Public procurement notice: Contract Notice
Published: 2016-11-19
Buyer: Department of Health
Country: UK
Region: UNITED KINGDOM
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Competitive procedure with negotiation
CPV classification: 72000000 | 79400000 | 79600000 | 79610000 | 79611000
Submission deadline: 2016-12-16
Award criteria: The most economic tender

Technical requirements: The Department of Health (DH), acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health, is seeking a private sector entity to partner with DH in the ownership of NHS Professionals Ltd (NHSP). DH is a department of the UK Government, with responsibility for overseeing the National Health Service in England. NHSP is a private company incorporated under the Companies Acts and fully owned by the Secretary of State for Health. NHSP is 1 of the largest suppliers of flexible staffing to the NHS, with a bank of over 50 000 workers providing services to 57 client Trusts. It is currently envisaged that DH will sell 74.9 % of the issued share capital in NHSP to the bidder which offers the most attractive proposal to DH. The appointed Partner will have day to day operational and financial control of the business.
DH is undertaking an unregulated competitive process in order to appoint a partner. It does not consider that this transaction is subject to the requirements of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (‘Regulations’). DH therefore does not consider itself bound by the Regulations in respect of this process in any way, and is publishing this contract notice on a voluntary basis in order to encourage a fair, open and transparent engagement. DH has identified a process in its documentation which bears some similarity to the competitive procedure with negotiation set out in the Regulations. It does not consider itself bound to follow the process identified, or the competitive procedure with negotiation in any way, and reserves the right to depart from its identified process at any time. DH has indicated the use of the competitive procedure with negotiation at section IV.1.1) due to a mandatory requirement to select a procedure on this form. Further detailed information on the process is set out in the accompanying Pre-Qualification Documentation pack, including information on minimum financial standing requirements. Interested parties should note that all decisions on this process are subject to approval from the Secretary of State for Health.
Note that that there is an indefinite contract duration, and the figure of 36 months has been selected to enable DH to progress through the form. It reflects the fact that DH currently intends to have the option to exit its shareholding from the 4th year anniversary of completion onwards.
Interested parties should seek independent legal and investment/financial advice in respect of this engagement. DH accepts no liability for any costs incurred by organisations or their advisors in responding to this notice or in this process. DH reserves the right in its absolute discretion not to sell all or any of the issued share capital in NHSP and/or to abandon this process at any time.
This exercise will be completed via the DH eTendering portal (BMS) and candidates wishing to be considered for this (or any other) DH contract must submit their response via BMS.
Suppliers should visit https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health/about/procurement to register and download instructions on how to respond.
supplier.helpdesk@dh.gsi.gov.uk This help-desk is available 10:00 to 16:00, Monday to Friday excluding Bank Holidays.
DH will incorporate a voluntary standstill period at the point information on the contract is communicated to participants, based on Regulation 87 of the Regulations. DH is doing so of its own preference, in the interests of transparency, and does not consider itself bound by those Regulations in any way.