Care contract tenders in the South East

The South East has the largest older population of any English region and a correspondingly large care market. It also has the highest proportion of self-funding clients, which shapes what councils buy and how they price it — local authority rates here often sit well below what the same provider can charge privately.

This page covers who commissions across the region. To have opportunities sent to you, the South East edition of our bid bulletin arrives twice a week.

Who commissions care in the South East

Kent County Council, Medway Council, East Sussex County Council, Brighton and Hove City Council, West Sussex County Council, Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council, Southampton City Council, Isle of Wight Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Buckinghamshire Council and Milton Keynes City Council.

Across Berkshire, six unitary authorities commission independently: Reading Borough Council, Slough Borough Council, West Berkshire Council, Windsor and Maidenhead Council, Wokingham Borough Council and Bracknell Forest Council.

Surrey has already reorganised. The former county and district councils have been replaced by two new unitary authorities, East Surrey and West Surrey, which held their first elections in May 2026 — making Surrey the first area in the current reorganisation programme to complete the transition.

Integrated care boards covering the region include Kent and Medway; Sussex; Surrey Heartlands; Frimley; Hampshire and Isle of Wight; and Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West.

What comes to market here

Kent and Hampshire both run large, structured home care frameworks with district lots and periodic refresh points. Hampshire’s arrangements have historically been among the most competitive in the country, attracting national providers alongside local ones.

Reorganisation decisions have been confirmed for Hampshire and the Solent, and government has consulted on a modified option for Sussex and Brighton following concerns about the original proposals. Providers in those areas should expect procurement timetables to shift.

There is consistent demand for supported living and for complex care packages, and the Isle of Wight presents a distinct market where coverage is a standing commissioning problem.

What South East commissioners tend to score

Because the private market is strong, commissioners here are alert to providers who take local authority work as filler and deprioritise it when private clients appear. Expect to be asked how you allocate capacity between funded and self-funding clients.

Workforce cost is a live issue — high housing costs make recruitment at council rates genuinely difficult, and bids that don’t address this credibly read as naive.

Hear about South East opportunities first

Our trackers monitor every commissioning authority in the region alongside the ICBs and NHS trusts, and send you the three opportunities worth your time, twice a week.