--- title: "Mental Health Supported Accommodation Pathway" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06c7ed" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06c7ed" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c7ed.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c7ed.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL" published: "2026-07-09" --- # Mental Health Supported Accommodation Pathway Buyer: ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06c7ed [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06c7ed) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c7ed.json) ## Summary Essex County Council is currently in the planning stage of procuring services for the "Mental Health Supported Accommodation Pathway," aimed at improving support and independence for individuals under the Mental Health Act. This procurement process is part of the Council's efforts to address issues such as hospital step-down, preventable admissions, and out-of-area placements by providing holistic social care services. The Council, categorised as a sub-central government public authority, is located in Chelmsford, United Kingdom, focusing on the UKH3 region for service delivery. Interested parties must respond to the preliminary market engagement questionnaire by noon on 17th July 2026, which is part of the preliminary efforts in shaping the tender structure and gathering market insights. This tender represents a significant opportunity for businesses in the social services sector, specifically those specialising in mental health support. With the procurement process adopting a "lightTouch" regime and plans to structure the tender to encourage Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprises (VCSEs), it invites innovative providers who can contribute to improving community health outcomes. Successful businesses will be able to establish a long-term contract, with planned service delivery commencing from January 2028 and continuing until the end of 2032. This engagement offers an invaluable platform for providers to influence the development of service models and potentially secure expanded service contracts with Essex County Council. ## Notice Essex County Council ("the Council") is inviting prospective providers to participate in a market engagement exercise to inform the Council's commissioning considerations regarding the provision the Mental Health Supported Accommodation Pathway. Please find below a summary of the provision below. This accommodation is provided when it is necessary to meet people's assessed needs under the Mental Health Act and is provided as a way of helping people return to independence in the community. The Pathway is designed to support flow and capacity for step down from hospital, avoid preventable admissions, improve health and social care outcomes for individuals, provide holistic support and reduce and/or eliminate out of area placements. The model is underpinned by a move-on concept linked to community provision, including commissioned services ensuring people can continue to recover and thrive independently in mainstream housing. Please note that the Council reserves the right to refine the scope of this proposed procurement following the market engagement process. In addition, please note that this procurement remains subject to governance approval. Therefore, the Council will confirm the final scope of the procurement, including but not limited to, the contract duration and confirmed procurement timetable in the corresponding Tender Notice following the conclusion of the requisite governance process. ### Planning Information Essex County Council have created a questionnaire which can be accessed using the following link: https://consultations.essex.gov.uk/procurement/mental-health-supported-accommodation-pathway-mark/ Further information about the Mental Health Supported Accommodation Pathway is included in the questionnaire. Essex County Council are in the early stages of preliminary market engagement to help shape how future tenders for Mental Health Supported Accommodation are structured. The project group would like to reach out to the market to share examples of possible lot structure and gather providers insights into what could work and what could deter potential bidders from bidding. The deadline for responses is noon on 17th July 2026 ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064886-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 9 Jul 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 17 Jul 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Jan 2028 - 31 Dec 2032 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL | | Locality | CHELMSFORD | | Post town | Chelmsford | | Postcode | CM1 1QH | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLH East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLH3 Essex | | ITL 3 | TLH36 Heart of Essex | | Local authority | Chelmsford | | Electoral ward | Moulsham and Central | | Westminster constituency | Chelmsford | | Delivery location | TLH3 Essex | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 85300000 - Social work and related services ## Release History - 9 Jul 2026 at 15:28 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064886-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064886-2026 9th July 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://consultations.essex.gov.uk/procurement/mental-health-supported-accommodation-pathway-mark/ - 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-06c7ed. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c7ed.json.