Trafford Council - Provision of Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation - Soft Market Testing. Please note that this is not a call for competition. This is a soft market testing exercise is undertaken on behalf of Trafford Council under the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023. Purpose: Part IV of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 mandates a statutory duty on local authorities to provide safe accommodation for people fleeing domestic abuse. In Trafford we currently provide safe accommodation in the form of refuges for women, families and male survivors of domestic abuse. We also provide dispersed accommodation for some survivors when they move on from refuges. Trafford Council are undertaking this soft market testing exercise to fully understand what the market can offer and the challenges in procuring and setting up this service. It is hoped that this will be an opportunity for us to obtain an insight of how participants might approach delivery of the service, and how they might address circumstances that may impact on the service. It will also help us to further understand the market. We anticipate that should a tender exercise be undertaken, the maximum annual value for the contract might be in the region of £357,559, and the duration to be 5 years, with an initial period of 12 months with the option to extend for period(s) of up to 48 months. We are therefore seeking expressions of interest from participants with the relevant expertise and experience to assist us in determining the feasibility of this project by answering the questions that are published on the Chest portal - Project Ref DN827443. Please use the following link to access the Chest portal to obtain the soft market tested documentation: The Chest: North West Procurement Portal Note that any contract awarded following any future tender process will be subject solely to Trafford Council´s Terms and Condition. Deadline for Questions/Clarifications: 3 Sept 2026 at 12.00 noon. Please note that all questions and/or requests for clarification must be uploaded onto the ´Messages´ section of the Chest portal and we will respond using the same method. Deadline for submission of Soft Market Testing documentation: 11 Sept 2026 at 12.00 noon.