Care Tender Writing in Hampshire
Hampshire County Council buys care through its In-tend portal (in-tendhost.co.uk/hampshire), with a separate adult services tendering site for care contracts. The two routes that matter most are the Help to Live at Home Open Framework (ref AS08860) for home care, reablement and CHC, and the Care Home Framework (ref AS15180) for residential and nursing. We write bids that score against both, and we re-verify the live AS reference before each submission because numbers change between framework generations.
Care commissioning in Hampshire
Hampshire is one of England's largest shire counties by older-population share, which sustains heavy, ongoing demand for both home care and care home capacity. That demand is procured by Hampshire County Council mainly through its In-tend electronic tendering site at in-tendhost.co.uk/hampshire, alongside a distinct adult services tendering site used for care contracts. If you are a CQC-registered provider in Basingstoke, Winchester, Eastleigh, the New Forest or the Havant area, these are the gateways you have to get right.
The headline route for domiciliary providers is the Help to Live at Home Open Framework, tender reference AS08860. It is co-commissioned with the NHS, so it covers council domiciliary packages, reablement, the care element of extra care and Continuing Healthcare requirements under one agreement. That joint council and NHS structure is unusual and changes how you should write your bid, because the same submission has to satisfy both a local-authority commissioner and Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB.
For residential and nursing providers, the Care Home Framework is reached by registering on In-tend under reference AS15180. As with the home care route, the reference number is the gateway: you must register and express interest under the correct AS reference before the bid documents are released, so getting the mechanics right early matters as much as the writing.
We write tenders for Hampshire providers that are scoring-aware, evidence-led and honest. We only take on bids we believe you can win, we run a free eligibility check before any money changes hands, and we name the real frameworks, portals and commissioners you will actually be dealing with.
What is different about bidding in Hampshire
How Hampshire buys care: In-tend and the AS reference system
Hampshire County Council runs its care procurement through In-tend at in-tendhost.co.uk/hampshire, with a separate adult services tendering site for care contracts specifically. The key mechanic is the AS reference number. You must register on In-tend and express interest under the correct reference before any bid documents are released to you, so the reference is the gateway to the whole bid pack. Miss the registration step or express interest under the wrong reference and you never see the questions. We handle that registration correctly first, then build the response. Note that Southampton and Portsmouth are unitary authorities that commission separately from Hampshire County Council, so a Hampshire CC framework place does not cover those two cities. References also change between framework generations, so we confirm the live AS number on In-tend before expressing interest rather than relying on a number quoted in an old notice.
Help to Live at Home (AS08860): one bid, two commissioners
The Help to Live at Home Open Framework, reference AS08860, covers domiciliary care, reablement, the care element of extra care and CHC requirements in a single joint council and NHS agreement. Because it is co-commissioned, a successful provider can pick up both council domiciliary packages and Continuing Healthcare work under one place. That means your bid is read by a local-authority commissioner and by Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB at the same time, so your quality answers need to evidence both social-care outcomes and clinically-credible CHC delivery. As an Open Framework it lets providers apply at set windows rather than against a single fixed deadline, which we plan registrations and submissions around. Reference numbers do change between framework generations, so we re-verify the live AS reference at build time before you commit to a window.
Care Home Framework (AS15180) and the wider Hampshire demand picture
Residential and nursing providers reach Hampshire's Care Home Framework by registering on In-tend under reference AS15180. As one of England's largest shire counties by older-population share, Hampshire sustains high ongoing demand for both care home beds and home care, which keeps both frameworks commercially live. The home care market behind AS08860 is also fragmenting nationally: according to Skills for Care, in March 2025 the CQC regulated 15,232 domiciliary care organisations in England, up from 13,733 the year before, and CQC's State of Care 2024/25 notes that more than 28 percent of home care services now provide care to four people or fewer, prompting financial-resilience concerns. Hampshire commissioners read those trends into their evaluation, so your financial standing, mobilisation capacity and quality evidence carry real scoring weight.
