Public procurement notice: Contract Notice
Published: 2019-10-17
Buyer: NHS England (National)
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Competitive procedure with negotiation
CPV classification: 85120000: Medical practice services
Estimated value: 5000000 GBP
Submission deadline: 2019-11-22

Technical requirements: NHS England (NHSE) is seeking bids from providers to develop and run a pilot service within Greater Manchester for adults with gender dysphoria.
NHSE is the direct commissioner of specialised health interventions for the alleviation of gender dysphoria, which is characterised by a strong and persistent cross-gender identification (such as stating a desire to be the other sex or frequently passing as the other sex) coupled with persistent discomfort with his or her sex.
NHSE will commission and directly contract an early adopter pilot (Trans Health Service) that will evaluate how the treatment interventions delivered by a specialist Gender Dysphoria Clinic can be delivered by a primary care team in a local setting, adapted to meet the specific needs of the population of Greater Manchester. NHSE invites proposals for the provision of the early adopter pilot over 2 years, from 2020 with an option to extend for a further year at the commissioners sole discretion.
The current model for delivery of non-surgical therapeutic interventions for adults with gender dysphoria is restricted to a number of Gender Dysphoria Clinics in England, who provide: assessment, diagnosis, overall care coordination and who deliver or arrange access to psychological interventions and voice and communication therapy; and make recommendations for prescribing of endocrine therapies.
NHS England will commission and directly contract for an early adopter pilot that will evaluate how the service delivered by a specialist Gender Dysphoria Clinic (adults from 17 years of age) can be delivered by a primary care team in a local setting. The primary care team will receive accredited academic and experiential training funded by NHS England. The scope of delivery is expected to be developed on a phased basis to reflect the increased competencies attained through the accredited training programme.
The Trans Health Service will have a formal relationship with a Gender Dysphoria Clinic that is commissioned by NHS England. The Trans Health Service and the Gender Dysphoria Clinic will work together to develop the necessary joint working arrangements for the management of individuals accessing the service.
A briefing event for interested parties will be held on 25.10.2019 at 2 p.m. via a Webex Teleconference. Providers wishing to attend the briefing event should register their interest via the In-Tend portal at https://in-tendhost.co.uk/scwcsu/aspx/Home with the following details:
This procurement is being carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the commissioners.
The services are healthcare services falling within Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (‘the Regulations’) which are not subject to the full regime of the Regulations, but is instead governed by the ‘Light Touch Regime’ contained within Chapter 3, Section 7 of the Regulations (Regulations 74 to 77).
Interested providers will be able to view this notice via the 'current tenders' list on the e-procurement system In-Tend, available on the following link: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/scwcsu/aspx/Home
In order to submit a bid, you will need to be registered on the e-procurement system and 'express an interest', and then complete a response as specified within the procurement documents.
On registration, please include at least 2 contacts to allow for access to the system in times of absence.
The services are healthcare services falling within Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (‘the Regulations’) which are not subject to the full regime of the Regulations, but is instead governed by the ‘Light Touch Regime’ contained within Chapter 3, Section 7 of the Regulations (Regulations 74 to 77).
The tendering process will be conducted in accordance with the requirements and flexibilities provided by Articles 74 to 76 of the Directive, and Regulations 74 to 76 of the Regulations. The authority will run a transparent tender process, treating all bidders equally. For the avoidance of doubt, the authority will not be bound by the Regulations or the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union or any other regulations or legislation except for the specific parts or circumstances that apply to the procurement of these services.
Neither the inclusion of a bidder selection stage, nor the use of any language or terms found in the Directive or Regulations, nor the description of the procedure voluntarily adopted by the authority (‘Open’, ‘Restricted’, ‘Competitive Procedure with Negotiation’, ‘Competitive Dialogue’ or any other description), nor any other indication, shall be taken to mean that the authority intends to hold itself bound by the Directive or Regulations, save by the provisions applicable to services coming within the scope of Annex XIV of the Directive/Schedule 3 of the Regulations.


Award value: 5000000