Contract award notice
Results of the procurement procedure
Section I: Contracting
entity
I.1) Name and addresses
COUNTESS OF CHESTER HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RJR
Liverpool Road
Chester
CH21UL
UK
Contact person: Simon Corbett
E-mail: simon.corbett3@nhs.net
NUTS: UKD63
Internet address(es)
Main address: https://www.coch.nhs.uk/
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
Non‑Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) under the NHS SBS Framework Agreement SBS 105013
Reference number: C430227
II.1.2) Main CPV code
85143000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
Provision of Non‑Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) for the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, including stretcher and bariatric patient transport services. The services cover the coordination, booking, scheduling and delivery of patient transport to support outpatient appointments, admissions and discharges, and are delivered under the NHS SBS Framework Agreement SBS10513 - Transportation and Travel Services for Health.
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.1.7) Total value of the procurement
Value excluding VAT:
1 562 366.53
GBP
II.2) Description
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKD
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The procurement relates to the provision of Non‑Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) for the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The services include the planning, coordination, booking, scheduling and delivery of non‑emergency patient transport to support outpatient appointments, admissions and discharges, including stretcher and bariatric patient transport.
The services are intended to ensure safe, timely and dignified transport for eligible patients, support patient flow and discharge processes, and operate in accordance with NHS standards and applicable service level requirements.
This notice is an intention to award a contract following a competitive process under an existing framework agreement, namely the NHS SBS Framework Agreement SBS10513 - Transportation and Travel Services for Health.
The approximate maximum lifetime value of the contract is £1.56 million, based on an initial contract term of two (2) years with the option to extend for up to a further two (2) one‑year periods.
This procurement relates to an existing service, with continuity of service required from contract commencement. The contract is intended to be awarded following completion of a competitive process under the relevant framework agreement.
The services are intended to be provided from 1 June 2026, for an initial period of two (2) years, with the option to extend annually for up to a maximum total contract duration of four (4) years, subject to contractual provisions.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 40
Quality criterion: Social value
/ Weighting: 10
Cost criterion: Commercial
/ Weighting: 50
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
Yes
Description of options:
The contracting authority reserves the right to extend the contract beyond the initial term, in accordance with the terms of the framework agreement and the call‑off contract.
The initial contract term is for two (2) years, with the option to extend for up to a further two (2) one‑year periods, at the discretion of the contracting authority, subject to satisfactory performance and ongoing requirements.
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
This contract is intended to be awarded following a competitive process under an existing framework agreement, namely the NHS SBS Framework Agreement SBS10513 - Transportation and Travel Services for Health.
The contract award is subject to the completion of the mandatory standstill period in accordance with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, and no contract will be concluded until that period has ended.
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 procurement falls outside the scope of application of the Directive
Explanation
This procurement is conducted in accordance with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 and is therefore not subject to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
The contract is awarded following a competitive process under an existing framework agreement, namely the NHS SBS Framework Agreement SBS10513 - Transportation and Travel Services for Health, which was itself established following a prior call for competition.
In accordance with the framework agreement and the Provider Selection Regime, no separate call for competition was required.
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
No
Section V: Award of contract
Contract No: G/1027 (C430227 )
Title: Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS)
A contract/lot is awarded:
Yes
V.2 Award of contract
V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
15/05/2026
V.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 4
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators:
No
V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
ERS Medical
10783395
Leeds
UK
NUTS: UKD
The contractor is an SME:
No
V.2.4) Information on value of the contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot:
Total value of the contract/lot:
: 1 544 899.52
GBP
V.2.5) Information about subcontracting
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.3) Additional information
This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award.
The standstill period begins on the day after the publication of this notice. Representations by providers must be made to the relevant authority by midnight on Thursday 28th May 2026. Representations can only be made by providers party to the framework agreement. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.
Written representations should be sent to:
simon.corbett3@nhs.net
Award decision‑makers
The award decision was made by a panel of appropriately authorised officers of the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, including representatives from Procurement and relevant operational and clinical stakeholders, in accordance with the Trust's scheme of delegation and governance arrangements.
Conflicts of interest
Conflicts of interest identified among the evaluation panel and decision‑makers: None declared.
All individuals involved in the evaluation and award decision were required to declare any actual or potential conflicts of interest prior to participation.
Award criteria and rationale
The contract was evaluated using the Most Advantageous Tender approach, based on the relative importance of the following published criteria:
Quality - 40%
Social Value - 10%
Cost - 50%
The relative importance of the criteria reflects the need to balance service quality, patient safety, operational resilience and social value outcomes with value for money, in line with the nature and risk profile of Non‑Emergency Patient Transport Services.
The successful provider was selected as it achieved the highest overall weighted score across the published criteria. While price formed a significant element of the evaluation, the award decision was based on the combined assessment of quality, social value and cost, in accordance with the stated evaluation methodology.
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust
Chester
UK
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
15/05/2026