Award

West Yorkshire Patient Transport Services

  • NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board

F15: Voluntary ex ante transparency notice

Notice identifier: 2024/S 000-006267

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-043d29

Published 27 February 2024, 2:03pm



Section one: Contracting authority/entity

one.1) Name and addresses

NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board

White Rose House, West Parade

Wakefield

WF1 1LT

Contact

Martin Pursey

Email

wyicb-kirk.procurement@nhs.net

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UKE4 - West Yorkshire

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.westyorkshire.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

West Yorkshire Patient Transport Services

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 85100000 - Health services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

The current Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service (NEPTS) is provided by Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS) across West Yorkshire. The current service ends on the 31st March 2024. The service is provided to the following ‘places’ in West Yorkshire: Bradford District & Craven, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield District.

This notice is to advise the intention to directly award a contract to YAS to continue the provision of service with a direct award of an 18-months contract. The extension is to allow the Commissioners to review and remodel the service specification that will complement the delivery and sustainability of the service currently commissioned and in order to clearly articulate future requirements in light of changes to commissioning infrastructure.

This notice completes a process that commenced prior to 1st January 2024 under PCR and NHS Procurement, Patient Choice & Competition Regulations.

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: £26,000,000

two.2) Description

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 34114122 - Patient-transport vehicles
  • 85143000 - Ambulance services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKE4 - West Yorkshire

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Non-Emergency Patient transport (NEPTS) journeys are booked for patients, as part of their episode of care, being moved to and from NHS funded treatment at a range of sites across West Yorkshire including acute hospitals and local venues providing community-based care. The service is responsible for safely and effectively transporting eligible patients, as part of their episode of care, between their nominated place of residence, to, from and between NHS-funded healthcare facilities in a timely manner, so that they can receive the health care for which they are scheduled to receive.

This responsibility includes: providing a single point of access and full booking service for patients and HCPs; equitable and consistent application of the eligibility criteria to all patients and carers; signposting patients who are not eligible for PTS to alternative transport arrangements; effective determination of mobility need or needs; allocation of journeys across the sub-contracted transport providers through an equitable, open and transparent process; effective communication and collaboration with system wide stakeholders; coordination and management of all patient journeys; timely reporting to commissioners.

The 18-month contract is to allow the Commissioners to review and remodel the service specification that will complement the delivery of the NEPTS service currently commissioned and in order to clearly articulate future requirements in accordance with NHS England’s national Framework for NEPTS for the future sustainable service in accordance with the national requirements such as net zero targets, integration of services, 24/7 model, and the application of a consistent eligibility criteria.

The additional contractual term will allow for planning a future provider selection process allowing commissioners sufficient time to undertake the relevant engagement with all stakeholders to inform a robust process which will aim to award a new longer term contract whilst ensuring continuity of care for its patient population. The provisional plan is to relaunch in Spring 2025 with the provider selection process and mobilisation resulting in a new service commencing 1st October 2026.

two.2.5) Award criteria

Cost criterion - Name: n/a / Weighting: n/a

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:

The 18-month contract is to allow the Commissioners to review and remodel the service specification that will complement the delivery of the NEPTS service currently commissioned and in order to clearly articulate future requirements in accordance with NHS England’s national Framework for NEPTS for the future sustainable service in accordance with the national requirements such as net zero targets, integration of services, 24/7 model, and the application of a consistent eligibility criteria.

Commissioners are confident that an award of a new contract to a single provider without advertisement is justified and are satisfied that at this point in time the overall contract is capable of being provided only by that provider. The Commissioner’s guiding principles being:

• the requirement to commission services from those providers that are most capable of securing the needs of health care service users and improving the quality and efficiency of services, and that provide the best value for money in doing so.

• the requirement to consider appropriate means of improving NHS health care services.

In the context of the review and remodel of the service specification undertaken and ongoing into what needs to change, the Commissioner has been able to identify with reasonable certainty that it is the incumbent provider that is capable of providing the contract (or that is capable of developing the capacity/infrastructure to do so) and to determine the incumbent provider is most capable of securing the needs of health care service users and of improving services, and represent best value for money for the 18-month contract period required from 1st April 2024.

four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes


Section five. Award of contract/concession

A contract/lot is awarded: Yes

five.2) Award of contract/concession

five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract

26 February 2024

five.2.2) Information about tenders

The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No

five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Brindley Way, 41 Business Park

Wakefield

WF2 0XQ

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code
  • UKE4 - West Yorkshire
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME

No

five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)

Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £26,000,000

five.2.5) Information about subcontracting

The contract/lot/concession is likely to be subcontracted


Section six. Complementary information

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

Royal Courts of Justice

Strand, Holborn

London

WC2A 2LL

Country

United Kingdom

Internet address

courttribunalfinder.service.gov.uk/courts/royal-courts-of-justice