Home Based Care Services - Open Framework
A Addendum Notice
by PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL
- Source
- Find a Tender
- Type
- Framework (Services)
- Duration
- 3 year
- Value
- ___
- Sector
- HEALTH
- Published
- 01 Dec 2025
- Delivery
- 01 Jul 2026 to 30 Jun 2029
- Deadline
- 22 Dec 2025 12:00
Related Terms
Location
Portsmouth:
1 buyer
- Portsmouth City Council Portsmouth
Description
Portsmouth City Council ('the council') is inviting applications from suitably qualified suppliers to be admitted to an Open Framework to provide home-based care services, ordinarily in Portsmouth, but occasionally in the surrounding area. Domiciliary care services support people to remain living successfully in their own homes. The service will help maintain an individual in a reasonable manner of health, hygiene, safety and ease in their own home. The level and type of support service required will be determined in line with each individual's support plan. Support service packages will vary in size based on the individual needs and may range from minimal support up to highly specialised and complex needs. The framework agreement is targeted for commencement on 1st July 2026. The framework will operate for an initial term of 8 years. It will be an Open Framework which will reopen once within the first 3-year period, and the Council will open it again at least once in the remaining 5-year contract term as required under Regulation 49 of the Procurement Act 23. The Council may opt to open the framework for applications earlier than required, although not likely to be ever more than once per year. Re-opening may be in relation to the framework agreement in its entirety or in relation to specific lots. Earlier re-opening could be triggered by a range of factors, which may include but are not limited to: • Supply & demand changes • Changes to requirements • Changes to framework lotting structure • Changes to pricing structures • Changes to qualitative assessment • Changes to framework management • Addition of new framework lots • Changes to demand, volumes, values and geographical coverage due to impact of Local Government Re-organisation The framework agreement will be split into 3 Lots as follows: • Lot 1 - Standard Home-Based Care • Lot 2 - Complex Home-Based Care • Lot 3 - Take a Break (formerly Sitting Service) The Council currently commissions approx. 60,000 - 65,000 hours of home care per month across 1,000 - 1,200 clients. Approximately 68% of these hours are for Lot 1 Standard Home-Based Care services with the remaining 28% for Lot 2 Complex Home-Based Care services and 4% for Lot 3 Take a Break Services. The Council spend on year to date (November 24 - November 2025) comes to approx. £22.8M on home-based care services over financial year 2025-26. Spend on Lot 1 - Standard Home-Based Care services over this period equates to £15.9M / 69.6%. Spend on Lot 2 - Complex Home-Based Care equates to £6.3M / 27.8%. Spend on Lot 3 - Take a Break services is expected to equate to £600k / 2.6%. Year on year spend over term of the framework cannot be accurately estimated to precise figures but is likely to increase year on year due to predicted increases in inflation, employee wage increases and increases in demand due to changing population demographics, increased life expectancies, continuing strategic focus on increasing home based care delivery and impacts of Local Government Reorganization, which could increase the annual value by approximately 50% from year 3 onwards following vesting day for the new unitary authority which the framework agreement will transfer to. A maximum of 40 suppliers will be appointed onto each Lot. Suppliers will be able to bid for multiple Lots and can be awarded places on multiple Lots. Suppliers with multiple eligible Registered Offices will also be able to submit bids for each registered office with each registered office taking one of the 40 framework spaces if successful. For Lots 1 & 2 the Council will establish the framework on a market led rate commercial strategy. For Lot 1 - Standard Home-Based Care a minimum rate of £21.00 and maximum rate of £24.40 will apply. Rates may be submitted below the minimum rate but will be subject to additional scrutiny around sustainability and may be rejected. For Lot 2 - Complex Home-Based Care a minimum rate of £21.00 will apply but no maximum rate will be applied due to high variability in the type and complexity of care that may be required under this Lot. As per Lot 1, rates may be submitted below the minimum rate but will be subject to additional scrutiny around sustainability and may be rejected. For Lot 3 - Take a Break pricing will remain at a set rate of £20.08 to support management of a discrete budget via the Carer's Service. Minimum and maximum rates - as well as the hourly rate paid for any package of care commissioned