Agenda item - Decision to award Contracts for Care and Support at Home in Somerset

To consider the report.

Following consideration of the officer report, appendices and discussion, the Executive:

a. Approved the outcome of the procurement process to award contracts to the suppliers named in Tender Evaluation Report Confidential Appendix B of the report, to provide home care services via a guaranteed block contract for a period up to 10 years.

Lot Number	Title	Awarded supplier
1	Glastonbury and Street – 150 hours p/w	Bidder E
2	Shepton Mallet and Wells – 200 hours p/w	Bidder E
3	Frome – 100 hours p/w	Bidder A
4	Yeovil – 150 hours p/w	Bidder A
5	Bridgwater – 200 hours p/w	Bidder A
6	Minehead – 200 hours p/w	Bidder G

b. Approved the establishment of an open framework for the Provision of new care and support at home for an initial period of 5 years, with an option to extend by two further periods of up to 2 years each and one further period of up to 1 year (up to 10 years in total). The annual value of the open framework is estimated at £26m in year 1. This figure will be adjusted for inflation annually as part of the Council’s MTFP process.

c. Agreed the case for applying the exempt information provision as set out in the Local Government Act 1972, Schedule 12A and therefore to treat the attached confidential Appendix B in confidence, as it contains commercially sensitive information, and as the case for the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing that information.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED: As set out in the officer report

REASON FOR DECISION: As set out in the officer report

The Leader of the Council and Lead Member for Governance and Communications, Cllr Bill Revans, invited the Lead Member for Adult Social Care, Cllr Dean Ruddle, to present the report.

The Lead Member for Adult Social Care, Cllr Dean Ruddle, introduced the report, highlighting: that the report included a conclusion and recommendations from a procurement process to award a number of block contracts to successful applicants to secure the supply of quality care and support at home services; that the approach will help to develop a market that delivers a wide range of sustainable high-quality care and support services in difficult to source or high demand areas; that this service will deliver better outcomes for people, enabling them to continue living at home for as long as it is safe to do so; and the contribution to reducing hospital admissions, delayed discharge or long-term care home placements and associated costs.

The Leader of the Council and Lead Member for Governance and Communications, Cllr Bill Revans, invited comments from other Members present, questions and points raised included: the need for good quality support arrangements to enable people to stay in their own homes; and the collaborative approach to meeting needs at local levels with commissioned care providers working alongside micro providers to provide a choice of delivery.

The Executive proceeded to vote on the recommendations, which were agreed unanimously.