Scope
Reference
25-S-002
Description
Reading Borough Council are completing an ITT exercise for the provision of Home Care Framework.
The Council, as a local authority, has a range of duties under the Care Act 2014. The Council intends to commission the following types of care via this framework. The Service may be a combination of these types but is primarily being purchased to support the Council with meeting these Care Act duties.
Long-term Home Care
Packages of care for Individuals living with long-term conditions who have limited or no reablement potential and cannot manage without support. This may include the provision of support for Individuals which is deemed necessary to support their Unpaid Carer. On occasion a waking night (support from a care worker overnight) may also be commissioned.
Short-term Reablement
Short-term care packages for Individuals with good or likely reablement potential, to relearn independent living skills to such an extent that the future level of dependency or reliance on adult social care is greatly reduced or not needed at all.
Hospital Discharge
Packages requiring a rapid start to facilitate Individuals to return home from hospital. These packages may also be short term and reablement-focused.
Live-in Care
Packages where a care worker lives with an Individual in their home so that support can be available 24/7. Schedule 11 provides specific information regarding live-in care.
The Service shall predominantly be delivered in an Individual's own home or current residence (which could be temporary). The core service shall be available as required between the times of 06:00 and 23:00, 7 (seven) days a week 365 days of the year.
A majority of Individuals requiring home care are aged 65+, but Providers must be able and willing to support Individuals with a range of needs including:
Individuals aged 65 or over
Individuals aged 18-64
People with Physical health needs
Learning disability and neurodiversity
Memory and cognition difficulties, including brain injury and dementia
Mental health problems
Suppliers that would like to take part in this process are invited to "Express Interest" upon which they will be given access to the full documentation delivered through this portal. Documents can be accessed from the "My Tenders" area of this website by selecting the "View Details" button for the project.
Bids will only be accepted until 18/11/2025 14.00hrs
Any questions relating to this opportunity should be made via the correspondence link on this portal.
Commercial tool
Establishes a framework
Total value (estimated)
- £127,700,000 excluding VAT
- £153,240,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031
- Possible extension to 31 March 2036
- 10 years
Description of possible extension:
5 years with up to an additional 5 years
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 75200000 - Provision of services to the community
- 85312000 - Social work services without accommodation
- 85323000 - Community health services
- 98000000 - Other community, social and personal services
Contract locations
- UKJ11 - Berkshire
Framework
Maximum number of suppliers
12
Maximum percentage fee charged to suppliers
0%
Framework operation description
Fixed price with a possible annual inflationary uplift as necessary.
Award of contracts under the framework includes:
C1 Providers admitted to the Home Care Framework are not guaranteed any number of Support Packages or hours of work. A place on the Framework permits Providers to receive tenders and place bids to deliver Support Packages for Individuals. These Support Packages form the call-off contracts under the Framework. This section C describes the process of how they are awarded.
C2 In most cases, Providers will be invited to bid on one Support Package for one Individual, but the Council has discretion to tender in batches: requesting one Provider for two or more Individuals. This may be required in urgent situations or when two or more Individuals are connected and would like only one Provider to support them.
C3 The Council's Brokerage Team are responsible for tendering Support Packages for the Home Care Framework to Providers. This will be conducted electronically - at present by email but this may change in the future (with any changes discussed with Framework Providers). The Brokerage Team will send a tender by email to all Providers typically containing:
The number of care hours and the timing for these.
The postcode for the address where the Service will be delivered.
An end date (if a set end date is known).
Details or a summary of the Council Support Plan.
Any cultural, religious, language, or other specific requirements (for example male or female carers). Requirements may be essential or desirable.
Any key risks (though not all risks will be known).
C4 The Brokerage Team shall also state a deadline for bids to be returned which will typically be a short deadline on the same day. Bids received by the Brokerage Team after a stated deadline will not be considered.
C5 Providers must have sufficient staffing levels to be able to place bids within short deadlines, and must supply the Council with an email address which is monitored at a minimum 09:00 - 17:00 Monday to Friday. It is recommended this is a generic email address or mailbox that a number of authorised staff can access in case of sickness, absence or exit from the Provider's organisation - it is the Providers responsibility to ensure the Council is aware of this email address or any change. Whilst a majority of Support Packages are brokered during these times, sufficient staffing is needed to support the Council during periods of peak demand, such as hospital discharges in Winter months, during which tenders may need to be received and reviewed by Providers during Weekends and Bank Holidays. This links with the specification requirement that Support Packages can be started on any of the 7 days per week including Bank Holidays.
C6 Once a tender closes, all bids received are screened by the Brokerage Team for validity, and all valid bids will then be passed on to the Social Care Practitioner responsible for the Individual. Section D of this schedule provides detail on valid bids.
C7 The overriding factor determining which provider is successful for each bid will be the Individual's personal choice. The Social Care Practitioner will receive the bids and then work with the Individual, and any of the Individual's family, friends, or representatives to decide which Provider they will proceed with. This will be led by the choices of the Individual wherever possible but may take into account other factors, for example the speed with which the Provider can deliver the care package and the best fit to the hours required by the Individual.
C8 The Council does not dictate the grounds upon which the decision described in C7 above must be made, or the factors which Individuals and Social Care Practitioners must consider. There is no obligation to accept any of the bids.
Award method when using the framework
With competition
Contracting authorities that may use the framework
Establishing party only
Submission
Enquiry deadline
11 November 2025, 5:00pm
Tender submission deadline
18 November 2025, 2:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
27 February 2026
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Simple description | Fixed price - 100% quality based assessment against capability, availability, suitability, capacity , support plans and professional and technical ability (includes social value). |
Price |
Weighting description
Fixed price - 100% quality based assessment against capability, availability, suitability, capacity , support plans and professional and technical ability (includes social value).
Other information
Payment terms
30 days
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Open procedure
Special regime
Light touch
Documents
Associated tender documents
https://in-tendhost.co.uk/readingbc/aspx/Home
e tender portal link to tender documents for the Home Care Framework 2025
Contracting authority
Reading Borough Council
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PWBJ-9435-VXQQ
Bridge Street
Reading
RG1 2LU
United Kingdom
Contact name: Charlie Mansfield
Email: pchub@reading.gov.uk
Region: UKJ11 - Berkshire
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government