Accommodation with Care (AWC) Closed Framework (A)

Direct award justification: Additional or repeat services - extension or partial replacement (Schedule 5, Paragraph 7).

Cheshire East Council (CEC) is recommissioning the Adult's Residential and Nursing care home service, delivered across the borough. This is known as 'Accommodation with Care' (AWC).

The Council intends to appoint existing AWC providers currently delivering services under the AWC Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) to the new AWC Closed Framework (Framework A) via a direct award in accordance with Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 and Schedule 5, Paragraph 7.

This direct award justification is relied upon because the services being procured constitute repeat services and transferring vulnerable residents to alternative providers at the point of recommissioning would create disproportionate technical and operational difficulties including:

1. Risk of avoidable disruption to residents' care;
2. Forced moves of residents from their current accommodation, contrary to best practice safeguarding principles;
3. Destabilisation of existing care arrangements that are currently assessed as safe and of acceptable quality which enable CEC to comply with its statutory obligations under the Care Act 2014; and
4. The need for intensive duplicate mobilisation and transition activity, which would be disproportionate to the nature of the re-procurement.

Using this justification basis ensures that vulnerable residents remain safely in their current accommodation and do not face unnecessary moves where the incumbent provider is delivering appropriate quality.

The Council has separately published, Project ID DN792295 on the Chest, to provide the opportunity for all other Adult's Residential and Nursing care homes located within the Borough of Cheshire East, that are registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), to apply to join the AWC Closed Framework (B) which will run in parallel and will operate under the same terms as AWC Closed Framework (A).

Providers appointed to either AWC Closed Framework (A) or AWC Closed Framework (B) will have equal access to the same opportunities to bid for packages of care for whichever lot(s) they are appointed to.

This approach ensures continuity of care for existing residents and provides fair and transparent access to opportunities for all eligible providers.