Home Care Framework (2025)

Fixed price with a possible annual inflationary uplift as necessary.

Award of contracts under the framework includes:

C1 Providers admitted to the Home Care Framework are not guaranteed any number of Support Packages or hours of work. A place on the Framework permits Providers to receive tenders and place bids to deliver Support Packages for Individuals. These Support Packages form the call-off contracts under the Framework. This section C describes the process of how they are awarded.

C2 In most cases, Providers will be invited to bid on one Support Package for one Individual, but the Council has discretion to tender in batches: requesting one Provider for two or more Individuals. This may be required in urgent situations or when two or more Individuals are connected and would like only one Provider to support them.

C3 The Council’s Brokerage Team are responsible for tendering Support Packages for the Home Care Framework to Providers. This will be conducted electronically – at present by email but this may change in the future (with any changes discussed with Framework Providers). The Brokerage Team will send a tender by email to all Providers typically containing:

The number of care hours and the timing for these.

The postcode for the address where the Service will be delivered.

An end date (if a set end date is known).

Details or a summary of the Council Support Plan.

Any cultural, religious, language, or other specific requirements (for example male or female carers). Requirements may be essential or desirable.

Any key risks (though not all risks will be known).

C4 The Brokerage Team shall also state a deadline for bids to be returned which will typically be a short deadline on the same day. Bids received by the Brokerage Team after a stated deadline will not be considered.

C5 Providers must have sufficient staffing levels to be able to place bids within short deadlines, and must supply the Council with an email address which is monitored at a minimum 09:00 – 17:00 Monday to Friday. It is recommended this is a generic email address or mailbox that a number of authorised staff can access in case of sickness, absence or exit from the Provider’s organisation – it is the Providers responsibility to ensure the Council is aware of this email address or any change. Whilst a majority of Support Packages are brokered during these times, sufficient staffing is needed to support the Council during periods of peak demand, such as hospital discharges in Winter months, during which tenders may need to be received and reviewed by Providers during Weekends and Bank Holidays. This links with the specification requirement that Support Packages can be started on any of the 7 days per week including Bank Holidays.

C6 Once a tender closes, all bids received are screened by the Brokerage Team for validity, and all valid bids will then be passed on to the Social Care Practitioner responsible for the Individual. Section D of this schedule provides detail on valid bids.

C7 The overriding factor determining which provider is successful for each bid will be the Individual’s personal choice. The Social Care Practitioner will receive the bids and then work with the Individual, and any of the Individual’s family, friends, or representatives to decide which Provider they will proceed with. This will be led by the choices of the Individual wherever possible but may take into account other factors, for example the speed with which the Provider can deliver the care package and the best fit to the hours required by the Individual.

C8 The Council does not dictate the grounds upon which the decision described in C7 above must be made, or the factors which Individuals and Social Care Practitioners must consider. There is no obligation to accept any of the bids.