CCS (now GCA) healthcare staffing frameworks for care providers
Crown Commercial Service (CCS, now the Government Commercial Agency or GCA since 1 April 2026) runs national staffing frameworks that the public sector uses to buy temporary clinical and healthcare workers. The main one is RM6281, the National Framework for the Provision of Clinical and Healthcare Staffing, approved by NHS England within the NHS Workforce Alliance. These are staffing agreements, not social-care service delivery, so they suit recruitment agencies and care providers with a genuine staffing arm rather than a pure domiciliary or residential operator. You cannot simply sign up; you win a place at the open procurement window when the framework is re-let. We tell you for free whether you genuinely qualify before you spend money writing a bid.
What CCS (now GCA) is and why the name changed
CCS is the UK government's central buying function, and since 1 April 2026 it operates as the Government Commercial Agency (GCA). It is the same organisation doing the same job, so documents published before that date still say CCS while newer ones say GCA. Treat them as one and the same when you read framework paperwork, because the reference numbers and the legal effect do not change. GCA puts national agreements in place that any public sector body can buy through, identified by reference numbers that start with RM. Health and care work sits mainly under the workforce and NHS Workforce Alliance categories, which is staffing rather than direct social-care delivery. The practical point for a care provider is this: a GCA framework is a pre-competed list of approved suppliers. Buyers use it to award work quickly, either by direct award off a ranked list or by running a further competition between named suppliers. If you are not on the list, you cannot be awarded that work, however good your service is. That is why the timing of the procurement window matters more than how strong you are today.
What RM6281 covers
RM6281 is the National Framework for the Provision of Clinical and Healthcare Staffing, and it covers the temporary recruitment of clinical and healthcare staff across all job roles and bands, UK-wide. According to Crown Commercial Service, it is approved by NHS England as part of the NHS Workforce Alliance portfolio, which is what gives NHS trusts the confidence to buy through it without running a full procurement themselves. It replaced the previous RM6161 agreement, which expired on 11 October 2024, and is currently set to expire on 4 May 2027, according to NHS London Procurement Partnership. Buyers can access it by both direct award and further competition, and it is open to all public sector bodies across the UK, not just the NHS. In plain terms, this framework is about supplying agency workers, nurses, healthcare assistants, allied health professionals and similar roles into NHS and public sector settings, against agreed bands and capped rates. It is not a route to win a council home care or supported living contract, and presenting it that way to a buyer would read as a basic misunderstanding.
Who these frameworks actually suit
GCA healthcare staffing frameworks suit recruitment agencies and care providers that run a real staffing or agency arm, not pure care-delivery operators. Be honest with yourself here. RM6281 buys temporary workers by role and band; it does not commission a package of care for a named individual. If your business model is domiciliary care, supported living or a care home, this is the wrong door, and you want council and NHS service frameworks instead. Where it fits is when you already place, or want to place, temporary clinical and healthcare staff into NHS trusts and other public bodies. You will need the compliance infrastructure agency work demands: framework rate-card discipline so you never breach the capped rate, robust DBS and right-to-work checks on every worker, mandatory and statutory training records, employer liability and professional indemnity cover, and clear supervision and escalation lines. Scoring panels on staffing frameworks test exactly these controls, so weak audit trails sink otherwise capable agencies. If you are weighing a staffing route against direct service delivery, our guide on framework vs DPS vs contract sets out the trade-offs and which fits your model.
How you get on a CCS / GCA staffing framework
You get on by winning a place through open competitive procurement when the agreement is re-let, not by registering an interest. There is no rolling sign-up, and no broker can shortcut you onto a closed framework. When the framework reaches its procurement window, GCA publishes a tender, you submit a bid, and places are awarded to suppliers who pass selection and then score well enough on the assessed questions. Expect a two-part shape familiar from any framework. A selection stage screens you on eligibility: company standing, insurance levels, financial standing, grounds for exclusion and relevant accreditations. Then a scored stage assesses quality and price, where written responses on service delivery, compliance, candidate supply, fill rates and account management decide your ranking, often against a tied rate card so quality is the real differentiator. Because RM6281 runs to 4 May 2027, it is not freshly open to new entrants mid-term, so the realistic move now is to get bid-ready, assemble your evidence, and watch the Find a Tender Service for the replacement notice. Our guide on how to find care tenders shows where these notices surface and how to set up alerts.
