Provision of Care Home Beds via Block Booking

In accordance with the requirements of the Light Tough Regime of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ('The Regulations'), Brighton & Hove City Council ('The Council') is seeking expressions of interest to establish a Prequalified List of providers for the provision of care home (nursing and residential) beds contracted on a block basis. For the avoidance of doubt, this Prequalified List is not intended to operate as DPS or a Framework as defined in The Regulations. The beds commissioned under the Prequalified List may be used for both short or long term and will support a variety of needs, including but not limited to general nursing, dementia, acquired brain injuries, physical disabilities, continuing health care needs and/or obesity related support. The Council will only accept applications from services with an overall rating of 'Requires Improvement' or higher from the Care Quality Commission. All Providers who are subsequently successful in being awarded a Call-Off Contract but whose home has a 'Requires Improvement' Rating will be expected to obtain a rating of 'Good' within two (2) years of the call-off contract start date. Providers should send expressions of interest to William.McConchie@brighton-hove.gov.uk before the closing date on this notice. You include the following information in your expression of interest: (1) the name of the home, the current CQC status, the legal name of your organisation, a lead contact and their contact details, including their role, email and phone number. (2) the number of beds that your organisation can provide, the price you propose to charge per bed and the length of contract that these prices will be fixed for in periods of one year each (e.g. one year, two years, three years, four years). Any submission for a contract period of longer than one year must include the price for a year contract as well. For example, if you submit price for a term of three years, then you must include a price for a one year and two year Contract length also. An excel template can be requested via email to William.McConchie@brighton-hove.gov.uk for you to complete and include with your submission. All providers who meet the stipulated CQC rating requirement will be offered a place on the Council's Prequalified List. The pricing information submitted as part of the initial expression of interest will be used in the first round of call-offs under the newly established list. The Council may later request updated pricing for any future block booking needs. The Council may also, at its sole discretion, re-advertise the re-opening of the list via the use of additional Prior Information Notices or equivalent notice created under future legislation, at any point during the lifetime of the arrangement, so as to admit additional suppliers. The Council will suspend a home on the Prequalified List if the home obtains an overall CQC rating of 'Inadequate', and may suspend the home if the home does not improve their rating during delivery from 'Requires Improvement' to 'Good' as required above. The Prequalified List will run from the 1st of July 2023 for a period of four (4) years with a further optional extension period of up to four (4) years. Call-offs may be for any period of up to four (4) years. All prequalified providers will be given the opportunity to re-submit pricing if further call-offs are run. Any call-off made against the Prequalified List, either in the first round or in any subsequent round will be awarded according to the below process: (1) The Council will stipulate the maximum number of beds that it will commission as part of each call-off and the length of time for the call-off contract. The Council are only seeking to commission nursing beds in the first round. The maximum total number of beds the Council will commission in the first round is 150 beds. (2) Optionally the Council may at this point invited the shortlisted bidders to a price negotiation meeting. If this option is not exercised the process will continue at step (4). (3) After the price negotiation meeting, the shortlisted bidders will then submit a final price. Prices will only be negotiated down below the original submitted price. (4) Providers will be shortlisted based on bed pricing, with the lowest price per bed receiving the highest rank, the next lowest bed price receiving the next highest rank, and so on. Prices will only be compared between proposals of the same call-off length. E.g. Prices for a one year call-off contract from one Provider will be compared with prices for the same for the other Providers. The same will happen for two year, three year or four year call-offs. (5) The Council will then award Contracts to the highest ranked bids in order. (6) The Council reserves the right to award call-offs for less than the maximum number of beds that stipulates as part of each call-off. The Council will take a phased approach in paying for newly established block beds. The Council will only become liable to pay for void costs after a bed has been occupied under the block. The block will then increase up until the agreed number of beds are occupied, by which time the Council will then be liable for all beds should they become void.