an 18-month gap in service provision, and a change of provider at this point would create disproportionate technical difficulties for GMCA, a Direct Award is being sought under Schedule 5 (7) of the Procurement Act 2023. Appointing a new provider at this stage would create significant incompatibilities with the existing service and impose disproportionate challenges for GMCA in mobilising and managing delivery within the limited 18-month timeframe before the long-term contract is procured. Appointing a new provider for a short term interim contract would create significant challenges, including TUPE complexities, delays in vetting and onboarding, disruption to established local networks, and risks to data and system integration. These factors would undermine service continuity and create operational difficulties that are disproportionate to the short-term nature of the contract. In addition, GMWSA has demonstrated consistent, high-quality performance, operational efficiency, and positive social impact, supporting the value for money consideration of the Direct Award. The proposed approach ensures continuity of a statutory service while a fully compliant competitive procurement for the redesigned GMRS service is scheduled for 2026, with a new long-term contract commencing October 2027.

### Procurement Information

A Direct Award is being sought under Schedule 5 (7) of the Procurement Act 2023. Appointing a new provider at this stage would create significant incompatibilities with the existing service and impose disproportionate challenges for GMCA in mobilising and managing delivery within the limited 18-month timeframe before the long-term contract is procured. This exemption satisfies both conditions under Schedule 5(7) of the Procurement Act 2023: a) a change in supplier would result in services that are different from, or incompatible with, the existing GMIRS Women's Support Service; and b) such incompatibility would cause disproportionate technical difficulties in mobilisation, continuity of service, and compliance with statutory obligations. Appointing a new provider for a short term interim contract would create significant challenges, including TUPE complexities, delays in vetting and onboarding, disruption to established local networks, and risks to data and system integration. These factors would undermine service continuity and create operational difficulties that are disproportionate to the short-term nature of the contract.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021772-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 11 Mar 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 11 Mar 2026 |
| Contract period | 31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £1,628,043 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | GREATER MANCHESTER COMBINED AUTHORITY |
| Locality | MANCHESTER |
| Post town | Manchester |
| Postcode | M1 6EU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD3 Greater Manchester |
| ITL 3 | TLD33 Manchester |
| Local authority | Manchester |
| Electoral ward | Deansgate |
| Westminster constituency | Manchester Central |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | GREATER MANCHESTER WOMEN'S SUPPORT ALLIANCE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 75 - Administration, defence and social security services
- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 75231200 - Services related to the detention or rehabilitation of criminals
- 75231240 - Probation services
- 85320000 - Social services

## Release History

- 11 Mar 2026 at 13:33 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021772-2026
- 11 Mar 2026 at 12:42 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021737-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021772-2026
  11th March 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021737-2026
  11th March 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.gmwsa.org.uk
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06672e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06672e.json.