Contract award notice
Results of the procurement procedure
Section I: Contracting
entity
I.1) Name and addresses
NHS Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group
Town Hall, Norton Rd
Hove
BN3 4AH
UK
Contact person: Chris McCarthy
E-mail: christopher.mccarthy@soeprocurement.nhs.uk
NUTS: UKJ21
Internet address(es)
Main address: www.brightonandhoveccg.nhs.uk
I.1) Name and addresses
NHS East Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group
Sackville House, Brooks Close
Lewes
BN7 2FZ
UK
Contact person: Chris Mccarthy
E-mail: christopher.mccarthy@soeprocurement.nhs.uk
NUTS: UKJ2
Internet address(es)
Main address: https://www.eastsussexccg.nhs.uk/
I.1) Name and addresses
NHS West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group
Wicker House, High Street
Worthing
BN11 1DJ
UK
E-mail: christopher.mccarthy@soeprocurement.nhs.uk
NUTS: UKJ2
Internet address(es)
Main address: https://www.westsussexccg.nhs.uk/contact-us/
I.2) Joint procurement
The contract involves joint procurement
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
I.5) Main activity
Health
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Primary Care Escalation Framework 21.836
Reference number: 21.836
II.1.2) Main CPV code
79430000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
Further to the previous publication of a voluntary ex ante transparency notice (2021/S 000-032261), and completion of the 10 day standstill period (that concluded on 4th January 2022), NHS Brighton & Hove Clinical Commissioning Group, NHS West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group, and NHS East Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group (the Sussex CCGs) have awarded a contract for a period of 14 months and 3 weeks to Care Unbound Ltd t/a HERE for the provision of a Primary Care Escalation Framework (PCEF) Service commencing on 10th January 2022.
The Sussex CCGs reserve the right to extend the contract by up to a further 12 months.
The PCEF is a programme of work the CCG has commissioned through a collaboration of Improved Access Service (IAS) providers who the CCG consider to be best placed to roll out the PCEF rapidly, at scale to respond to the on-going and escalating requirements from primary care of the Covid 19 pandemic and winter pressures while ensuring the stability of general practice in Sussex.
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.1.7) Total value of the procurement
Value excluding VAT:
1 024 057.00
GBP
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
85121100
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKJ2
Main site or place of performance:
Within the boundaries of East Sussex, West Sussex, and Brighton and Hove.
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
Further to the previous publication of a voluntary ex ante transparency notice (2021/S 000-032261), and completion of the 10 day standstill period (that concluded on 4th January 2022), NHS Brighton & Hove Clinical Commissioning Group, NHS West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group, and NHS East Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group (the Sussex CCGs) have awarded a contract for a period of 14 months and 3 weeks to Care Unbound Ltd t/a HERE for the provision of a Primary Care Escalation Framework (PCEF) Service commencing on 10th January 2022.
The Sussex CCGs reserve the right to extend the contract by up to a further 12 months.
The PCEF is a programme of work the CCG has commissioned through a collaboration of Improved Access Service (IAS) providers who the CCG consider to be best placed to roll out the PCEF rapidly, at scale to respond to the on-going and escalating requirements from primary care of the Covid 19 pandemic and winter pressures while ensuring the stability of general practice in Sussex. The PCEF is a framework to demonstrate live resilience of primary care services at practice, primary care network, place, and system level to then coordinate an appropriate and timely response.
The Primary Care Escalation Framework (PCEF) will dovetail with wider ICS winter escalation framework which in turn is based on the NHS England, Southeast framework, NHS England OPEL (Operational Pressures Escalation) Framework October-2018. The current OPEL framework has focussed more on the visibility of the demand and pressure in acute and community services. The PCEF aims to address this by introducing a parallel system within primary care to ensure visibility across the whole health and care system in Sussex.
In relation to the proposals for the implementation of the primary care escalation framework breaks down into three phases:
-Phase one - Data Survey Collection Survey initiation across all Sussex Practices - to establish resilience needs.
Data warehouse, (incl helpdesk & technical support) & dashboard development.
-Phase two - Escalation Framework Liaison.
Regional Liaison with Primary Care.
-Phase three - Resilience Response Design.
Regional co-ordination and collation of resilience plans and emerging needs - including workshops to bring together regional learning and finalise re-design options appraisal.
This will be a prime provider contract delivered by Here who will then sub-contract with all Improved Access Services (IAS) in Sussex for the delivery of phases two and three of the programme, to utilise and build on existing relationships and geographical frameworks.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Cost criterion: n/a
/ Weighting: n/a
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
No
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
II.2.14) Additional information
The value stated (excludes vat) includes the total potential amount in the event the contract was to be extended by the optional further 12 months.
