Secure Your Place in Surrey’s £78M Disability Support Services Re-Commissioning
Disability Support Services Re-Commissioning in Surrey has officially begun as Surrey County Council opens pre‑tender market engagement for adult social care providers, covering Community & Life Skills, Residential Short Breaks, Shared Lives, and Supported Employment. This is a key opportunity for health and social care providers across the South East of England to influence how future services are designed.
This engagement notice, published just days ago, is not a call to bid, it’s an invitation to help shape what comes next. The council plans multiple online sessions via Microsoft Teams throughout August and September 2025, allowing providers to hear commissioning intentions and ask questions. These early events also give commissioners the chance to gather market feedback on gaps in provision, service delivery models, and local capacity.
The services to be re-commissioned will support adults (18+) with learning disabilities and/or autism, as well as individuals with physical disabilities, sensory impairments, mental health conditions or multiple diagnoses. The overall procurement is sizable, around £78 million including VAT, and covers contracts from July 1ˢᵗ 2026 to June 30ᵗʰ 2029, with extensions possible up to mid‑2031. You can find more information including how to register for the events here: Find a Tender.
The engagement programme is structured to build understanding and gather insights. It starts with an overview session on August 13ᵗʰ, introducing the full scope of re‑commissioned services. Subsequent events include targeted briefings on Support Employment, Residential Short Breaks, Shared Lives, and Community & Life Skills support (scheduled between August 20ᵗʰ–28ᵗʰ). A final “pre‑tender go live” summary session is due on September 22ⁿᵈ, highlighting evaluation criteria and procurement expectations. Organisations delivering disability support services in Surrey should attend these events to align with commissioning needs.
These types of events are strategic for providers: appearing early positions your organisation as engaged and responsive. You can clarify specification concerns, discuss innovative delivery models, and get early signals on scoring priorities, all before the formal Invitation to Tender is released. Importantly, attendance does not guarantee future participation, and providers who don’t attend are still eligible to bid when the tender opens. You can access to more available information here: Find a Tender+1HSC Public Health Agency+1
From a bid‑writing perspective, early involvement matters. Insights gleaned at engagement sessions allow your future submission to be more strongly aligned with commissioner expectations. Rather than guessing about what matters most, to Surrey’s adult social care priorities, you’ll back your bid with verifiable understanding of how your service offerings fit.
At BFT Consult, we support organisations through every stage of this journey. That means not only advising on whether and how to engage in these events, but also helping you draft clear, evidence‑led input for early sessions. Later, we plough that insight into a bid that is structured, compliant, and compelling, demonstrating your awareness of Surrey’s strategic objectives, focus on person‑centred outcomes, and ability to deliver value.
Clear writing, strategic positioning, and early engagement go hand in hand. Providers who attend and contribute thoughtfully to these sessions often submit stronger bids that score higher.
Surrey County Council’s market engagement process presents a valuable early entry point for providers interested in supporting adults with disability or neurodivergence across the county. Taking part now gives you the chance to both learn and shape the upcoming tender’s scope and scoring emphasis.
If your organisation is interested in these South East services, or you’d like help preparing to attend or bid when the tender is issued, BFT Consult is here to help. With over ten years’ experience supporting health & social care bids across England, we ensure your submissions are informed, articulate, and highly competitive.
Contact us today to discuss how we can support your engagement and bid writing needs for this opportunity.
Interested in current tenders? View live tender opportunities here.
