Published date: 31 August 2023

Awarded contract - This means that the contract has been awarded to a supplier.


Closing: 31 January 2023, 12pm

Contract summary

Industry

  • Transport services (excl. Waste transport) - 60000000

Location of contract

North West

Value of contract

£94,132,286

Procurement reference

WHISP-145

Published date

31 August 2023

Closing date

31 January 2023

Closing time

12pm

Contract start date

1 April 2023

Contract end date

31 March 2025

Contract type

Service contract

Procedure type

Other: Direct Award under Light Touch Regime

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

No

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

No


Description

NHS Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (CSU) are publishing this contract award notice on behalf of NHS Lancashire & South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), NHS Greater Manchester ICB, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB and NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB who have awarded contracts for the provision of Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) to cover Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria delivering:

- Planned Patient Transport - for routine outpatient appointments

- Unplanned Patient Transport - for discharges / short notice bookings, and

- Enhanced Priority Service Transport - for time critical transport for patients attending for haemodialysis or oncology treatments.

This contract award notice is for the direct award of contracts with the existing providers for 24 months from 1st April 2023 to the 31st March 2025.

The current NEPTS contracts were originally procured by competitive tender. There was then a delay in the recommissioning of these services due to the COVID-19 pandemic however work is now underway to develop a North West strategic approach to patient transport being commissioned by the newly formed ICBs that will meet both local and national requirements. To allow the timescales to complete this work and re-procure the service an extension of 24 months is required with the existing providers.

A review of the North West specifications is required to ensure it meets the evolving needs of the ICBs. In addition the National Review of NEPTS produced its final report on patient eligibility criteria in May 2022. This has broadened the criteria under which patients are able to access NHS funded transport and has required additional work on the specifications. The National Review has produced, and continues to produce, additional guidance to be adopted which will impact the North West specifications.

The rationale for the 24-month extension with the existing provider is that it will maintain the continuity of service until such time as a new service can be commissioned that will meet local requirements and incorporate any new national requirements. The extension is only a temporary arrangement to allow the appropriate timescales to re-procure the service (which have previously been delayed due to the pandemic and therefore events that were unforeseeable to the commissioners).

The contract has been awarded to one supplier in four LOTs as follows:

LOT 1: Lancashire & South Cumbria with a value of £32,737,212
LOT 2: North Cumbria with a value of £5,712,000
LOT 3: Cheshire & Merseyside (Merseyside only) with a value of £20,106,000
LOT 4: Greater Manchester with a value of £35,577,074


More information

Additional text

This Contract Award Notice is published under the Public Contract Regulations 2015. It 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 authority is only bound by those parts of the Regulations detailed in Chapter 3 Particular Procurement Regimes Section 7. The contracting authority is not voluntarily following any other part of the Regulations.


Award information

Awarded date

1 February 2023

Contract start date

1 April 2023

Contract end date

31 March 2025

Total value of contract

£94,132,286

This contract was awarded to 1 supplier.

North West Ambulance Service N H S Trust

Address

Trust Headquarters Ladybridge Hall,Chorley New Road
BOLTON
Lancashire
BL1 5DD
GB

Reference

No reference - other

Value of contract

£94,132,286

Supplier is SME?

No

Supplier is VCSE?

No


About the buyer

Contact name

MLCSU Procurement Team

Address

c/o Lancashire & South Cumbria Integrated Care Board
County Hall, Fishergate
Preston
PR1 8XJ
England

Email

mlcsu.tendersnorth@nhs.net

Website

www.lancashireandsouthcumbria.icb.nhs.uk