Please note: NHS England and Improvement have announced that the Sussex Health and Care Partnership, which is made up of all health and care organisations across East Sussex, West Sussex, and Brighton and Hove, has successfully met the criteria to become an Integrated Care System (ICS). An ICS is a way of working across health and care organisations that allows them to work closer together, to take collective responsibility of the health and wellbeing of populations across large areas.
It is not anticipated that the statutory responsibility or accountability of the individual health and care organisations working as an ICS will be affected, save for the expectation that CCG organisations will be abolished and functions transferred to the ICS. As a result of these intended healthcare reforms, the Contracting Authority(s) currently NHS East Sussex CCG/NHS West Sussex CCG/NHS Brighton and Hove CCG, may change during the life of the contract.
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition
Justification for selected award procedure:
The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason: absence of competition for technical reasons
Explanation
Sussex CCG's have successfully bid for funding through the October 2021 nationally announced 'Winter Access Fund' (WAF) . It is a requirement for the WAF to be allocated in this financial year , which would not align with timescales for a full procurement. As a transformational piece of work the plan is that the PCEF will extend into 2022/23, with outputs evaluated to determine any further extensions. The PCEF will be part of a range of initiative funded as part of the WAF.
Due to the funding window and requirement for rapid mobilisation Here - Care Unbound Ltd as the lead contractor subcontracting to Improved Access Service (IAS) providers are the only viable providers to deliver the Primary Care Escalation Framework, rapidly, at scale across Sussex and mobilise within the required timescales across all three CCG footprints, particularly where federated due to their local expertise, existing relationships with primary care, direct delivery of some services and support to practices and primary care networks.
Here, are well placed to work across primary care in Sussex. Here have led on establishing an alliance of federations, including Innovation in Primary Care (IPC), Alliance for Better Care (ABC) in West Sussex, South Downs Health Care (SDHC) and Integrated Family Healthcare (IFH) in East Sussex. This collaboration was originally formed as an provider initiative to enable a joint approach across IAS providers to respond to wider system requests and not exclusively for the purposes of delivering the PCEF.
Here has been linking with wider Federations both in their role as the link with primary care and as resilience providers - on of the goal of this project is to allow immediate resilience support from IA services.
Here has proven track record in developing bespoke technical solutions with primary care and commissioners in B&H and HWLH. For example:
• Practice Covid resilience survey tool developed in 2020.
• Racecourse vax site analytics dashboards used by all participating practices
• PCN analytics tools/dashboards in use in B&H
IAS providers are supportive of the proposals which are seen as a collaborative effort
with Here as primary contract holder.
Due to the funding framework and timescales the CCG needs to use the existing alliance of federations and IAS providers which has been established for delivery of the PCEF, due to their specialist expertise and relationships rapidly mobilise the PCEF at scale linking with wider Federations both in their role as the link with primary care and as resilience providers. The goal of this project is to allow immediate resilience support from IAS - hence contracting with the IAS provider partnership.
The proposed rapid prototyping approach employed by Here reduces the risk of system redundancy and means iterations of the solution will be developed throughout its lifetime.
Here has significant experience of system integration within primary care they already provide system resilience through IAS and the Urgent Treatment Centre. This has included providing dedicated capacity to support individual practices when necessary.
Here and all the IAS providers currently have existing information sharing agreements in place with their respective practices. These information sharing agreements have been developed between practices and IAS providers over a number of years, bespoke to meet the data sharing requirements for each of the 161 individual practices. The information sharing agreements are a key and critical element of delivery of the PCEF. Putting in place such arrangements with a new provider would involve building trusting relationships and negotiation with 161 individual practices on the terms of the agreement and buy-in to the intentions of the supplier in terms of the uses of the data. The IAS providers have built up this trust over several years, and for a new provider to get this in place during a 3-6 month mobilisation period would be unrealistic.
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number in the OJ S:
2021/S 000-032261
Section V: Award of contract
Title: Primary Care Escalation Framework
A contract/lot is awarded:
Yes
V.2 Award of contract
V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
05/01/2022
V.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators:
No
V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Care Unbound Ltd t/a HERE
Fourth Floor, 177 Preston Road
Brighton
BN1 6AG
UK
NUTS: UKJ21
The contractor is an SME:
No
V.2.4) Information on value of the contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot:
: 1 024 057.00
GBP
V.2.5) Information about subcontracting
The contract is likely to be subcontracted
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Refer to South of England Procurement Services to trigger the review process.
Fareham
UK
E-mail: christopher.mccarthy@soeprocurement.nhs.uk
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
06/01/2022