under the new Framework - will be eligible for an uplift in April 2027. For Lots 1 & 2, framework suppliers will be able to reduce their rates up to twice per framework operational year. Suppliers will also be able to apply to increase rates subject to Financial Stability Review application to the Council. The Council will consider the request in addition to assessing a Provider's financial stability, risks associated and the Rates the Provider proposes to resolve their financial difficulty. The acceptance of any increased rate as part of this process sits directly at the Council's discretion. Any changes will trigger a recalculation of assessment and subsequent revised Lot ranking. The revised rates will apply to any existing packages of care delivered by the supplier under contract with the Council. The Council will apply annual uplifts to supplier rates as well as the minimum & maximum rate ranges that apply for Lots 1 & 2. The increase will take the form of a % of which 70% will be taken from the most recent EARON03 index and 30% will be taken from most recent CPI. Suppliers will only be eligible for uplift to rates if they been appointed onto the framework agreement for more than 6 months. Suppliers will also be able to opt out of increases by request to the Council before 1st March each year. However, the Council reserves the right to alter its position in respect of uplifts on an overall framework or Lot specific basis, subject to reasonable notice, over the term of the framework. The Council will establish the framework agreement via a Competitive Flexible Procedure 2 stage procurement process in accordance with the relevant regulations contained within the Procurement Act 23 that apply to Light Touch Regime services and establishment & operation of Open Frameworks. The 2 stage process is summarised below: • Stage 1: Providers will complete a series of pass/fail questions (Procurement Specific Questionnaire) and submit pricing • Stage 2: The Council will conduct a partial Provider Assessment and Market Managements Solutions (PAMMS) assessment A score will be calculated based on the rate submitted (representing 60% of the score) and the PAMMS assessment (representing 40% of the score). Suppliers will then be ranked within each Lot based on their combined score. Every year, framework providers will complete a further PAMMS assessment and will be re-ranked based on new assessment scores. Once operational the opportunity to bid for packages of care under the framework will be advertised via the Council's brokerage system and will be awarded based on a set of cascading criteria: a. Packages are sent with a 1-hour deadline. b. Offers received within the first hour are considered. c. Offers received where the Provider can fully meet all the requirements detailed in the referral, for example the need for a gender specific carer. d. Highest Evaluation Score, then if there is more than one Provider with the same score: • Lowest Priced, then if there is more than one Provider with the same price, • Weighted Quality Score, then if there is more than one Provider with the same weighted quality score • The Provider that responded first. The Council will undertake the procurement process to establish the open framework in line with the programme set out below: • Contract notice published - 12th November 2025 • Online TEAMS Tender Briefing Session 1 - 19th November 2025 12:00 - 13:00 • Online TEAMS Tender Briefing Session 2 - 20th November 2025 09:00 - 10:00 • Deadline for requests for clarification - 12th December 2025 17:00 • Tender return deadline for Stage 1 - 22nd December 2025 12:00 • Tenderers notified of Stage 1 evaluation outcome - 30th January 2026 • Stage 2 quality evaluation - 9th February - 1st June 2026 • Deadline for establishing qualifying local CQC registered office - 5th May 2026 17:00 • Award decision notified to tenderers - 15th June 2026 • Standstill Period Start - 16th June 2026 • Standstill Period Concludes - 26th June 2026 23:59 • Contract Award confirmed and contracts issued - 29th June 2026 • Framework commencement - 1st July 2026 Suppliers who wish to attend the online TEAMS tender briefings can access the meetings via the meeting links provided within the Invitation to Tender document accessible via In-tend. Application is via submission of completed stage 1 applications by the deadline stated above via the Council's e-sourcing system InTend, which is accessible via: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/Home The system will be used to administrate the procurement process, including for: • Access to and issue of procurement information & documentation • Pre-tender submission clarification requests and response • Tender submission • Tender opening & access to responses • Post-tender submission clarification requests and response • Award decision notification & feedback.