Councils we write bids for in Hampshire
- Hampshire County Council
- Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
- Winchester City Council
- Eastleigh Borough Council
- New Forest District Council
- Havant Borough Council
- Rushmoor Borough Council
- Test Valley Borough Council
NHS integrated care boards (ICBs)
- NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board
- NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board
NHS and continuing healthcare work in Hampshire is commissioned through these ICBs.
Hampshire care procurement portals and routes
Hampshire County Council uses In-tend for its care frameworks, with the AS reference number as the gateway to each bid pack. The neighbouring unitary authorities of Southampton and Portsmouth commission separately. Always re-verify the live reference number before you express interest, because references change between framework generations.
| Council | Type | Procurement portal |
|---|---|---|
| Hampshire County Council | Shire county (adult social care) | In-tend (in-tendhost.co.uk/hampshire) plus separate adult services tendering site |
| Help to Live at Home Framework | Home care, reablement, extra care, CHC (ref AS08860) | In-tend, express interest under AS08860 |
| Care Home Framework | Residential and nursing (ref AS15180) | In-tend, register under AS15180 |
| Southampton City Council | Unitary authority (commissions separately) | In-tend / council e-tendering portal |
| Portsmouth City Council | Unitary authority (commissions separately) | Council e-tendering portal |
Portals change. We confirm the live portal and registration steps for your specific tender before you commit.
What we write for Hampshire providers
Domiciliary care tender writing
Supported living tender writing
Residential care tender writing
Nursing home tender writing
Continuing healthcare tender writing
Mental health tender writing
New to this? Read how to find care tenders and how to win a care tender.
Hampshire: common questions
What portal does Hampshire County Council use for care tenders?
Hampshire County Council runs its care tenders through its In-tend electronic tendering site at in-tendhost.co.uk/hampshire, and uses a separate adult services tendering site for care contracts specifically. You register on In-tend and express interest under the relevant AS reference number to release the bid documents. Southampton and Portsmouth are unitary authorities and procure care separately from Hampshire County Council, so check which body actually commissions the area you serve.
What is the Hampshire Help to Live at Home framework?
Help to Live at Home is Hampshire's Open Framework for domiciliary care, reablement, the care element of extra care and CHC requirements, accessed on In-tend under reference AS08860. It is co-commissioned with the NHS, so successful providers can pick up both council home care packages and Continuing Healthcare work under one agreement. Because it is an Open Framework, providers can apply at set windows rather than waiting for a single fixed deadline.
What is reference AS08860 in Hampshire procurement?
AS08860 is the tender reference for Hampshire's Help to Live at Home Open Framework on the In-tend portal. You must register on In-tend and express interest under AS08860 before the bid documents are released, so the reference is effectively the gateway to the bid pack. Reference numbers change between framework generations, so confirm the live reference on In-tend before you express interest.
How do I get on the Hampshire care home framework?
To join Hampshire's Care Home Framework for residential and nursing services, register on the In-tend portal and express interest under reference AS15180 to access the bid documents. From there you complete the selection questionnaire and quality responses, which are scored against Hampshire's requirements. We write Care Home Framework submissions that evidence your CQC standing, staffing, safeguarding and financial resilience against the actual scoring criteria, and we re-verify the live AS15180 reference before each submission.
Which ICB covers Hampshire for continuing healthcare?
Hampshire sits within NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, which commissions domiciliary care alongside Hampshire County Council, with some areas overlapping NHS Frimley ICB. Because Help to Live at Home (AS08860) is co-commissioned with the NHS, your bid is assessed against both council and ICB expectations, so it needs to evidence clinically-credible CHC delivery as well as social-care outcomes. Your first tender is £795. We only take bids we believe you can win, and if a loss is clearly down to our writing error we rewrite the next one free. Our win rate is 96 percent.
Bidding for a Hampshire contract?
Send it over and we'll tell you free whether you'd qualify, before you spend a penny. £795 for your first tender.