Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board
Charter House, Parkway
Welwyn Garden City
AL8 6JL
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKH23 - Hertfordshire
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://hertsandwestessex.icb.nhs.uk
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Health
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Affinity Vanguard Programme
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 85100000 - Health services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
This is a Contract Award Notice to communicate a contract award made by the Contracting Authority; Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board, (hereinafter referred to as “the Authority”) in compliance with their local standing financial instructions (SFIs).
On 29th December 2023, the Authority published a Voluntary Ex-Ante Transparency Notice (VEAT) (Reference 2023/S 000-038046) to inform the market of its intention to award the contract. The Authority applied a voluntary 10-day standstill period prior to conclusion of the contract. The contract award is made to HCRG for the provision of the Affinity Vanguard Programme.
The proposed new contract is intended to start on 1st April 2024 and end on 31st March 2028. The expected value of this contract is £2,291,940. The value expressed in this notice is the expected value of the 4-year period. Please note that these are expected values and may be amended post contract finalisation with the provider.
HCRG has been providing this service since September 2021 and is due to expire on 31st March 2024. The total cumulative value of the contract since it started from 2021 to 2024 is £1,730,865, forecast to 31st March 2024, (excluding VAT and excluding the value of this new contract).
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £2,291,940
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 85100000 - Health services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKH23 - Hertfordshire
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
This is a Contract Award Notice to communicate a contract award made by the Contracting Authority; Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board, (hereinafter referred to as “the Authority”) in compliance with their local standing financial instructions (SFIs).
On 29th December 2023, the Authority published a Voluntary Ex-Ante Transparency Notice (VEAT) (Reference 2023/S 000-038046) to inform the market of its intention to award the contract. The Authority applied a voluntary 10-day standstill period prior to conclusion of the contract. The contract award is made to HCRG for the provision of the Affinity Vanguard Programme.
The proposed new contract is intended to start on 1st April 2024 and end on 31st March 2028. The expected value of this contract is £2,291,940. The value expressed in this notice is the expected value of the 4-year period. Please note that these are expected values and may be amended post contract finalisation with the provider.
HCRG has been providing this service since September 2021 and is due to expire on 31st March 2024. The total cumulative value of the contract since it started from 2021 to 2024 is £1,730,865, forecast to 31st March 2024, (excluding VAT and excluding the value of this new contract).
Following the success of the Power project across Southend Essex and Thurrock, (SET), West Essex CCG was approached by NHSE/I and invited to submit an EOI to be a Vanguard for applying the Framework for Integrated Care across SET in December 2021, with an award made in August 2021. This provides an opportunity for health, education, social care and health and justice partners to work together to co-design a model across Southend Essex and Thurrock.
There is a cohort of vulnerable children and young people between the ages of 0-18 with complex needs who experience some of the highest levels of health inequality. Their needs are defined as ‘complex’, as they often are multiple, persistent, severe and framed by family and social contexts i.e. prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences
The Framework is designed using evidence-informed best practice to integrate and support services in order to intervene earlier in the pathway and stop children and young people’s progression into the justice and secure estate, or an unnecessary Tier 4 hospital admission, or other inappropriate out of area placement; providing better outcomes for all.
The Affinity proposal was created in conjunction with partners across the system; the criteria was to invest in additional support for the most vulnerable children and young people who have complex needs and can be described as presenting with high risk, high harm behaviours and high vulnerability. The offer aims to build trauma-informed care and formulation-driven, evidence based whole system approach to providing integrated support and creating change for the most vulnerable.
The key objective for this Vanguard is to improve CYP wellbeing, displaying direct improvement in their mental health, and emotional regulation; especially to flourish in education and learning. Our vision is to ensure that children and young people are enabled to lead an improved purpose in life including education; that they are supported by staff to re-enter/remain in mainstream education where appropriate, and to enjoy and achieve through positive learning experiences. This will also enable them to further improve educational attendance and engagement as well as preventing sanctions, planned isolations and school exclusions.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the cases listed below
- The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the regulations
Explanation:
Following the success of the Power project across Southend Essex and Thurrock, (SET), West Essex CCG was approached by NHSE/I and invited to submit an EOI to be a Vanguard for applying the Framework for Integrated Care across SET in December 2021, with an award made in August 2021. This provides an opportunity for health, education, social care and health and justice partners to work together to co-design a model across Southend Essex and Thurrock.
There is a cohort of vulnerable children and young people between the ages of 0-18 with complex needs who experience some of the highest levels of health inequality. Their needs are defined as ‘complex’, as they often are multiple, persistent, severe and framed by family and social contexts i.e. prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences
The Framework is designed using evidence-informed best practice to integrate and support services in order to intervene earlier in the pathway and stop children and young people’s progression into the justice and secure estate, or an unnecessary Tier 4 hospital admission, or other inappropriate out of area placement; providing better outcomes for all.
The Affinity proposal was created in conjunction with partners across the system; the criteria was to invest in additional support for the most vulnerable children and young people who have complex needs and can be described as presenting with high risk, high harm behaviours and high vulnerability. The offer aims to build trauma-informed care and formulation-driven, evidence based whole system approach to providing integrated support and creating change for the most vulnerable.
The key objective for this Vanguard is to improve CYP wellbeing, displaying direct improvement in their mental health, and emotional regulation; especially to flourish in education and learning. Our vision is to ensure that children and young people are enabled to lead an improved purpose in life including education; that they are supported by staff to re-enter/remain in mainstream education where appropriate, and to enjoy and achieve through positive learning experiences. This will also enable them to further improve educational attendance and engagement as well as preventing sanctions, planned isolations and school exclusions.
The Vanguard draws upon the learning of the POWER programme, the schools wellbeing teams in Southend and Thurrock and the development work by our MH provider. This programme has now been in operation since September 2021 and is performing very well. The contract was awarded to HCRG. NHSE Health and Justice (H&J) has confirmed that funding for the current financial year 2023/24, is £572,985. NHSE H&J has also confirmed that this funding is now in place until 31st March 2028, and will be granted to HWE ICB for a continuation of this programme of works. This funding will be until 31 March 2028 and is ring fenced funding and can be used only for this service.
The service will be delivered by HCRG, they currently deliver the Children’s Pre-Birth – 19 service across Essex. This means that they are already embedded within the Essex system and have the existing relationships required to make a success of the Vanguard from the start; they are also in a position to continue this programme of works. Embarking on a procurement process would therefore not be feasible in this instance.
The partnership with schools within the existing commissioned services is crucial to the Vanguards success; the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service is able to offer this solution to ensure the fit with existing service provision, access to schools, and the offer of a family centric and holistic model. This means that HCRG is best placed to continue to deliver this service.
This also enables the ICB to utilise management structures, premises costs and recruitment processes as an ‘in kind’ element for the service.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number: 2023/S 000-038046
Section five. Award of contract
Title
Affinity Vanguard Programme
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
29 December 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
HCRG
The Heath Business and Technical Park
Runcorn, Cheshire
WA7 4QX
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKD62 - Cheshire East
The contractor is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £2,291,940
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
High Court of Justice of England and Wales
Strand
London
WC2A 2LL
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained
NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB
Charter House, Parkway
Welwyn Garden City
AL8 6JL
Country
United Kingdom