RM6397 and the fake-urgency warning
RM6397 is the upcoming NHS Workforce Alliance framework expected to replace both RM6281 (Clinical and Healthcare Staffing) and RM6277 (Non-Clinical Staffing), according to Crown Commercial Service. It is in development, which means there is no live deadline to respond to right now and no compliant way to bid until the procurement opens. This matters because the gap between an announced framework and its actual Find a Tender notice is exactly when cold-pitch outfits ring round claiming you must act today or miss out. Ignore that fake urgency. The only thing that puts you on RM6397 is a compliant bid submitted during its real procurement window, and that window opens with a published Find a Tender notice, not a phone call or an email demanding a fee. Watch the notice itself rather than the noise around it. When the genuine procurement lands you will have weeks to respond, and being bid-ready in advance, with your accreditations, insurances, policies and evidence assembled, is worth far more than reacting to a panicked sales call.
How this fits your wider tender strategy
For most care providers, a GCA staffing framework is one strand among several, not the main event. If you deliver care rather than supply staff, your core pipeline is council and NHS service frameworks, dynamic purchasing systems and individual contracts, and a staffing framework only makes sense if you have a separate agency arm with its own compliance. Map your routes before you commit writing time to any single one, because chasing the wrong door wastes the bid effort you could spend winning the right one. Whatever the route, the gating questions are the same: are you eligible, can you meet the minimum financial thresholds, and can you evidence delivery to the standard the buyer scores against. Financial standing in particular trips providers up, because frameworks often set a turnover floor at roughly twice the expected annual contract value, so our guide on minimum turnover for care tenders is worth reading before you start. We only take on bids we believe a client can genuinely win, which means we will tell you plainly if a staffing framework is the wrong fit for your business rather than charge you to chase it.
CCS (now GCA) healthcare staffing frameworks at a glance
The key reference numbers a care or staffing provider will meet, and what each one means in practice.
| Reference | What it is | Status | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| RM6281 | National Framework for the Provision of Clinical and Healthcare Staffing; temporary clinical and healthcare staff, all roles and bands, UK-wide | Live; set to expire 4 May 2027. Replaced RM6161 (expired 11 October 2024) | Recruitment agencies and providers with a real staffing arm |
| RM6277 | Non-Clinical Staffing framework | Live; expected to be superseded by RM6397 | Suppliers of non-clinical temporary staff |
| RM6397 | Upcoming NHS Workforce Alliance framework expected to replace both RM6281 and RM6277 | In development; no live deadline. Watch the Find a Tender notice | Future bidders; beware fake-urgency cold pitches |
| CCS / GCA | Central government buying function. CCS became the Government Commercial Agency on 1 April 2026 | Active; same body, new name | All public sector buyers and approved suppliers |
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. Text TENDER to get started.
Common questions
What is RM6281 and what does it cover?
RM6281 is the National Framework for the Provision of Clinical and Healthcare Staffing. It covers temporary recruitment of clinical and healthcare staff across all job roles and bands, UK-wide, and is approved by NHS England within the NHS Workforce Alliance. Buyers access it by both direct award and further competition, and it is open to all public sector bodies, not only the NHS. It is a staffing agreement, so it suits agencies and providers with a staffing arm rather than pure care-delivery operators.
Is CCS the same as the Government Commercial Agency?
Yes. Crown Commercial Service became the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) on 1 April 2026. It is the same central buying function for the UK public sector, just renamed. Documents published before that date still refer to CCS, while newer ones say GCA, so you should treat the two names as one organisation when you read framework paperwork.
How do I get on a CCS / GCA healthcare staffing framework?
You win a place through open competitive procurement when the framework is re-let; you cannot simply sign up. When the procurement window opens, GCA publishes a tender, you submit a bid, and places go to suppliers who pass selection and score well enough on quality and price. Because RM6281 runs to 4 May 2027, the practical move now is to get bid-ready and watch the Find a Tender Service for the replacement notice.
What is RM6397 replacing?
RM6397 is the upcoming NHS Workforce Alliance framework expected to replace both RM6281 (Clinical and Healthcare Staffing) and RM6277 (Non-Clinical Staffing). It is still in development with no live deadline, so be wary of cold pitches claiming you must act immediately. The only way onto it is a compliant bid during its real procurement window, which opens with a published Find a Tender notice.
Can a care provider use a Crown Commercial Service framework?
Yes, but only if it fits your model. RM6281 buys temporary clinical and healthcare staff, so it suits providers with a genuine staffing or agency arm rather than pure domiciliary or residential operators. If you deliver care to named individuals, your route is council and NHS service frameworks, dynamic purchasing systems and direct contracts instead. RM6281 is also set to expire on 4 May 2027, so a new supplier prepares now and bids at the next window or the RM6397 replacement.
How much does it cost to work with you on a care 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. We start with a free eligibility check so you only pay once we are confident a framework or contract genuinely fits your business.
Keep reading
Care frameworks explained
Framework vs DPS vs contract
How to find care tenders
Find a Tender Service (FTS)
Minimum turnover requirements
Browse all care tender guides, or see care tender writing by service.
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