Public procurement notice: Contract Award Notice
Published: 2020-06-19
Buyer: NHS Midlands and Lancashire CSU on behalf of Staffordshire CCGs
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Open procedure
CPV classification: 85100000: Health services | 85143000
Award criteria: The most economic tender

Technical requirements: Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, North Staffordshire, South East Staffordshire and Seisdon Peninsula, Stafford and Surrounds and Stoke-on-Trent CCGs undertook a tender ITT722, with intention to appoint a provider to deliver non-emergency patient transport commencing mid 2020 with the provider appointed through a multi-year contract. The CCGs were seeking a service which underpins NHS service across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent and is seen as being a beacon of good practice with a reputation for great patient experience, reliability, timeliness efficiency and innovation. This Tender has now been abandoned.
Area covered by Cannock Chase CCG, Stafford and Surrounds CCG, South East Staffordshire and SeisdonPeninsula CCG, East Staffordshire CCG, North Staffordshire CCG, Stoke-on-Trent CCG.
Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, North Staffordshire, South East Staffordshire and Seisdon Peninsula, Stafford and Surrounds and Stoke-on-Trent CCGs currently commission a non-emergency patient transport services based in various locations across Staffordshire. This is offered on a basis of direct referral to patients registered with GPs contracted with these CCGs. Commissioners wish to tender for a Non-Emergency Patient Transport service (NEPTS) for the whole population of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent with services to commence in August 2020 via a competitive tender for a single lead (or prime) provider. The proposed contract will be for 5 years with the option to extend for up to 2 years.
The service which will be provided to all patients registered with GP practices in the CCGs listed will be fora complete non-emergency patient transport service for all patients meeting clear eligibility criteria and will ensure patients can receive timely, safe, reliable and efficient transport to from and between health service premises in including NHS locations but also other locations such as hospices. The service is likely to include transfers between sites for patients admitted to NHS hospitals and some transfers within a single hospital site. The service will include transfers to and from hospitals outside the Staffordshire/Stoke-on-Trent boundaries. It will also include operation and administration of a comprehensive booking system for non-urgent patient transport. We envisage a service that will develop over time, incorporating emerging initiatives such as reducing harmful emissions associated with motor vehicle transport services and delivering interoperability with patient information systems and patient portals into such systems.
The response of the NHS to the pandemic has involved deploying non-emergency services to assist in the front-line response to the pandemic. It is vitally important that staff are not distracted from these new roles while the NHS deals with the pandemic. In the circumstances and having considered the difficulties in particular of consulting with staff at this time and the overall disruption that a change of provider will cause particularly under the current requirement for social distancing, commissioners have concluded that it is not appropriate to proceed with contract award at this time and have taken the decision to abandon the procurement. It is commissioners’ intention to advertise the contract again in preparation for a new contract start date of 1 August 2021.