DPS - Northamptonshire County Council

Northamptonshire County Council is a large forward thinking local authority now inviting older person's care and nursing homes to tender for a contract. The Council is moving forward with a new approach to supporting residential and nursing placements through Preferred Provider and brokerage systems.

Successful tenders will form a cohort of Preferred Providers. The new brokerage service will work with Preferred Providers to help older people easily and quickly source care of their choice that is of good quality, local and affordable.

Providers are asked to tender to become a Preferred Provider of the Authority. Preferred Providers will be those that contract for, and make available affordable residential and nursing beds, in relation to the local Authority's Expected to Pay Rate.

We have made the process of tendering easy, and for current NCC Framework Agreement 2016 providers, it is even easier, as the necessary checks have already been carried out.

All current placements will continue on previously agreed Payment Rates, as per the relevant Service Order. New Service Orders will be based on the new Dynamic Purchasing Agreement price.

All older person's residential and nursing care homes are encouraged and invited to tender, including those that are currently on the NCC Framework and out of county providers. By contracting with the Authority, through this time limited tender process, residential and nursing homes have the opportunity to not only become part of the Preferred Provider cohort, but will be able to bid for any mini competition blocks that might be available in the future.

The opportunity to become a Preferred Provider is currently limited to this tender exercise and is time limited.

We have made the process of tendering easy, and for current NCC Older Persons' Framework providers it is even easier, as the necessary checks have already been carried out.

For anyone who would like hands on support in working the web based tender process, support is available in time allocated slots, on request, by emailing the joint Northamptonshire/ Cambridgeshire Procurement Team at Procurement@northamptonshire.gov.uk:

Monday, 24 April 2017, 10am to 4pm, Kettering Corn Market Hall, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN15 7QX

Tuesday, 2 May 2017, 1pm to 4pm, Guildhall, Northampton NN1 1DE

The deadline for submitting a tender is 12pm Friday 26 May 2017.