Tender

Select List of Providers for Domiciliary Care (Spot Purchase Contracts)

DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

13 Apr 2026 at 13:41

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Durham County Council is seeking to establish a Select List of Providers for Domiciliary Care through an open procedure, with the process currently at the tender stage. The contract aims to deliver high-quality domiciliary care services for vulnerable residents, including adults, children, and young people, across ten geographic demand zones within Durham County. The tender, which falls under the health and social work services category, has a projected gross value of £16,800,000 and offers flexibility with no restrictions on the number of providers awarded. Key deadlines include the tender submission end date on 13 May 2026, and the award period concluding on 22 May 2026, aligning essential services with the Care Act 2014 within the UKC14 region.

This tender represents a fertile ground for growth, particularly for CQC registered providers with a focus on health and social work services. The contract encourages participation from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and VCSEs, requiring entities to demonstrate a commitment to safeguarding, data protection, and service quality. The contract period spans from 1 June 2026 to 31 March 2031, with renewal options available. Businesses capable of delivering robust domiciliary care services that ensure value for money will find this opportunity advantageous, especially as aligned provisions with North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board exemplify regional collaboration. The open procurement method provides a non-exclusive framework, granting multiple providers the opportunity to secure a segment of the available contracts, thus offering ample prospects for participation and long-term contractual engagement.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Select List of Providers for Domiciliary Care (Spot Purchase Contracts)

Notice Description

Durham County Council has a duty to provide services for vulnerable residents who are eligible for care and support according to the national criteria introduced by the Care Act 2014. This opportunity is for the provision of Domiciliary Care. This is applicable to children, young people and adults. The Council is seeking CQC registered providers of Domiciliary Care for Adults, Children and Young People. The Council is committed to the delivery of high-quality Domiciliary Care and wishes to work in partnership with Independent Sector Providers, who can demonstrate and deliver quality services which achieve and maintain "value for money" and positive outcomes for service users enabling them to live independently and safely in their community. The opportunity has been divided into two Categories: Category 1 - Domiciliary Care commissioned by Durham County Council (DCC). Category 2 - Domiciliary Care commissioned on behalf of North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB). Services are to be delivered across 10 Demand Zones based on geographical areas. There are no restrictions on the number of Demands Zones applied for and awarded within either Category. It is to be noted that this contract will only be used when Domiciliary Care Packages are not capable of being fulfilled by providers who will be contracted under the Select List of Primary Providers for The Provision of Domiciliary Care Services and Reablement Contract which is due to commence 1st April 2026. The Council makes no guarantee to any successful provider of Category 1 & 2 that they will be awarded any work and no guarantee is made in respect of any volume of work under any such agreements, or in aggregate under the Agreement. The Select List for Category 1 & 2 is to be made of multiple providers (on a non-exclusive basis). There are no restrictions to the number of Providers who may be awarded to Category 1 & 2, only that they meet all the requirements of this Invitation to Bid and Service Specification. The Council reserves the right to allow any additional Bidder(s) to apply to join Category 1 & 2 at a future date at the Council's sole discretion provided that they fully meet the essential criteria contained in Category 1 & 2 bidding documents. The Council has the discretion to both open and close selected Categories and not all Categories should it choose to.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: At the Council's discretion, should the Council acquire further funding, including from different sources, additional services may be required and may slightly differ to that detailed in the Specification but will fall under the remit of domiciliary care services. The Council reserves the right to apply inflationary uplifts to the contract value at its sole discretion and will be based upon the availability of funding and commissioning priorities. The Council reserves the right to modify the service specification if new legislation and/or guidance regarding domiciliary care services and / or reablement is published by the Government or any regulatory bodies. The Council makes no guarantee to any successful provider of Category 1 and / or 2 that they will be awarded any Individual Placement and no guarantee is made in respect of any volume of work under any such agreements, or in aggregate under the Agreement at any point during the contract term. The Council reserves the right to allow any additional Bidder(s) to apply to join Category 1 and / or 2 at a future date at the Council's sole discretion provided that they fully meet the essential criteria contained in Category 1 & 2 bidding documents. The Council has the discretion to both open and close selected Categories and not all Categories should it choose to do so.

Renewal: The contract is being let with the options to extend for two periods of up to 12 months each, from the contract end date, subject to Commissioner and budget approval.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-068122
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033333-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85000000 - Health and social work services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£14,000,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£14,000,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
13 Apr 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
13 May 20263 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 May 2026 - 31 Mar 2031 4-5 years
Recurrence
2032-09-01

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DURHAM 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
DURHAM
Postcode
DH1 5WB
Post Town
Durham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC41 Durham
Delivery Location
TLC14 Durham
Local Authority
County Durham
Electoral Ward
Framwellgate and Newton Hall
Westminster Constituency
City of Durham

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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