The past contract for the provision of community equipment was established with ECL, as our Local Authority Trading Company, in March 2020. This contract was due to expire in March 2023, but this was extended to the end of June 2023, to facilitate the tender and mobilisation processes for the new Integrated Community Equipment Loan Service (ICELS) from July 2023 onwards.
The out-going contract provides for the management of assessed and prescribed care equipment, from simple static aids to complex bed and hoist requirements. The service includes delivery, collection, repair, maintenance, recycling, and refurbishment of all equipment ranges. The new contract will see a similar range of delivery, collection and cleaning service, with an updated service specification aimed at delivering value-for-money for the next five year.
Currently, ECL do not manage the sourcing of the equipment, with 80-85% of supply managed by the Community Equipment Service (CES), hosted as an Integrated Procurement Hub (IPH) by Croydon Council. ECC are one of 20 partners to this supply arrangement, with ECC accounting for ≈20% of the IPH spend. The new contract will see all sourcing conducted by the contract holder, with no involvement of third-party sourcing routes.