Public procurement notice: Contract Notice
Published: 2018-10-06
Buyer: NHS Midlands and Lancashire CSU
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Open procedure
CPV classification: 85000000 | 85140000: Miscellaneous health services
Estimated value: 10000000 GBP
Submission deadline: 2018-11-02
Award criteria: The most economic tender

Technical requirements: Pan Lancashire Audiology Services are to provide an innovative and comprehensive patient-centred integrated hearing service across Lancashire and South Cumbria area for non-complex audiology (50 plus years) within community based settings under an AQP Plus framework. The CCGs are managing this procurement in accordance with the light touch regime of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (the “regulations”). The CCGs have developed an AQP Plus scheme that resembles an AQP scheme developed by the department of health however has been adapted and designed to meet the CCGs needs in line with the light touch regime of the Regulations.
Neither the publication of this notice nor the employment of any particular terminology nor any other indication shall be taken to mean that the CCGs intend to hold themselves bound by any of the Regulations save those applicable to the procurement of light touch regime services.
Area covered by GP services registered to the CCGs indicated in the ITT but generally covering Lancashire and South Cumbria.
The service will include provision of hearing aids for age related hearing loss (patients aged 50 years and over) in line with national guidance and local requirements for the registered population of the NHS commissioning organisations. The vision is for people with age related hearing loss to receive high quality, efficient services delivered closer to home, with short waiting times. The service must deliver patient focused outcomes in response to the needs of individual patients/families/carers in the community where they live and which is free of charge at the point of care.
The CCGs are looking to award the service to providers that meet the Any qualified provider Plus standards. Activity will be paid on a cost per case basis at a local tariff rate (to be published in the specification). There will be no guarantees of volume or payment in the contracts awarded.
This procurement is for clinical services which are subject to the light-touch regime for the purpose of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 as specified in Schedule 3 of the Regulations (“Regulations"). Accordingly, the Contracting Authorities are only bound by those parts of the Regulations detailed in Chapter 3 Particular Procurement Regimes Section 7. Applicants are also invited to confirm as part of the tender which CCG areas of Lancashire and South Cumbria they wish to deliver the service from.
The estimated value of the contract will be 3 000 000 GBP a year inclusive of VAT. VAT will not be chargeable to the commissioner and the individual Provider will be responsible for any VAT incurred.
The procurement will be for social and other specific services which are light touch regime services for the purpose of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 as specified in Schedule 3 of the Regulations (“Regulations”) http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/102/schedule/3/made
Accordingly, the Contracting Authority is only bound by those parts of the Regulations detailed in Chapter 3 Particular Procurement Regimes Section 7 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/102/part/2/chapter/3/made
As the CCGs are a relevant body for the purpose of the National Health Service (procurement, patient choice and competition) (No. 2) Regulations 2013 these Regulations also apply to this procurement.
Right to cancel: the Contracting Authority reserves the right to discontinue the procurement process at any time, which shall include the right not to award a contract or contracts, and does not bind itself to accept the lowest tender, or any tender received, and reserves the right to award a contract in part, or to call for new tenders should it consider this necessary.
The Contracting Authority shall not be liable for any costs or expenses incurred by any candidate or tenderer in connection with the completion and return of the information requested in this Contract Notice, or in the completion or submission of any tender, irrespective of the outcome of the competition or if the competition is cancelled or postponed.
All dates, time periods and values specified in this notice are provisional and the Contracting Authority reserves the right to change these.
Transparency: the Contracting Authority is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) and may be required to disclose information received in the course of this procurement under FOIA or the EIR.
In addition, and in accordance with the UK government's policies on transparency, the Contracting Authority intends to publish procurement documentation and the text of any resulting contractual arrangements, subject to possible redactions at the discretion of the Contracting Authority.

Eligibility requirements: Selection Criteria as stated in the procurement documents

Award value: 10000000