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Extra Care Tenders:
Win Housing-With-Care Contracts
Extra care contracts are competitive, and they are unlike any other care tender, because extra care is housing with care, not a care home. The care contract is usually tendered on its own, inside a scheme owned and run by a housing provider, and a single provider often wins the whole scheme. Care Sync Experts writes extra care tenders that separate the housing function from the care function and prove your support is flexible and responsive, backed by your CQC registration.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Care providers and housing associations bidding to deliver care in extra care and housing-with-care schemes across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. What we do: find the right opportunities and write the quality responses through our tender writing service
What to do next: Book a free consultation, or send us the tender and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth bidding.
Extra care contracts: key facts
Housing with Care
Residents hold a tenancy or lease on their own flat, with a care team on site
CQC: Care Element Only
The CQC regulates the personal care element only, not the housing or the building.
Care Contract Tendered Separately
The care contract is usually tendered separately from the housing management, so you bid to deliver care in someone else's scheme.
Intense Single-Provider Competition
Schemes are often run by a single care provider, so competition is intense and sometimes includes an incumbent.
Pre-Opening Tenders
Pre-opening and design-stage schemes are tendered before they are built, so bids rely on planned models and comparable evidence.
Between Dom Care & Residential
The model sits between domiciliary care and residential care: independence with on-site care available.
What are extra care tenders?
Learn More
What are extra care tenders?
An extra care tender is a procurement process in which a commissioner, usually a local authority, sometimes with a housing association or an NHS Integrated Care Board, invites providers to bid to deliver care and support in an extra care housing scheme. Residents live in their own flats under a tenancy or lease, and an on-site team provides personal care, responsive support and community activity.
Extra care is registered by the Care Quality Commission for the regulated activity of personal care. The housing itself is not CQC regulated, which is the single most important thing to get right in an extra care bid.
Housing is NOT CQC regulated. A bid that reads like a residential care submission will score poorly.
Learn MoreWhat is the difference between extra care, residential care, supported living and domiciliary care?
Commissioners mark down bids that treat extra care like a care home. This table makes the distinction clear.
Feature
Extra care housing
Residential care home
Supported living
Domiciliary care
Where the person lives
Their own flat in a scheme
The provider's care home
Their own tenancy
Their own home
Who manages the building
A housing provider
The care provider
Accommodation with personal care
The person
CQC regulated activity
Personal care (care only)
Accommodation with personal care
Personal care
Personal care
On-site care
Available on site
24-hour in the home
Visiting or on site
Visiting
Best suited to
Older adults wanting independence with care nearby
Adults needing 24-hour personal care
Adults building independence
People needing visits at home
The housing and care split, and why it decides the bid
Extra care sits at the intersection of housing, health and social care. In most schemes the building is owned and managed by a housing association or developer, and the care contract is tendered on its own. That means you are bidding to deliver care inside someone else's scheme.
Commissioners score how well you will work alongside the housing management team, not just how you deliver care. A bid that reads like a residential care submission, or that ignores the housing partnership, will score poorly.
We frame every response around the dual identity of the service: a home with care available, not a care home.
The Housing Side
Building owned by housing association or developer. CQC does NOT regulate this. Must meet housing standards and tenancy law.
The Care Side
Personal care delivered by you, CQC registered and inspected. This is what you are bidding to deliver.
The Partnership
Commissioners score how well you demonstrate working alongside the housing management team with clear role boundaries.
Who extra care is for
Extra care typically serves older adults, usually aged 55 and over, who want to keep their independence but value on-site care. Eligibility is assessed under the Care Act 2014, and local authority nomination rights usually govern who is allocated a flat.
Moderate Care Needs
Older adults who need personal care but want to maintain their independence at home.
Couples
Where one partner needs support — extra care enables them to live together with care available on site.
Early-Moderate Dementia
People living with early to moderate dementia who benefit from structured on-site support.
Stepping Down from Residential
People transitioning from residential care back to a more independent living arrangement.
How extra care is commissioned
Councils and NHS bodies buy extra care through several models. Knowing which one you face changes your whole bid approach.
Single-scheme competitions: One provider is chosen to deliver the care for an entire scheme, so bids are highly competitive and may face an incumbent.
Dynamic purchasing systems: some councils run a DPS for extra care across several schemes or boroughs.
Care tendered separately from housing: the housing provider owns the building, and you bid for the care contract within it.
Pre-opening tenders: schemes still in design or construction are tendered before opening, using planned staffing and comparable evidence.
Joint funding: an NHS Integrated Care Board may contribute for residents with health needs, with NHS-commissioned elements falling under the Provider Selection Regime
Council-commissioned extra care sits under the Procurement Act 2023, usually through its light touch regime. See our guide to the Procurement Act 2023 for care providers.
Regulatory and compliance framework
The CQC registers and inspects the personal care element of extra care, focusing on how care is coordinated within the scheme, how the on-site presence is used, and how the service responds to unplanned needs. The housing element is not CQC regulated but must meet housing standards and tenancy law.
Mental Capacity Act 2005 & DoLS
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 and supported decision-making apply, and where a person may be deprived of their liberty the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards still apply. The Liberty Protection Safeguards were legislated in 2019 but are not yet in force, with a government consultation expected in 2026, so bids should refer to the current DoLS system, not to Liberty Protection Safeguards as though they have replaced it.