Lot Division
| 1 | Standard Home-Based Care Full details are included within the Home Based Services - Specification document included within the procurement documents accessible via the Council's e-sourcing solution In-tend. SUMMARY OVERVIEW The provision of standard care services to individuals within their own homes. In accordance with the Care Act 2014 the Service Purchasers and the Providers will be working to achieve the following: • Personal Care- Washing, bathing, hair care including beard care, shaving, denture and mouth care, hand and fingernail care, foot care (but not toenail cutting or any other aspect of foot care which requires a registered podiatrist), support with dressing and undressing, assistance to get up or go to bed. • Managing and maintaining nutrition - Food and drink preparation, including associated kitchen cleaning and hygiene and assistance with eating and drinking and assistance with using the on-site facilities. • Managing toilet needs- including necessary bathroom cleaning and safe disposal of waste; • Maintaining a habitable home environment- Supporting people to be able to maintain a clean and habitable home environment. • Social Inclusion-Supporting people to maintain and strengthen their links to community and assistance to pursue activities in the community. • Support to strengthen and develop family or other personal relationships. • Health Needs-Prompting residents to take prescribed medication, collection of medicines, monitoring general safety and welfare. • Support to make use of the home safely • Emotional Support- Supporting residents with their emotional state to promote positive mental health and wellbeing. The Council currently commissions approx. 60,000 - 65,000 hours of home care per month across 1,000 - 1,200 clients. Approximately 68% of these hours are for Lot 1 Standard Home-Based Care services. The Council spend on year to date (November 24 - November 2025) comes to approx. £22.8M on home-based care services over financial year 2025-26. Spend on Lot 1 - Standard Home-Based Care services over this period equates to £15.9M / 69.6%. Year on year spend over term of the framework for Lot 1 services cannot be accurately estimated to precise figures but is likely to increase year on year due to predicted increases in inflation, employee wage increases and increases in demand due to changing population demographics, increased life expectancies, continuing strategic focus on increasing home based care delivery and impacts of Local Government Reorganization. A maximum of 40 suppliers will be appointed onto Lot 1. |
| 2 | Complex Home-Based Care Full details are included within the Home Based Services - Specification document included within the procurement documents accessible via the Council's e-sourcing solution In-tend. SUMMARY OVERVIEW The provision of complex care services to individuals within their own homes. This Service is for people requiring support who are assessed by the Service Purchaser as having complex and/or challenging needs. Complex needs are defined as an Individual assessed as having a Learning Disability, Mental Health condition or neurodiversity, and presenting with multiple conditions that require specialised care, where standardised approaches are insufficient. The care requires a multidisciplinary approach to create a bespoke package of care with specific expertise. Factors may include, but not be limited to; • Associated co-occurring conditions including vision impairment, hearing impairment and movement of the body, as well as conditions such as epilepsy • Inability to walk unaided, or require support with complex health needs that require extensive support, whereby staff are required to complete additional competency-based training and assessments to carry out such tasks • Profound intellectual and multiple disabilities causing significant difficulties with communication, including limited understanding or being non-verbal (or expressing themselves at most using a few words or symbols) • Inability to understand or anticipate risk, impacting the safety of the individual and others around them • Requiring support to make choices or contribute towards decision making in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) • Behaviours that challenge, including self-injurious behaviour. This refers to; • Behaviours of such intensity, duration or frequency that the physical safety of the individual or others is likely to be at serious risk • Behaviours which are likely to significantly delay or limit access to or the use of community facilities. The Council currently commissions approx. 60,000 - 65,000 hours of home care per month across 1,000 - 1,200 clients. Approximately 28% of these hours are for Lot 2 Complex Home-Based Care services. The Council spend on year to date (November 24 - November 2025) comes to approx. £22.8M on home-based care services over financial year 2025-26. Spend on Lot 2 - Complex Home-Based Care services over this period equates to £6.3M / 27.8%. Year on year spend over term of the framework for Lot 2 services cannot be accurately estimated to precise figures but is likely to increase year on year due to predicted increases in inflation, employee wage increases and increases in demand due to changing population demographics, increased life expectancies, continuing strategic focus on increasing home based care delivery and impacts of Local Government Reorganization. A maximum of 40 suppliers will be appointed onto Lot 2. |
