GMCA All-Age Supported Accommodation Framework (2025): What Providers Need to Know

December 8, 2025

Greater Manchester is one of the most important regions in England for Supported Living and Supported Accommodation commissioning — and with overlapping borough frameworks, a new GMCA all-age model, and multiple recommissioning cycles running through 2025–2028, clarity is essential for providers planning ahead.

To support long-term planning, this article sits alongside the UK Adult Social Care Tender Pipeline , which tracks expected tender timelines for Supported Living, Homecare, Supported Employment and Shared Lives across every region, including the full Greater Manchester cluster.

Below is a clear explanation of how GMCA’s 2025 all-age Supported Accommodation framework fits together with the existing borough-level arrangements — and what this means for providers preparing for future opportunities.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) launched its new All-Age Supported Accommodation Framework in early 2025, marking one of the most significant commissioning shifts in the region for learning disabilities, autism, mental health, complex needs and step-down pathways. But while the framework brings a new GM-wide route for placements, it does not replace the individual Supported Living and accommodation arrangements still active across the ten boroughs.

This guide explains how the new model works, how it overlaps with existing borough frameworks and DPS structures, and what providers should do to remain visible and tender-ready across Greater Manchester.

What the new GMCA framework covers

The 2025 GMCA All-Age Supported Accommodation Framework brings together commissioning for:

Supported Living (LD, autism, MH, complex needs)
Supported Accommodation (including transitions, 16–17/18+, step-down and forensic pathways)
Short-term and crisis arrangements depending on borough-level pathways

It allows GMCA and the ten councils to call off services via one framework rather than procuring separately each time. For providers, this creates a clearer, GM-wide route to market—especially for complex cases.

Did the GMCA framework replace borough frameworks?

No. This is the most common misunderstanding.

Every borough still operates its own Supported Living or Supported Accommodation arrangement—typically frameworks or DPS models built on earlier commissioning cycles such as 2017–2021 and 2021–2026. Many of these have been extended to 2027 or 2028.

The GMCA framework sits alongside these and is used for:

Complex or cross-borough cases
Pathways aligned to GM ICS priorities
Service types that benefit from greater consistency across GM
Situations where GMCA is coordinating commissioning with ICB partners

Borough frameworks remain active for local placements, block arrangements, legacy packages and community-based step-down. This means providers need to remain visible in both GM-wide and borough-level routes.

Why GMCA moved to a dual-route commissioning model

GMCA’s commissioning ambitions focus on:

Improving consistency in complex pathways across boroughs
Reducing duplication of procurement effort
Supporting ICB-aligned discharge and step-down models
Increasing provider capacity in specialist accommodation
Strengthening market stability for high-needs provision

The GMCA framework gives commissioners a single, scalable pathway for packages that need shared ICB and LA oversight, while still respecting the legal and operational role of borough arrangements.

What changes for providers?

For most providers, the biggest change is not contractual—it is strategic.

You now need to be aware of two separate but connected commissioning routes:

GMCA All-Age Supported Accommodation Framework (2025–)
Where complex, cross-border or specialist placements are more likely to be called off.
Borough frameworks and DPS (2017–2021, 2021–2026, extended)
Still used for the majority of local Supported Living placements and legacy package management.

In practical terms, providers may receive opportunities via:

GMCA call-offs
ICB-linked commissioning activity
Individual borough mini-competitions
DPS call-offs for routine or locality-based Supported Living

When will GMCA retender the framework?

A full retender is not expected soon. Instead, GMCA’s model is designed to use:

Annual or periodic refresh rounds
Additional provider windows for new entrants
Market-shaping reviews tied to ICB population health plans

This means providers who missed the 2025 launch will get further entry points—but should track refresh announcements closely.

Borough cycles still matter

Across the ten boroughs—Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Wigan, Stockport, Tameside, Oldham, Rochdale and Trafford—existing Supported Living frameworks are on differing timelines. Many 2021–2026 frameworks have options to extend into 2027/28.

This staggered landscape means:

Borough commissioners still run mini-competitions for local packages
Legacy placements continue under pre-GMCA contracts
Providers remain eligible across multiple legal frameworks at once
GMCA call-offs complement, not replace, borough processes

How providers should position themselves

To stay competitive and tender-ready across GM, providers should:

Maintain compliance across both GMCA and borough-level frameworks
Ensure PBS, crisis response and complex needs capability is well evidenced
Strengthen relationships with housing partners for Supported Accommodation bids
Monitor GMCA and council portals for refresh rounds and call-offs
Adapt mobilisation plans for packages spanning multiple boroughs

Providers operating in LD, autism, MH and step-down pathways will particularly benefit from understanding which boroughs still use legacy frameworks and which are transitioning more commissioning activity into the GMCA route.

A final note

The GMCA All-Age Supported Accommodation Framework represents a major step toward a more unified commissioning environment across Greater Manchester. But borough frameworks remain active, legally valid and essential to the Supported Living market.

The strongest providers will monitor and respond to both routes—and shape their service models to meet GM’s increasing expectations for PBS-led, outcomes-focused provision.

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