Higher Height Care Awarded £9.6m Oxfordshire Adult Short Break Service Contract

Oxfordshire County Council intends to award Higher Height Care Ltd a contract to deliver its Adult Short Break Service for adults with learning disabilities or profound and multiple learning disabilities.

The service will provide person-centred respite care while giving family carers a break from their caring responsibilities. Provision may include building-based and outreach support, as well as emergency placements where assessed as necessary.

The service is expected to support a minimum of 170 people each year and will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The contract is valued at £9,591,040 excluding VAT (£11,509,248 including VAT). The estimated contract dates are 19 September 2026 to 30 September 2032, with an option for Oxfordshire County Council to extend the agreement by a further three years in aggregate, potentially to 3 January 2035.

The earliest date the contract will be signed is 17 September 2026.

Higher Height Care Ltd, based in Milton Keynes, is an SME.

The procurement is being recorded as a direct award under the light touch regime. Oxfordshire County Council states that 22 bidders submitted responses and that a preferred bidder was selected following a competitive tendering procedure, but no UK4 notice was published.

Reference: DN796011.

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