Decision details

Approval is required to hold an open procurement for a care market representative.

The purpose of this organisation is to support the care market in North Yorkshire ensuring that care providers are involved and informed across a whole range of quality, safety, finance, and business operating aspects. The organisation is required to engage and contribute to, local, operational and system wide discussions. The organisation is consulted on matters affecting the care market in North Yorkshire and represents the care market in negotiations around the annual inflationary uplift award.

A service agreement is in place ceasing on 30th September 2024. The new Care Market Representative contract will commence from the 1st October 2024.

Approval has been given to commence a procurement of the care market representative contract, but with an amended agreement of 3 years + 2 years option. Agreement to increase the current budget by a nominal uplift to an annual value of £40,000 per annum.

A Care Market Representative (CMR) organisation’s purpose is to collaborate with the wide range of adult social care providers and wider stakeholders supporting the people of North Yorkshire. It should encourage the development of the care industry across North Yorkshire and nationally, when appropriate.

It should represent the interests of all independent care providers, including voluntary sector providers, in North Yorkshire. Ensuring effective, objective representative consultation and feedback on all appropriate developments and issues affecting social care provision in North Yorkshire.

The current organisation is a membership organisation for partners and providers across the social care market in North Yorkshire and York. The purpose of the organisation is to keep members involved and informed across a whole range of quality, safety, finance, and business operating aspects. The organisation is engaged and contributes to, local operational and system wide discussions. They are consulted on matters affecting the care market in North Yorkshire and represents the care market in negotiations around the annual inflationary uplift award.

Without a CMR, given the size of the Care Market in North Yorkshire, it would be difficult for the Council to effectively engage with the care market on such matters as service developments, market shaping and transformation, policy changes and market wide fee negotiations (inc. Annual Inflationary award)

The Council has a legal requirement under the Care Act to develop and implement local approaches to market-shaping and commissioning and having a Care Market Representative will assist the Council in meeting its obligations.

Option 1
Undertake a Procurement exercise to award a 3-year Agreement to the successful organisation at the current contract value (£37,783.48).

Option 2
Undertake a Procurement exercise to award a 3-year Agreement to the successful organisation, with an increased budget to allow further development of the services available to the care market.

Option 4
Let the current contract cease at the end of September 2024 and do not undertake a procurement exercise and provide no funding after this date. Without a CMR, significant work would be required around how the Council would engage with the care market on such matters as policy changes and market wide fee negotiations (inc. Annual Inflationary award).