What commissioners score in extra care tenders
These ten themes recur across every extra care procurement. Preparing strong, evidenced answers in advance builds a reusable bid library.
Coordinating On-Site Care
How care is scheduled and delivered, and how the team works alongside housing management.
Flexible & Responsive Care
Core hours plus flexible care adjusting as needs change, including step-up and step-down.
Emergency Response & Night Cover
Waking nights, sleep-ins or technology-enabled care, and how emergency calls are managed.
Community Within the Scheme
Activities, communal dining where applicable, and identifying and engaging isolated residents.
Falls Prevention & Technology
Preventing escalation of need, falls prevention and use of technology-enabled care.
Housing Provider Partnership
Partnership with the housing provider, and clear lines between care and housing responsibilities.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding in a semi-independent environment, and managing cohesion where some residents receive care and others do not.
Staffing
On-site carers, a scheme coordinator and senior staff — recruitment, retention and training.
Social Value
Can carry a significant weighting. See our guide to social value in care tenders
Measurable Outcomes
Response times to emergency and non-emergency calls, falls and hospital admission rates, care plan compliance, resident satisfaction and participation in activities.
What a winning answer looks like
A high-scoring extra care answer shows how independence is preserved, how the community within the scheme is nurtured, and how care flexes up and down against assessed need rather than running to a fixed routine. It names the on-site systems and roles, explains the housing partnership, evidences emergency and night cover, and quantifies outcomes such as response times and falls, all mapped to the exact words of the scoring criterion.
The winning formula:
Name the system → Name the role → Dated example → Quantify the outcome → Map to criterion → Reference housing partnership
How to win extra care tenders in six steps
CQC Registration
Confirm CQC registration for personal care and a strong rating. Good is commonly the minimum to qualify.
Read the Scheme
Who owns and manages the housing, the resident cohort, and the core and flexible care hours required.
Map to Criteria
Map every quality question to the published scoring criteria. Generic answers score poorly.
Evidence the Split
Evidence the housing and care split, flexible and responsive care, emergency and night cover, and community building.
Comparable Evidence
Use comparable scheme evidence and planned models where the scheme is pre-opening.
Price Sustainably
Price sustainably for core and flexible hours, then quality-check and submit before the deadline.
Why providers lose marks, and how we prevent it
After reviewing extra care tender outcomes, the same failure patterns recur. Our bid writers know exactly what to avoid.
Treating Extra Care Like a residential Care Home
Ignoring the housing function or submitting a residential care-style bid. Scores very poorly with every commissioner.
Weak Community Provision
Inadequate community, activity and wellbeing provision within the scheme. commissioners rate this highly.
No Housing Partnership Evidence
Failure to demonstrate a genuine partnership with the housing provider and clear separation of roles.
Vague Flexible Care Model
Inability to articulate how flexible and responsive care works in practice — step-up and step-down must be specific.
No Emergency / Night Cover Model
No clear emergency response or night cover model, and no measurable outcomes evidenced in the response.
How to get extra care contracts
To win extra care contracts you need CQC registration for personal care, a strong understanding of the housing-with-care model, and a well-evidenced submission. In practice:
CQC Registration
Register with the CQC and build and maintain a strong rating.
Monitor the right portals
Monitor opportunities on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, council portals and dynamic purchasing systems.
Build Housing Relationships
Build relationships with housing associations and developers who run extra care schemes.
Prepare comparable scheme evidence and planned staffing models, especially for pre-opening bids.
Prepare comparable scheme evidence and planned staffing models, especially for pre-opening bids.
See current opportunities on our live tenders hub
Visit our live tenders hub for current extra care opportunities, and our team can write or review your response.
Why choose Care Sync Experts for domiciliary care tenders
We are a specialist health and social care consultancy, not a generic bid writer. We combine extra care tender writing with CQC, CIW and RQIA registration and compliance.
CQC + Compliance Consultancy
We combine tender writing with CQC, CIW and RQIA registration and compliance — so if your rating or documentation is not yet contract-ready, we fix the root cause, not just the bid.
Live Tenders Hub
We maintain a live tenders hub so we help you find the right extra care opportunities as well as win them.
Original, Scheme-Specific Writing
Every response is original, scheme-specific and written in plain, professional English. No templates, no recycled answers.
Explore our meet the team and success stories
So if your rating or documentation is not yet contract-ready, we fix the root cause, not just the bid.
Other tender sectors we support
Care Sync Experts writes tenders across the health and social care sector. Explore the other settings we support:
Supported Living Tenders
Tenancy-based support for adults with a disability or mental health needs.
Learn more →
Domiciliary Care Tenders
Personal care and support delivered through visits in a person's own home.
Learn more →
Residential Care Tenders
Accommodation with personal care in a registered care home.
Learn more →
Nursing Care Tenders
Care homes providing nursing alongside personal care.
Learn more →
Reablement Tenders
Short, goal-focused support to regain independence after illness or hospital.
Learn more →
Children's Services Tenders
Ofsted-regulated services for looked-after children and care leavers.
Learn more →
All Tender Sectors
Browse every health and social care tender sector we cover.
Browse all →
Frequently asked questions
Get in touch
Tell us about the extra care scheme or framework you are bidding for and we will give you an honest view on whether to bid and how to win it.
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