Integrated Community Equipment Services

Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC), Peterborough City Council (PCC) and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care Board (ICB) have statutory requirement duties under various legislation to provide community equipment services for people with health and social care needs.

The Integrated Community Equipment Service (ICES) is central to the delivery of the prevention and wellbeing priorities of the council and its partners and is acknowledged as an essential element of service provision that helps to reduce, prevent and delay the need for long term care and support. With ever changing demands across health and social care, it is essential that this service embraces innovation and evolves to better meet the needs and demands of all its stakeholders.

The Commissioners are appointiing a provider to deliver an exemplary Integrated Community Equipment Service to the people paying council tax in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and those who are registered with a GP that is part of the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough ICB.

Whilst Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council are jointly procuring ICES for delivery throughout Peterborough and Cambridgeshire, the awarded supplier shall contract with Peterborough City Council, as the lead authority, on behalf of all authorities.

Direct award justification - Extreme and unavoidable urgency

From a procurement perspective the justification to direct award occurs when a contract cannot be awarded on the basis of a competitive tendering procedure because the services are strictly necessary for reasons of extreme and unavoidable urgency. The urgency is unavoidable if it is not attributable to any act or omission of the Council and could not have been foreseen by the Council. The situation is considered so urgent that the Council cannot comply with the timescales required for a competitive tendering procedure (even the shortened timescales permitted for urgency), as there is a serious risk of failing to deliver a statutory service if alternative provisions are not implemented at pace.