1. Dynamic Purchasing System for Care Homes
23 & 25 May 2017

2. Brief Overview
There are about 4,600 care home places for older people across 105 care homes in Oxfordshire.
The County purchases just over one third of these places spending over £60m, with Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group purchasing a further 9%.
The Council purchases places in virtually every care home in the county
The County spends about £20m on care homes for people with learning disabilities, with most placed out of County.
The County spends about £4m on care homes for adults with a physical disabilities.

3. Dynamic Purchasing System
The Council has introduced a Dynamic Purchasing System for care homes from January 2017
The Dynamic Purchasing System enables care home providers to become approved suppliers of care homes
Providers have to make an application for the DPS through the Council electronic procurement portal
The DPS for care homes is open for providers to apply at any time
Care home providers must meet certain pre-qualification requirements to be accepted on the DPS

4. Application process for the DPS
Applicants must meet the Council’s selection criteria – in particular the home must not have an overall rating of Inadequate by the Care Quality Commission and/or be under the Council's Serious Concerns framework
The provider must first register on the South East Business portal as a supplier -
Registration will provide access to the application documentation
There is a self assessment form that need to be completed, identifying each home that is to be included on the DPS
Applicants must sign a copy of the DPS Agreement
Applicants will be notified whether or not their application is successful

5. Benefits to Providers
Providers that are accepted onto the DPS will be approached first by the Council for any placement
There is no obligation on providers to bid for a placement
Providers that are accepted onto the DPS will be placed on the Council’s eMarketplace with a logo against their name
This will attract interest from self-funders who are increasingly approaching the Council for information and advice.
Providers will be able to update their details on the eMarketplace and these will feed through the DPS

6. Contract Issues
There is no obligation on providers to bid for a placement
Indicative prices can be changed at any time; requires Council approval but this will not be withheld
The provider can give the Council 1 month’s notice to terminate DPS agreement
Prices for placements made through the DPS will be reviewed annually
Termination clauses for placements are the same as those for current spot contract

7. Response to the DPS
The response from the care home market to the DPS is as follows:
Providers
Number of care homes
Expressed Interest and intends to apply 6 7
Intends to apply but not yet Expressed interest 10 28
Considering it 5
TOTAL 21 40
Plus already applied 24 38
GRAND TOTAL 45 78

8. Purchasing care home placements
Care home places will be purchased from the DPS in one of two ways
The Council’s Care Sourcing and Placement Team is responsible for purchasing spot placements for adults
Spot contracts for individual placements
Most the County’s placements for adults
Block contracts for a specified volume
About 525 places are currently purchased in care homes for older people

9. eBrokerage System for spot placements
eBrokerage is the electronic system the Council has introduced to call off spot contracts from providers on the DPS
The system is intended to introduce a more efficient process for communicating with care homes, as opposed to phoning each home
This doesn’t mean that the Council stops using the phone once the request is made through the system
The system has been slow to introduce, but we are looking at ways to improve its use e.g. feedback to providers

10. Calling off block contracts
The Council is using the DPS to call off block contracts for care homes
Block contracts for 35 interim beds have already been called off from the DPS providers, starting from 1 April 2017
The Council has send an invitation to DPS providers for:
An additional 10 interim beds
Block contracts for about 20 beds for up to 2 years.
The Council is also considering going out to the DPS for a block contract for Intermediate Care Beds.

11. Bidding for block contracts
A provider can bid where it is on the DPS or has made an application to the DPS by the closing date of 1 June
Simplified bid documentation
Block Rate Residential Care
LOCALITY
Name of Home
Number of places
Weekly Cost £
North Locality
City Locality
South Locality
TOTAL COST £

12. Help and Support We can provide you with help and support on:
How to log onto the procurement portal and download the bid documentation
How to apply to the DPS and obtain a copy of the application form and DPS agreement