Public procurement notice: Contract Notice
Published: 2020-06-25
Buyer: NHS England
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Open procedure
CPV classification: 72212100: Industry specific software programming services | 72223000: Information technology requirements review services | 79624000 | 79625000
Estimated value: 5000000 GBP
Submission deadline: 2020-07-08
Award criteria: The most economic tender

Technical requirements: Procurement for the Provision of a Framework Agreement for Digital Solutions for the Deployment of Sessional Clinical Capacity in Primary Care to NHS England and NHS Improvement
NHS England and NHS Improvement are conducting a framework procurement to implement digital solutions for the deployment of sessional clinical capacity in primary care. Providers are invited to offer a solution which makes both Covid-19 shifts and non Covid-19 shifts available and enables practices to post these available shifts, with individuals easily indicating their availability and selecting shifts that suit them. Contracts awarded will reflect this.
The service will be awarded as a framework for the use of CCGs and other relevant authorities as defined within the tender documentation and it is anticipated that a maximum of six providers will be awarded contracts. The framework will be for an initial duration of 6 months, with a possible extension of a further 6 months.
Interested providers will be able to view the tender opportunity via the ‘current tenders’ list on the InTend website.
The NHS faces one of its biggest challenges yet with the need to effectively and efficiently respond to Covid-19. It is increasingly important to prepare the NHS for the potential surge in demand of primary care services both as a direct result of Covid-19 and as we move into the recovery phase of the Covid-19 response, to support:
(i) people who have not attended General Practice during the Covid-19 outbreak with other clinical conditions,
(ii) people who have had Covid-19 who require ongoing support from general practice care once discharged from a secondary care setting;
This will require rapid mobilisation of sessional clinical capacity, and specifically GP locums who can be utilised across primary care to respond to this demand flexibly and efficiently.
For this purpose, NHS England and NHS Improvement are now conducting an urgent framework procurement utilising the accelerated open procedure to implement a digital solution for the deployment of Sessional Clinician Capacity into General Practice. Providers are invited to offer a solution which makes both Covid-19 shifts and non Covid-19 shifts available and enables practices to post these available shifts, with individuals easily indicating their availability and selecting shifts that suit them. Contracts awarded will reflect this.
The service will be awarded as a framework for the use of CCGs and other relevant authorities and it is anticipated that a maximum of six providers will be awarded contracts. The framework will be for an initial duration of 6 months, with a possible extension of a further 6 months.
The procurement is being carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of NHS England. Interested providers will be able to view the tender opportunity via the ‘current tenders’ list on the InTend website.
In order to access the tender documentation providers will need to ‘express an interest’ and register on the system. Bidders are required to respond directly within InTend and attach any requested documents separately in the placeholders provided by the specified date and time.
In line with The EU Commission’s confirmation that the Covid-19 crisis presents extreme and unforeseeable urgency, the commissioner is following an accelerated open procedure in order to let contract(s) at the earliest possible opportunity. This tender is being let for services directly related to the delivery of Covid-19 healthcare services and its delay could be detrimental to the welfare of the population.
The Covid-19 outbreak has given rise to an urgent need for the digital solutions for the deployment of sessional clinical capacity in primary care. This does not give NHS England and NHS improvement sufficient time to comply with the standard open procedure timescales for this procurement. NHS England and NHS improvement considers this to be a state of urgency which it has duly substantiated. Accordingly, NHS England and NHS improvement is using the accelerated time limits permitted under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (regulation 27(5) for the open procedure) in respect of this procurement.
This framework agreement is for the use of NHS England and improvement, clinical commissioning groups, primary care networks, GP practices, NHS Trusts, NHS special health authorities and all organisations as found at the following address and updated from time to time.


Award value: 5000000