| 3 | Take a Break Full details are included within the Home Based Services - Specification document included within the procurement documents accessible via the Council's e-sourcing solution In-tend. SUMMARY OVERVIEW Take a Break Services are the provision of support for informal carers to provide day, evening or night respite and can be regular or one-off services. The Take a Break Service must be delivered in accordance with this Individuals support plan, ensuring it meets the Individual's assessed needs. Take a Break Services are offered as a means of allowing for a break for the informal carer and as such they should replicate the role of the informal carer. The time must be used to enable and engage the Individual either in their own home or out in the community in a Strength Based way. For example, the Provider may take the individual out (e.g., to the park, shops, clubs, religious meetings) and/or engage in home-based activities (e.g., games, reading, crafts, conversation). The service should include elements of personal care where required. Take a Break services are generally required for between two and six hours, but may be shorter or longer periods. The Council currently commissions approx. 60,000 - 65,000 hours of home care per month across 1,000 - 1,200 clients. Approximately 4% of these hours are for Lot 3 Take a Break services. The Council spend on year to date (November 24 - November 2025) comes to approx. £22.8M on home-based care services over financial year 2025-26. Spend on Lot 3 - Take a Break services over this period equates to £600k / 2.6%. Year on year spend over term of the framework for Lot 3 services cannot be accurately estimated to precise figures but is likely to increase year on year due to predicted increases in inflation, employee wage increases and increases in demand due to changing population demographics, increased life expectancies, continuing strategic focus on increasing home based care delivery and impacts of Local Government Reorganization. A maximum of 40 suppliers will be appointed onto Lot 3. |
Renewal Options
The framework will operate for an initial term of 8 years. It will be an Open Framework which will reopen once within the first 3-year period, and the Council will open it again at least once in the remaining 5-year contract term as required under Regulation 49 of the Procurement Act 23. The Council may opt to open the framework for applications earlier than required, although not likely to be ever more than once per year. Earlier re-opening could be triggered by a range of factors, such as: • Supply & demand changes • Changes to requirements • Changes to framework lotting structure • Changes to pricing structures • Changes to qualitative assessment • Changes to framework management • Addition of new framework lots • Changes to demand, volumes, values and geographical coverage due to impact of Local Government Re-organisation
Award Criteria
| Hourly Rates | For Lots 1 & 2 the Council will establish the framework on a market led rate commercial strategy. For Lot 1 - Standard Home-Based Care a minimum rate of £21.00 and maximum rate of £24.40 will apply. Rates may be submitted below the minimum rate but will be subject to additional scrutiny around sustainability and may be rejected. For Lot 2 - Complex Home-Based Care a minimum rate of £21.00 will apply but no maximum rate will be applied due to high variability in the type and complexity of care that may be required under this Lot. As per Lot 1, rates may be submitted below the minimum rate but will be subject to additional scrutiny around sustainability and may be rejected. For Lot 3 - Take a Break pricing will remain at a set rate of £20.08 to support management of a discrete budget via the Carer's Service. |
| PAMMS Assessment | The quality evaluation process for Stage 2 of the tender will take the form of a partial 'PAMMS' (Provider Assessment and Market Management Solution) assessment. Further information about PAMMS can be found on the Access Group website - https://www.theaccessgroup.com/en-gb/products/pamms/ or by referring to the Quality Presentation on Intend. Providers will be required to register on the PAMMS portal. The Local Authority is responsible for initiating the registration; Providers will receive an email notification to finalise the process and create a log-in, which will give access to the Provider Portal and assessment area of the system. Providers will be contacted a minimum of 1 week prior to their assessment. The partial assessment will be completed in person at the Registered Office from where the application for the framework has been made. If more than one office has been submitted as part of the tender, each office will be assessed separately. Some information may be requested via email prior to the in-person assessment. It is expected that the assessment will take no longer than one day. The partial PAMMS assessment will use Section F - Leadership, Quality Assurance & Management. This will broadly cover: • Records around Safeguarding incidents • Medication records and procedures • Rotas and sufficient and appropriate staffing • Compliments, complaints, incidents, accidents, audits, reviews