II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKJ2
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
This notice is to inform the market of the intention of the Authority to direct award a contract for up to a period of 9 months with an option to extend the contract by up to a further 6 months to Healogics Ltd for the provision of a Lymphoedema and Wound care service for NHS East Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group ('the CCG') from 1 January 2022 to 31st March 2023.
Sussex Commissioners had originally intended to undertake a service review in early 2020, leading to a reprocurement commencing by March 2021. Unfortunately the COVID pandemic required that all commissioning staff were committed to the COVID recovery and restoration programme and it only became possible to restart work on Lymphoedema in July 2021. Given the difficulty in procuring Lymphoedema services we expect to still need a period of around 6 months to determine the best way forward for the future, with this shaping the form of procurement. That in itself will take us well beyond the expiry date of the current
contract and, allowing for the additional time to run a reprocurement exercise, we feel it is more appropriate to target completion by March 2023.
The intention is to undertake a Sussex-wide review aimed at, if
possible, harmonising to a single, standardised service specification and tariff regime. This review will take place during 2021/22. Part of the exercise will include deciding the basis for future contracting e.g. whether these services can be contracted on an AQP basis.
Depending on the outcome of the review above, Lymphoedema and Wound care may be re-commissioned or potentially procured as a Sussex-wide service, or ceased altogether if the review outcomes indicate this.
Planned care resources have been re-directed to other priorities as part of the local NHS response to COVID-19. As a result of the COVID-19 response the timescale genuinely precludes competitive procurement due to the emergency requirement of this service. This is permissible under emergency regulation 32 of the procurement regulations.
In addition, Sussex Commissioners do not believe a procurement at this time of COVID-19 recovery is in the best interests of patients and are looking to ensure service quality and stability by awarding a new contract to the incumbent provider.
The up to 15-month direct award intention set out in this notice will allow commissioners adequate time over this busy period, to comprehensively shape the future service and determine the most appropriate route to commission the requirement from April 2023.
This proposal is made in the context of meeting patient need, maintaining service delivery and quality, and supporting the ambition as set out in national and local plans.
Please submit all queries via email in the first instance.
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, currently NHS East Sussex CCG, may change during the life of the contract.
II.2.6) Estimated value
Value excluding VAT:
2 746 421.00
GBP
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No