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I-4573: Adult Short Break Service

Oxfordshire County Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

17 Aug 2026 at 20:09

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Planning

31 Oct 2025 at 10:50

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

16 May 2025 at 12:18

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Oxfordshire County Council is procuring an Adult Short Break Service providing respite care for adults with learning disabilities, including people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. The service is intended to deliver person-centred, outcome-focused support that helps individuals live a good life while giving family carers a break from their caring responsibilities. Delivery may combine building-based provision, outreach support and emergency placements where assessed as necessary. The service operates continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is expected to support at least 170 people each year. The work is a health and social care service delivered in Oxfordshire. The Council is the buying organisation and the requirement is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The procurement is complete and a preferred bidder has been selected following a competitive tender exercise involving 22 submitted responses; the published procedure is described as a direct award. Higher Height Care Ltd is the selected supplier. The award is pending, with an estimated contract signature date of 17 September 2026. The awarded value is £9,591,040 excluding VAT, or £11,509,248 including VAT. The awarded contract period is 19 September 2026 to 30 September 2032, with an option to extend by three years in aggregate, to a maximum extent date of 3 January 2035. The original planned service period was five years from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2031, with extension potential to 30 September 2034. The contract is above threshold and subject to the light-touch regime.

This award demonstrates substantial, recurring demand from Oxfordshire County Council for specialist adult short-break provision. A credible future competitor would need to provide safe, person-centred and outcome-focused care for adults with learning disabilities, including people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Relevant capability includes delivering both building-based and outreach support, arranging emergency placements when required, and maintaining reliable 24-hour, seven-day coverage. Providers need sufficient operational capacity to support at least 170 people annually while also meeting the needs of family carers. Experience in health or social care services, the ability to mobilise a complex service and the resilience to maintain continuous support would be important. The requirement is explicitly suitable for SMEs, and the previous exercise attracted 22 bidders.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

I-4573: Adult Short Break Service

Notice Description

The Adult Short Breaks Service is designed to provide respite care for adults with learning disabilities or profound and multiple learning disabilities. The service aims to support individuals by offering person-centered, outcome-focused care that empowers them to live a good life. The service will also provide their family carers with a break from their caring responsibilities. The service may include both building-based and outreach support, allowing flexibility in how care is delivered. The service may also offer emergency placements when assessed as necessary. The Adult Short Breaks Service is expected to support a minimum of 170 people per year, operating 24/7 to ensure continuous support for those in need. UK1: Pipeline notice publication number: 2025/S 000-022174. The contract period includes an approximately 12 week mobilisation period from contract commencement to commencement of service delivery. The contract period will continue for 5 years from commencement of service delivery, with an option for the Council to extend the contract period by a further 3 years in aggregate.

Planning Information

Oxfordshire County Council is seeking views from potential providers on how best to deliver the Adults Short Break services. The Council is conducting a two-stage market engagement process to help shape the future service model: Stage 1: Soft market testing via questionnaire. Stage 2: A targeted virtual workshop, open to all providers who participated in Stage 1. The workshop will provide an opportunity to explore key themes from the initial engagement, share insights, and discuss potential delivery models. Your input will be invaluable in informing the final specification and approach. If Stage 1 participation is lower than anticipated, the Council reserves the right to expand Stage 2 invitations to additional providers to ensure a diverse and representative discussion. Further details, including the date and joining instructions, will be shared shortly. If you are interested in sharing your views, please complete the provided questionnaire on the tender portal and return it by 21st November 2025.

Procurement Information

A UK2 was published in respect of this contract at 10.50am on 31 October 2025. Erroneously, no UK4 was published. 7 organisations attended market engagement. 123 potential participants expressed an interest in the procurement exercise at tender stage. 42 potential participants indicated an intend to submit a bid. 22 bidders submitted a response. Save for the absence of a UK4, Oxfordshire County Council followed a compliant competitive tendering procedure within section 20 of the Procurement Act 2023, and a preferred bidder has been selected from amongst the 22 bidders who submitted a response. Assessment summaries have been circulated. Oxfordshire County Council intends to award the contract to its preferred bidder 30 days from the date of publication of the instant notice. A standstill period has already run and there will be no further standstill period. The dates for future actions in this transparency notice are estimates. The steps in question will be taken on or after the estimated dates, but not before. Owing to the publication of a UK2 and the high number of expressions of interest, Oxfordshire County Council considers it to be likely that this procurement exercise was drawn to the attention of all potential bidders, and further that no potential bidder would be denied a proper opportunity to seek a remedy under section 103 of the Procurement Act 2023 as a result of the absence of a UK4. Oxfordshire County Council is nevertheless publishing this transparency notice in order to ensure that its intention to award this contract is drawn to the attention of any bidder who, contrary to its expectations, would be denied a proper opportunity to seek a pre-contractual remedy within the meaning of section 103 of the Procurement Act 2023. Oxfordshire County Council is using UK5 for this notice. Constraints upon the use of this form mean that it can only be used in certain specific circumstances, including to indicate either a direct award within ss.41-42 of the Procurement Act 2023, or switching to direct award under section 43 of the Procurement Act 2023. Because of these constraints, this form will on the face of it show that Oxfordshire County Council is switching to direct award. As observed above, however, but for the absence of a UK4, Oxfordshire County Council has in fact followed a compliant competitive tendering procedure.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0515b5
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078317-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85100000 - Health services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£10,391,040 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£9,591,040 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
19 Jan 2026Expired
Award Date
17 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
19 Sep 2026 - 30 Sep 2032 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Oxfordshire County Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
OXFORD
Postcode
OX1 1ND
Postcode Area
Oxford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC
Delivery Location
TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC
Local Authority
Oxford
Electoral Ward
Osney & St Thomas
Westminster Constituency
Oxford West and Abingdon

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

HIGHER HEIGHT CARE LTD

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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