Public procurement notice: Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Published: 2020-10-16
Buyer: NHS Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Negotiated without a prior call for competition
CPV classification: 60130000 | 85100000: Health services | 85142000 | 85143000
Estimated value: 7650000 GBP
Award criteria: The most economic tender

Technical requirements: The Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership Partnership CCG Joint Committee (MSE STP JC), as delegated by the five CCGs of NHS Basildon and Brentwood CCG, NHS Castle Point and Rochford CCG, NHS Mid Essex CCG, NHS Southend CCG and NHS Thurrock CCG have made a decision to award a contract for a non-emergency patient transport service (NEPTS) from 1 April 2021-31 March 22 with an option to extend for a further 12 months from 1 April 2022-31 March 2023. The service covers land-based provision (for all ages) with the exception of secure mental health transport; encompassing:
The service will also be provided to patients registered with NHS West Essex CCG in relation to journeys to/from the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre.
Essex, plus patient transfers to London and other hospitals. The service will also be provided to patients registered with NHS West Essex CCG for journeys to/from the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre.
The Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership (HCP) CCG Joint Committee on behalf of the aforementioned CCGs took a decision in mid-January 2020 to commence a procurement process for NEPTS. The project was progressing at pace and as per timeline, however, as a direct result of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the CCG's decided to delay commencement of this procurement due to impact of Covid-19 on PTS delivery, the shift in the acute model towards virtual outpatients and to ensure provider and commissioner resources were being applied to the Covid-incident. The Joint Committee agreed a provisional plan to relaunch the procurement in Spring 2021 resulting in the new service commencing April 2022.
On 2 July the Joint Committee agreed that it wouldn't be viable to deliver the new service via the previous timescale of a 1 April commencement, by running a procurement process, while both the CCGs and providers were continuing to respond to the Covid pandemic.
Given the uncertainty of the coming months, a contract extension of 12 months with an option to extend for a further 12-month was approved, to mitigate the risk that any further incidents or issues associated with the pandemic prevent the procurement commencing as planned again.
The CCGs propose to extend their current contracts for the provision of NEPTS to incumbent providers from 1 April 2021-31 March 22, with an option to extend for a further 12 months from 1 April 2022-31 March 2023. The aggregate contract value communicated in this notice is for the proposed 2-year term at £XXXX. This equates to £xxxxx per annum.
The additional contractual term will allow for a future procurement and will allow the commissioners sufficient time to undertake the relevant engagement with all stakeholders to inform a robust procurement process, which aims to award a new longer term contract whilst ensuring continuity of care for its patient population.
The MSE STP JC agreed a provisional plan to relaunch in Spring 2021, with the procurement and mobilisation periods resulting in the new service commencing April 2022. However, given the uncertainty of the coming months, a contract extension of 12 months with an option to extend for a further 12 months was proposed, enabling a further extension to be undertaken, should any further incidents or issues associated with the pandemic, prevent the procurement commencing as planned again.
The commissioning of NEPTS for MSE STP falls under the ‘Light Touch’ Regime (Schedule 3 ‘social and other specific services’ of the Public Contract Regulations 2015) because clinical interaction is a significant part of the specification.
The aggregate contract value communicated in this notice is for the proposed two year term at c.£[XXX] per annum.
An additional 12-month extension is proposed, the activation of which will be at the sole discretion of the CCGs.
The Mid and South Essex Clinical Commissioning Groups Joint Committee deem this award permissible under current public procurement regulations, because Covid-19 is serious and its consequences pose a risk to life, and as such, there are genuine reasons of extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable by the contracting authorities that mean they are unable to proceed with planned procurement at this time, which are in no way attributable to the contracting authorities. The CCGs have deemed that the time limits for the open or restricted procedures or competitive procedures with negotiation cannot be complied with as a direct result of the Covid-19 Pandemic, because there is not currently sufficient capacity within the CCGs to effectively resource a procurement of this scale.
The additional contractual term will allow for a future procurement and will allow the commissioners sufficient time to undertake the relevant engagement will stakeholders to inform a robust procurement process, which aims to award a new longer term contract whilst ensuring continuity of care for its patient population.


Winner: East of England Ambulance service NHS Trust (EEAST)
Award value: 7650000