How to win acquired brain injury and neuro-rehab support tenders
Acquired brain injury (ABI) support is won through two routes that often run at once: council Specialist Care and Supported Living frameworks (or dynamic purchasing vehicles), and NHS or ICB placement contracts. ABI is rarely tendered on its own. It usually sits as one named client group inside a wider disabilities framework alongside learning disability, autism and mental health, so you must spot it in the scope and write to the neuro-rehab requirement specifically. Method statements are typically scored 0 to 4 or 0 to 5, with quality weighted around 60 to 70 percent. What separates winning bids is demonstrable neuro competence: positive behaviour support, cognitive and sensory support, and structured MDT working with occupational therapists, physiotherapists and neuropsychology. Demand is substantial: according to Headway, the brain injury association, there were 335,409 UK hospital admissions for acquired brain injury in 2023 to 2024, around 919 a day. We check you qualify for free before you write a word.
How ABI support is commissioned in the UK
Acquired brain injury support is commissioned through both local authorities and the NHS, and the strongest providers pursue both routes. Councils buy ABI support inside Specialist Care and Supported Living frameworks rather than as a standalone service. Telford and Wrekin's Specialist Care Framework, awarded on 24 February 2026, covers learning disability, autism, mental health and acquired brain injury together, with a total value of around GBP 78m running April 2026 to March 2028, according to D3 Tenders and Telford and Wrekin Council. ABI is almost never its own lot. It is named as one eligible client group inside broader disabilities procurements, so you have to read the scope carefully and answer to the ABI element rather than assume a generic supported-living answer will score. The scale of need explains why commissioners keep building this capacity. According to Headway, the brain injury association, there were 335,409 UK hospital admissions for acquired brain injury in 2023 to 2024, around 919 a day or one every 90 seconds. That demand feeds straight into long-term community and placement contracts that councils and integrated care boards must keep filled, which is why these frameworks reopen and expand year on year.
Council frameworks, DPVs and the NHS placement route
There are three procurement vehicles you will meet, and a winning provider registers for every one that fits. Closed frameworks award a fixed list of providers for a set term, then refer packages through call-off or further competition; entry is at one fixed point and you cannot join again until they re-tender. Dynamic purchasing vehicles (DPVs or DPS) stay open for new providers to join throughout their life. One supported-living DPV published on Find a Tender (notice 001572-2026) names specialisms including acquired brain injury, complex epilepsy and challenging behaviour, which is exactly the language to search the scope text for. The third route is NHS and ICB placements, historically tendered as Acquired Brain Injury and Neuro Rehabilitation Placements (for example by the former West Hampshire CCG), bought as spot or block contracts. Knowing which vehicle you are in changes how you bid. A closed framework rewards breadth and a strong evidence base scored once at award; a DPV lets you enter mid-term but still demands the full quality submission to be admitted. NHS placements turn on bed availability, clinical capability and price per placement. If you are unsure which applies, our guides on framework versus DPS versus contract and what a DPS is set out the differences before you commit bid-writing time.
Do ABI providers need CQC registration?
You usually need CQC registration if you deliver hands-on personal care or nursing care, but not always, and the line sits at regulated activity. Where staff provide personal care, such as support with washing, dressing, medication or moving and handling, that is a regulated activity and CQC registration is mandatory before you can bid. Nursing-led neuro placements need registration for nursing care as well. Pure enablement or rehabilitation support that does not include personal care can sit outside regulated activity, which means some ABI rehab and community reintegration services are not CQC-regulated. This is adult ABI support, so the regulator is the Care Quality Commission, not Ofsted. This distinction matters because commissioners write it into the selection stage as a pass or fail gate, and getting it wrong wastes the whole bid. Read the specification to see exactly what regulated activity is in scope, then confirm your registration and the location named on your CQC certificate cover it. If your rating is below Good, check our guide on CQC rating requirements first, because some specialist frameworks set a minimum rating threshold before any quality answer is even read.
Neuro-rehab versus supported living for ABI
Neuro-rehab and supported living are two different things, and ABI contracts often expect both blended together. Neuro-rehab is goal-led rehabilitation that rebuilds cognitive, physical and functional skills after a brain injury, usually driven by an MDT of occupational therapists, physiotherapists and neuropsychology working to time-limited goals. Supported living is longer-term, accommodation-based support that helps someone live as independently as possible, which may or may not include regulated personal care. Many ABI placements sit between the two: rehab-informed support delivered within a supported-living setting, sometimes stepping down from a hospital or specialist rehabilitation unit. Commissioners score you on both halves. Your method statement needs to evidence the day-to-day support model (staffing ratios, consistency, person-centred planning) and the rehabilitation competence that makes it brain-injury specific (graded goal-setting, fatigue and insight management, reablement targets). Bidders who describe only generic supported living miss the rehab marks, and bidders who describe only clinical rehab miss the daily-living marks. Read the specification to see which weighting the commissioner has put on each, then mirror it in how much you write on each.
The neuro specialisms commissioners score on
ABI contracts are won on evidence of genuine neuro-rehab competence, and this is the filter that removes generalist bidders. Commissioners expect you to show positive behaviour support (PBS) for behaviour that challenges, cognitive and sensory support tailored to brain-injury presentations, and structured multidisciplinary working with occupational therapists, physiotherapists and neuropsychology. Generic supported-living method statements score poorly here because the rubric is looking for brain-injury-specific practice: fatigue and insight management, graded rehabilitation goals, risk planning around impulsivity and disinhibition, swallowing and seizure awareness, and structured family and carer support. Demand is also rising, which sharpens commissioner interest in capable providers. Headway reports that head-injury hospital admissions among females rose 28 percent since 2005 to 2006, increasing long-term ABI support needs. Use concrete evidence in your answers rather than intent: name the MDT roles you draw on, the goal-setting framework you use, your staff training in brain-injury care, and how you measure and report outcomes. Our complex care and learning disability framework application guides show the depth of evidence these scored questions reward, and how to convert a method statement from a 3 into a 4.
