£1.75 million care contract up for grabs

Council bosses are looking for a company to take on a £1.75 million contract to provide equipment for people in need of help or care.

Shropshire Council is advertising a tender for its ‘community equipment’ service, which it says provides medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and personal care products.

The contract is set to last for four years from this September, the council said.

The tender says: “Shropshire Council wish to commission an appropriate contractor to operate a community equipment service for a period of one year, with the option to extend for one, plus one, plus one years (total four years). 

“The provider will be required to supply a wide range of prescribed equipment – from simple to complex, to meet the needs of adults and children in Shropshire.

“The main purposes of the community equipment service are to provide equipment on loan to people living in the community, enabling them to do tasks and achieve skills that they would otherwise be unable to do or to provide support to a carer to enable on-going care in their home environment.

“It is also to maintain the right community equipment for the right service user/carer, in the right place at the right time; and to meet a wide range of requirements for community equipment to meet therapeutic, rehabilitation, personal care/hygiene, mobility, independence and needs.”

It added: “The contracting authority considers that this contract may be suitable for economic operators that are small or medium enterprises (SMEs). 

“However, any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement.”

Those interested in expressing an interest must do so by July 15.