and feedback, and evidence of learning and improvements • Personalised care records and appropriate storage of such documentation • Audits and action plans, and the effectiveness of these processes. Following the assessment, a draft report will be shared with the Provider, and the Provider will have the opportunity to review and make any comments on inaccuracies within the report within two weeks of the draft report being available. The Provider will also be able to supply additional evidence if they feel this was missed during the assessment. The report will then be reviewed, and the final report will be published on the PAMMS Provider Portal with a final scoring determined by PAMMS. The final decision regarding the report rests with the Council. All Registered Offices must complete a PAMMS assessment annually. The PAMMS assessment awards a Registered Office a Rating (Excellent, Good, Requires Improvement, and Poor) based on a score as detailed in the procurement documents. The score will be used to create a Provider's new Quality Score for that Registered Office. The scoring structure is predetermined by PAMMS based on responses to the assessment criteria and is not calculated independently by Portsmouth City Council. Each Registered Office will be re-ranked on the e-brokerage system on 1st July annually with their new Quality Score, which will represent 40% of the total Evaluation Score (the other 60% being the Price Score). A Provider's Registered Office must engage in the PAMMS assessment process on an annual basis in a timely manner as requested by the Council. A Quality Score gained from a PAMMS assessment in one year will not be rolled forward to a following year. Failure to engage in the process on an annual basis in a timely manner may result in a Quality Score of 0, which will have a direct impact on a Provider's ranked position. The Council reserves the right to change the Quality Assessment criteria and process at any time. This includes any changes that may be made to the PAMMS assessment or how it is managed and configured. Please note this includes any potential changes to the PAMMS Rating Structure as set out in the procurement documents. |
CPV Codes
- 85312000 - Social work services without accommodation
Indicators
- Restrictions apply to the lot award allocation.
- This is a recurring contract.
- Options are available.
- Renewals are available.
Other Information
** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. ** STAGE 2 CQC LOCAL REGISTERED OFFICE REQUIREMENTS Following review of clarification requests the Council has considered its requirement for a local (within stated qualifying postcodes PO1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,16) CQC registered office to be operational and delivering care to at least three individuals prior to the completion of stage 2 of the procurement process. This is required in order to enable a partial PAMMS assessment to be conducted for the purposes of demonstrating the technical ability of suppliers to deliver the required scope and standard of services. In the interests of fair & equal treatment between suppliers who are already delivering care from a qualifying local QCQ registered office and those that will be required to establish an office the Council has decided to provide flexibility by amending the tender documents so as to confirm a cut off deadline (prior to the end of stage 2) by which this requirement must be met of 5th May 2026 17:00. The Council has updated and republished the procurement documents via In-tend and the Tender Notice via Find a Tender Service to include the following: 'For suppliers who did not have a local nominated CQC registered office from which they were providing care to at least three individuals at point of stage 1 application, a cut off deadline of 5th May 2026 17:00 will apply. If by this deadline a supplier cannot evidence that they have established the office and are delivering care to at least three individuals then it may not be possible for the Council to assess the technical ability of that supplier and the Council reserves the right to remove the supplier from the procurement process. 'If suppliers are facing delays in establishing the local CQC registered office and providing care to at least three individuals due to delays from CQC which can be evidenced are legitimately outside of their control, they must make the Council aware of this without delay via In-tend correspondence.' ALTERATION TO PROCUREMENT PROGRAMME In view of this change the Council is also providing an extension to the stage 1 submission deadline of 2 weeks to Monday 22nd December 12:00. This will cause a knock on delay to issue of stage 1 evaluation results to 30th January 2026 and commencement of stage 2 PAMMS assessments to 9th February 2026, however the Council will still be seeking to have concluded stage 2 assessments by 1st June to enable award and commencement of the framework agreement by the original date of 1st July 2027. CORRECTION TO IN-TEND WEBSITE ADDRESS It has also come to the Council's attention that the web address for the Council's e-sourcing system In-tend included for a typo. Whilst no issues have been raised the Council has corrected the Tender Notice with the correct web address which is as follows:
Reference
- ocds-h6vhtk-05a2b6
- FTS 078683-2025