Tender opportunity: Minor adaptations contract – Cumberland Council

BHTA members operating within the adaptations sector are invited to review a newly published tender opportunity for the provision of minor adaptations across the Cumberland Council area.

Cumberland Council is procuring a contract for the supply, delivery, and installation of minor adaptative works to people’s homes. Services will be delivered following an assessment of need by Cumberland Council or a local NHS trust, or on a preventative basis. Cumberland Council will remain the sole contracting authority for this contract.

Tender overview

The contract covers minor building installation and associated works to support people with disabilities to live safely and independently in their own homes.

The council proposes to award the contract for an initial term of 12 months, commencing 19 April 2026 and ending 18 April 2027.

There is one optional extension of up to 12 months, which may extend the contract to 18 April 2028 at the council’s discretion.

The contract value for the initial term is £384,000 (excluding VAT). If the optional extension is implemented, the total estimated value across the full potential term is £768,000 (excluding VAT). These figures are indicative and extension is not guaranteed.

The opportunity is considered suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs).

Procurement details

This is a below-threshold open competition under the Procurement Act 2023.

• Enquiry deadline: 5pm on 26 February 2026
• Tender submission deadline: 10am on 10 March 2026

Tenders must be submitted electronically via Cumberland Council’s online procurement portal, The Chest. Suppliers must be registered on The Chest in order to access the tender documentation and submit a bid. Registration is free.

Members are advised to read the Invitation to Tender (ITT) and all appendices carefully before completing their submission.

The evaluation criteria are weighted as follows:

• Quality – 60 percent
• Price – 20 percent
• Social Value – 20 percent

Bidders must achieve a minimum unweighted quality score of 2 on each individual quality question. Failure to meet this threshold will result in the bid being rejected.

Clarification questions must be submitted via The Chest messaging function within the deadlines set out in the ITT.

Full tender documentation and further details are available via The Chest portal. Members operating within the minor adaptations and home adaptations space are encouraged to review the opportunity in full and submit their tender before the deadline.