Public procurement notice: Prior Information Notice Without Call For Competition
Published: 2020-09-28
Buyer: NHS Commissioning Board (known as NHS England) (for whom the Health and Social Care Information Centre (known as NHS Digital) is acting as agent)
Country: UK
Contract type: Supplies
CPV classification: 48000000 | 48180000 | 48200000 | 48515000 | 72000000
Estimated value: 100000000 GBP

Technical requirements: NHS England seeks to alert existing and potential providers of its intention to establish a new digital first online consultation and video consultation framework, which will operate under the existing digital care services catalogue. The contracting authority is also exploring the feasibility of including access to general practice medical services on-demand via the online consultation system.
This new framework will operate under the existing digital care services catalogue and will replace elements of the existing Dynamic Purchasing System (OJEU contract notice reference: 2017/S 197-404914) and GP IT futures framework (OJEU contract notice reference: 2019/S 097-235142) as the preferred framework vehicle for customers to purchase the in-scope services.
The framework will include standards and capabilities developed specifically for online consultation and video consultation under the digital care services catalogue.
NHS England has responsibility for delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan commitment that patients will have the right to digital first primary care by 2023/24. This work includes the commitment to support online consultation in general practice which began under the GP Forward View.
NHS England seeks to alert existing and potential providers of its intention to establish a new digital first online consultation and video consultation framework, which will operate under the existing digital care services catalogue. The contracting authority is also exploring the addition of on-demand general practice medical services as purchasable services, through online consultation tools.
The framework will support NHS England in its delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan commitment that every patient will have the right to be offered digital-first primary care by 2023/24. The framework will build on from the online consultation programme, which was originally introduced under the GP Forward View and which has been expanded under NHS England’s Dynamic Purchasing system and through digital care services GPIT futures framework. Alignment of the new framework within digital care services catalogue will support NHS England’s ambition to have a sole procurement route for primary care, which will provide a unified set of centrally understood standards.
To support the development of the new framework, the digital care services catalogue authority have developed new capabilities and standards to more accurately reflect the functionality and benefits of online and video consultation solutions. Supplier solutions will be required to meet the requirements of the standards and capabilities model as set out in the digital care services catalogue agreement.
It is also proposed that commissioners may also utilise the framework to purchase additional clinical capacity through an online consultation solution. For example, suppliers may offer online consultation solutions with locum doctor capacity included in the offer.
In addition to primary care, other health and social care organisations that purchase services via this framework may include, but are not limited to, secondary care providers, community pharmacies, urgent care providers, ambulance trusts, optometry and dentistry providers.
A request for information is expected to be published in early October 2020 which will include a request for information. NHS England is seeking views from potential suppliers on the following areas:
• the set of documents that define the framework agreement, call-off agreement and associated schedules.
This new framework will operate under the existing digital care services catalogue and will replace elements of the existing Dynamic Purchasing System (OJEU contract notice reference: 2017/S 197-404914 and GP IT futures framework (OJEU contract notice reference: 2019/S 097-235142) as the preferred framework vehicle for customers to purchase the in-scope services. It is expected that purchasing under the framework can be via direct award, on catalogue competition or off catalogue competition depending on the value of the contract. The framework will provide commissioners with the opportunity to align their video and online consultation systems with other services procured via the digital care services catalogue.
As set out above, this notice is only intended to inform the market of a prospective contract opportunity.
This PIN does not formally signify the beginning of a procurement and does not constitute a commitment by the contracting authority to undertake any procurement exercise.
If the contracting authority decides to formally commence the procurement for the DFOCVC framework, a separate contract notice will be issued in the OJEU.


Award value: 100000000