Public procurement notice: Contract Notice
Published: 2019-11-07
Buyer: NHS Midlands and Lancashire CSU on behalf of Staffordshire CCGs
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Open procedure
CPV classification: 60140000 | 85140000: Miscellaneous health services | 85143000
Submission deadline: 2019-11-15
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 are seeking to appoint a provider to deliver non-emergency patient transport commencing mid 2020 with the provider appointed through a multi-year contract. The CCGs will be 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. 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.
Documents will be issued to those organisations that have expressed an interest for this service W/C 18.11.2019. The contract will be for 5 years with the option to extend up to 2 years.
Area covered by Cannock Chase CCG, Stafford and Surrounds CCG, South East Staffordshire and Seisdon Peninsula 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 for a 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.
There are elements of the current arrangements for Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services which for existing contractual reasons not all activity will be commencing 1.8.2020. Full details will be included in the published specification. Interested parties are requested to express their interest in this project by emailing direct to r.klmczak@nhs.net and sammie.yates6@nhs.net by 15.11.2019
Light Touch Regime' services: this procurement is for clinical services which are light touch regime services for the purpose of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 as specified in Schedule 3 of the Regulations ('Regulations'). Accordingly, the contracting authorities are only bound by those parts of the Regulations detailed in Chapter 3 Particular Procurement Regimes Section 7. The contracting authorities are not voluntarily following any other part of the Regulations. The procedure which the contracting authorities are following is set out in Annex 1. As the CCG is a relevant body for the purpose of the National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) (No 2) Regulations 2013 these regulations also apply to this procurement.
Right to cancel: the contracting authority reserves the right to discontinue the procurement process at any time, which shall include the right not to award a contract or contracts, and does not bind itself to accept the lowest tender, or any tender received and reserves the right to award a contract in part, or to call for new tenders should it consider this necessary.
The contracting authority shall not be liable for any costs or expenses incurred by any candidate or tenderer in connection with the completion and return of the information requested in this contract notice, or in the completion or submission of any tender, irrespective of the outcome of the competition or if the competition is cancelled or postponed.
All dates, time periods and values specified in this notice are provisional and the contracting authority reserves the right to change these.
Transparency: the contracting authority is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) and may be required to disclose information received in the course of this procurement under FOIA or the EIR.
In addition, and in accordance with the UK Government's policies on transparency, the contracting authority intends to publish procurement documentation and the text of any resulting contractual arrangements, subject to possible redactions at the discretion of the contracting authority.
Any redactions, whether in relation to information requests under FOIA, the EIR or policies on transparency will be in accordance with those grounds prescribed under the Freedom of Information Act.
This tender will be operated via electronic means using the internet. Midlands and Lancashire CSU is conducting this procurement exercise as a central purchasing body for another NHS body with whom the successful bidder(s) will enter into contracts for the supply of the services.
Any other public-sector body detailed within this notice, wishing to access the contract may do so only with permission from the contracting NHS body.