Public procurement notice: Contract Notice
Published: 2016-04-21
Buyer: NHS England South (South Central)
Country: UK
Region: Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath area
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Open procedure
CPV classification: 85000000 | 85100000: Health services
Estimated value: 3142043 GBP
Submission deadline: 2016-05-10
Award criteria: The most economic tender

Technical requirements: NHS E South (South Central) — Diabetic Eye Screening Programme — Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (for ITT).
NHS England South (South Central) (the Commissioner) seeks to commission a Diabetic Eye Screening Programme service for patients in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire. This procurement is being carried out by "NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCWCSU) on behalf of the Commissioners".
The Commissioner is looking for a single provider to deliver a high quality service across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire. The aim of the NDESP is to reduce the risk of sight loss amongst people with diabetes by the prompt identification and effective treatment if necessary of sight threatening diabetic retinopathy. In line with the national specification the screening programme must operate a 12 month screening interval for all people with diabetes invited for routine digital screening plus digital surveillance clinics for individuals who require more frequent screening. The Commissioners would like to encourage innovative solutions which will deliver value for money and improved services to patients.
The Commissioners seeks from suitably qualified and experienced providers including third sector and social enterprise organisations, private and NHS to provide the NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (NDESP) to patients living and registered in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW).
The aim of the contract is to reduce the risk of sight loss amongst people with diabetes by the prompt identification and effective treatment if necessary of sight threatening diabetic retinopathy, at the appropriate stage during the disease process.
— Are safe, effective, of a high quality, externally and independently monitored, and quality assured.
— Are delivered and supported by suitably trained, competent, and qualified, clinical and non-clinical staff who, where relevant, participate in recognised ongoing CME, Continuous Professional Development (CPD), and Quality Assurance (QA) schemes.
The contract duration will be 3 years and 64 days — Bath and North East Somerset and Swindon contracts will commence on 27.1.2017 followed by Wiltshire which will commence on 1.4.2017. The contract will expire on 31.3.2020 subject to the option to extend for a further 12 months.
The Services are healthcare services within the meaning and scope of the National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) (No 2) Regulations 2013 and are therefore not governed by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The tendering process will therefore be conducted in accordance with the current legislation that applies to the tendering of healthcare services within the meaning and scope of the National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) (No 2) Regulations 2013. The Commissioner will run a fair and transparent tender process, treating all bidders equally.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Commissioner will not be bound by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. In addition, the Commissioner will not be bound by the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, 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.
The Commissioner has voluntarily advertised this procurement exercise in the Official Journal, solely in order to reach as wide an audience as possible. The Commissioner has been constrained by the forms used by the Publications Office to describe the procurement procedure, but the Commissioner does not bind itself to conduct the procurement process in accordance with any Procedure as described in the Regulations.
Neither a reference during or after this procurement process to the Regulations or the use of language or terminology common to the Regulations shall require the Commissioner to conduct a full procurement in accordance with the Regulations. This notice is being placed for advertising purposes only.