---
title: "Plymouth Homecare Light Touch Framework"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078ee3"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078ee3"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078ee3.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078ee3.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "Plymouth City Council"
published: "2026-10-23"
---

# Plymouth Homecare Light Touch Framework

Buyer: Plymouth City Council  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078ee3

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## Summary

Plymouth City Council is seeking providers for homecare services for adults aged 18 and over who have been assessed as needing support at home. The service covers regulated personal care and related support, including help with washing, dressing, toileting, meals and medication, delivered in line with each person’s care and support plan. Providers must respond to changing needs and risks, maintain essential care during disruption, and support independence, wellbeing and community connections. The service may also cover young people moving into adult services and people needing end-of-life care when agreed through assessment and commissioning. Delivery is across Plymouth City Council’s administrative boundaries, in a predominantly urban area with some rural and coastal terrain. Plymouth City Council is the named buyer; NHS Devon Integrated Care Board is also a buyer in the process. The service is classified as social work and related services.

The buyer invited tenders through an open procedure for a light-touch framework. The tender submission deadline was 20 November 2026 at 12:00 UTC; the deadline for questions was 5 November 2026 at 17:00 UTC. The initial contract term is 10 May 2027 to 9 May 2030, with the framework potentially continuing for up to nine years, to 9 May 2036. Its stated value is £312,138,968. There is one lot. The framework is intended to be reopened at three-year intervals to admit new providers and refresh the market. The framework can award call-off contracts with or without reopening competition. Evaluation is weighted 95% for quality method statements and 5% for social value method statements.

This opportunity suits homecare providers able to deliver CQC-regulated personal care across Plymouth, with operational capacity and local arrangements covering the full geographic area. Suppliers need to recruit, vet, train, supervise and maintain competent staff able to provide personal care, nutrition and hydration support, and medication prompting, assistance or administration safely and in accordance with care plans and provider policies. The service calls for an enabling, person-centred approach that promotes dignity, choice and independence, including reablement where appropriate. Providers also need effective business-continuity, emergency prioritisation, escalation and safeguarding practices, and the ability to coordinate with the Council, health and community partners and other framework providers. Experience responding to changes in people’s needs and risks, supporting continuity of care and working with community services will be relevant. Small and medium-sized businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises are identified as suitable.

## Notice

Competitive tender exercise for the procurement of Plymouth Homecare Light Touch Framework. The Council is carrying out this tender process in line with the Procurement Act 2023 ("the Act") under a Light Touch contract. The Service is for adults aged 18 and over who have been assessed as requiring care and support in their own home and for whom Homecare has been identified as the appropriate service response. The relevant Commissioner will determine the support required through assessment, care and support planning, care coordination, brokerage and review. The Provider shall deliver support in accordance with the agreed plan, respond to changes in need or risk and escalate concerns appropriately. The Service may also support young people transitioning to adult services and people with end-of-life care needs, where agreed through the appropriate assessment and commissioning pathway. The Service will operate within the specified boundary zones of Plymouth City Council and subject to ordinary residence. Providers must have the operational capacity and local arrangements required to deliver Homecare across the agreed geographic scope. * Geographic Coverage: Providers must be able to deliver across the agreed Plymouth geographic scope; administrative boundaries of Plymouth City Council. * Volume Profile: Predominantly urban with low density rural and coastal terrain The Provider shall provide CQC-regulated personal care and associated support to meet assessed eligible needs under the Care Act 2014 and achieve the outcomes set out in the person's Care and Support Plan. Support shall be person-centred, strengths-based and proportionate, promoting independence, choice, dignity and wellbeing. The Provider shall ensure staff are appropriately vetted, trained, supervised and competent to safely deliver the support required. Core activities may include: * Personal Care: Support with washing, dressing, grooming, toileting and continence, promoting dignity and independence. * Nutrition and Hydration: Support with meals, eating and drinking, including specialist requirements where identified and staff are appropriately trained and competent. * Medication: Prompting, assisting with or administering medication in accordance with the Care and Support Plan, relevant guidance and Provider policies, with appropriate recording and escalation. * Emergency Prioritisation: Maintaining essential care during disruption through effective business continuity, prioritisation and escalation arrangements. Reablement Providers must adopt an enabling approach, supporting people to retain, regain or develop skills where safe and appropriate and to reduce reliance on commissioned support where this aligns with their assessed needs, strengths and outcomes while recognising where ongoing support is required. Community Networks The Provider shall support people to maintain relationships and access community, voluntary and universal services where this contributes to their agreed outcomes. Providers shall work collaboratively with the Council, health and community partners and other Homecare Framework Providers to support coordinated care, information sharing, continuity and effective responses to changing needs or risks. The anticipated duration of the Light Touch Open Framework is nine (9) years, comprising an initial term of three (3) years. The Framework will be reopened at three-year intervals thereafter (3 + 3 + 3) to allow the admission of new Providers and to refresh the market. Subject to ongoing service requirements and the Authority's discretion, the Framework may continue for the full nine-year period. To access ITT and relevant specification, appendices paper work and to submit a tender you will need to register and find the opportunity on Supplying the South West portal https://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk/

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. Potential Future Modifications: The Authority reserves the right, as its sole discretion to to make modifications during the term of the Framework, including: the procurement of additional Homecare services; the transition from provider returns to a provider portal; and the introduction or expansion of a Trusted Assessor model. Exercising any option is subject to availability of budget, satisfactory performance by the Supplier, and demonstrable continued need for the additional services or resources.

Renewal: The anticipated duration of the Light Touch Open Framework is nine (9) years, comprising an initial term of three (3) years. The Framework will be reopened at three-year intervals thereafter (3 + 3 + 3) to allow the admission of new Providers and to refresh the market. Subject to ongoing service requirements and the Authority's discretion, the Framework may continue for the full nine-year period.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100435-2026 |
| Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 23 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 20 Nov 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 10 May 2027 - 9 May 2030 |
| Recurrence | 2029-10-01 |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £312,138,968 |
| Lots value | £312,138,968 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Active |
| Lots status | Active |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Plymouth City Council |
| Additional buyers | NHS DEVON INTEGRATED CARE BOARD |
| Locality | PLYMOUTH |
| Postcode area | Plymouth |
| Postcode | PL1 3BJ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK4 Devon |
| ITL 3 | TLK41 Plymouth |
| Local authority | Plymouth |
| Electoral ward | St Peter and the Waterfront |
| Westminster constituency | Plymouth Sutton and Devonport |
| Delivery location | TLK41 Plymouth |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85300000 - Social work and related services

## Release History

- 23 Oct 2026 at 12:31 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100435-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100435-2026
  23rd October 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk/
  Please register and express an interest in the opportunity to be able to download procurement documents

## Notice URLs

- http://www.plymouth.gov.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-078ee3. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078ee3.json.