How these tenders are scored
Most ABI and supported-living procurements weight quality more heavily than price, typically 60:40 to 70:30, with written method statements scored on a 0 to 4 or 0 to 5 scale. Each band has descriptors, and the gap between a 3 and a 4 is almost always evidence: a maximum mark needs a specific, demonstrated example, not a statement of intent. Score the difference and you change the outcome, because at these weightings a one-point gain on three quality questions can outrank a competitor undercutting you on rate. Work backwards from the descriptors. Map each rubric bullet to a paragraph, answer the ABI-specific element of the question explicitly, and give a worked example that proves the claim. Selection is separate and usually pass or fail on registration, insurance, turnover and exclusion grounds, so clear those first. ABI is named as an eligible specialism across multiple council supported-living and disabilities frameworks in 2025 to 2026 notices, according to find-tender.service.gov.uk, so the volume of opportunity is genuinely there if you can write to the standard the rubric demands.
ABI and neuro-rehab tender readiness checklist
What council and NHS commissioners typically check before a quality answer is scored, and which route each requirement applies to.
| Requirement | What it usually means | Route / stage |
|---|---|---|
| CQC registration | Registered for personal care and/or nursing care where hands-on support is delivered; pure enablement may sit outside regulated activity | Council and NHS, pass or fail |
| Neuro-rehab competence | Evidence of PBS, cognitive and sensory support, fatigue and goal-setting frameworks specific to brain injury | Scored quality |
| MDT working | Named links to OTs, physiotherapists and neuropsychology, with how you coordinate care | Scored quality |
| Eligible client group match | ABI listed in scope alongside learning disability, autism, mental health or complex epilepsy | Both, eligibility |
| Insurance and turnover | Public liability and minimum turnover thresholds set at selection | Both, pass or fail |
| Vehicle type | Closed framework, dynamic purchasing vehicle (DPV/DPS), or NHS/ICB placement | Determines entry route |
| Quality:price weighting | Commonly 60:40 to 70:30, method statements scored 0 to 4 or 0 to 5 | Award |
Not sure if you qualify for a tender? We check it for free, before you pay anything, and we only take bids we believe you can win. See our supported living tender writing or text TENDER to get started.
Common questions
How are acquired brain injury services commissioned in the UK?
Through two routes that often run together. Councils commission ABI support inside Specialist Care and Supported Living frameworks and dynamic purchasing vehicles, where ABI is usually one named client group alongside learning disability, autism and mental health. The NHS and integrated care boards commission ABI and neuro-rehabilitation placements separately as spot or block contracts. Telford and Wrekin's Specialist Care Framework, awarded February 2026 at around GBP 78m, is a live example covering ABI within a wider scope. Pursuing both council and health routes gives you the widest pipeline.
Do brain injury support providers need CQC registration?
Usually yes, but it depends on the activity. If you deliver personal care, such as help with washing, dressing or medication, or you provide nursing care, that is a regulated activity and CQC registration is mandatory before you can bid. Pure enablement or rehabilitation support that does not involve personal care can sit outside regulated activity, so some ABI rehab services are not CQC-regulated. This is adult support, so the regulator is the CQC, not Ofsted. Always read the specification to confirm exactly what activity is in scope, because commissioners treat registration as a pass or fail gate.
What frameworks include acquired brain injury support?
ABI is named as an eligible specialism inside many council Supported Living and Disabilities frameworks rather than tendered alone. Telford and Wrekin's Specialist Care Framework explicitly covers acquired brain injury. Several supported-living dynamic purchasing vehicles name ABI alongside complex epilepsy and challenging behaviour, such as Find a Tender notice 001572-2026. According to find-tender.service.gov.uk, ABI appears as an eligible specialism across multiple 2025 to 2026 framework notices. Search the scope text for acquired brain injury and neuro-rehabilitation rather than relying on the framework title.
What is the difference between neuro-rehab and supported living for ABI?
Neuro-rehab is goal-led rehabilitation that rebuilds cognitive, physical and functional skills after a brain injury, usually with an MDT of OTs, physiotherapists and neuropsychology working to time-limited goals. Supported living is longer-term, accommodation-based support that helps someone live as independently as possible, which may include personal care. Many ABI contracts blend the two, expecting rehab-informed support within a supported-living setting. Commissioners score you on both: the day-to-day support model and the rehabilitation competence that makes it brain-injury specific.
Who commissions acquired brain injury placements, councils or the NHS?
Both, and the strongest providers register for each. Local authorities commission ABI support through adult social care frameworks and DPVs. The NHS and integrated care boards commission ABI and neuro-rehabilitation placements directly, historically tendered as named placement contracts and bought as spot or block. Many people have joint funding between health and social care, so being on a council framework and known to the local ICB widens your referrals. We help you map which route fits your registration and capacity before you bid.
What does it cost to have Selective Care Match write an ABI tender?
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. Standard tenders are £3,000 with £50 per extra lot, and the eligibility check is free, so you find out whether an ABI framework genuinely fits your registration and evidence before you spend anything.
Got a tender to check?
Text TENDER to +44 7822 030677and we'll tell you free whether you'd qualify, before you spend a penny.