Contract

Suffolk NHS Talking Therapies Wellbeing Service

  • NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board

F03: Contract award notice

Notice identifier: 2024/S 000-016605

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-046bb1

Published 28 May 2024, 12:29pm



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board

Aspen House, Stephenson Road, Severalls Business Park Colchester CO4 9QR

Colchester

CO4 9QR

Contact

Jane Garnett

Email

jane.garnett@snee.nhs.uk

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UKH34 - Essex Haven Gateway

NHS Organisation Data Service

QJG

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://suffolkandnortheastessex.icb.nhs.uk/

Buyer's address

https://in-tendhost.co.uk/snee-icb/aspx/Home

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

Suffolk NHS Talking Therapies Wellbeing Service

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 85100000 - Health services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

This is a notice to inform the market of the intention to award a contract for NHS Talking Therapy Services for Ipswich and East Suffolk and West Suffolk localities.

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: £143,000,000

two.2) Description

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKH14 - Suffolk
Main site or place of performance

Ipswich and East Suffolk and West Suffolk localities.

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

The Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, Paragraph 10 - The Most Suitable Provider Process has been used to procure this service.

This is a notice to inform the market of the intention to award a contract for NHS Talking Therapy Services for Ipswich and East Suffolk and West Suffolk localities to Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. This is a new contract for an existing service to be delivered by an existing provider of this service.

The Talking Therapies service will provide community orientated, evidence-based psychological therapies to the Suffolk population from the age of 16. The service is aligned to the national NHS TT manual and supports the Suffolk Mental Health ambitions. The service is expected to take a 'needs led' approach, such that people with needs that can be met by the service should be enabled to engage in a way that suits them and offered a timely initial appointment and any subsequent therapeutic appointments.

The service will take an approach that empowers individuals to take charge of their treatment and interventions. Aiming to equip people with the skills and tools to achieve 'recovery', continue to apply this recovery to their life, through community assets, and embed this to maintain recovery in the long-term.

The service will continue to be an integral member of the system to ensure it remains flexible to the evolving needs of the integrated care organisation and continue to offer an appropriate service. Work with key policy associated with system partners will be required, such as the Fuller Report for primary care, to respond to operating changes in the system such as development of Integrated Neighbourhood Teams and the delivery of primary care at scale.

The contract will be awarded with an initial contract term of 5 years (60 months) and a potential extension period of up to 5 years (60 months), maximum term of 120 months (the "Proposed Contract") commencing on 1st September 2024. The total aggregated value of contract will be £143,000,000 which is an annual value of £14.3 million (the "Proposed Contract"). The contract value will be subject to annual inflation/deflation at national NHS rates as prescribed in NHS Payment Scheme guidance.

two.2.5) Award criteria

Quality criterion - Name: most suitable provider process with regard to the key criteria / Weighting: 100

Price - Weighting: 0

two.2.11) Information about options

Options: Yes

Description of options

The contract will be awarded with an initial contract term of 5 years (60 months) and a potential extension period of up to 5 years (60 months), maximum term of 120 months (the "Proposed Contract") commencing on 1st September 2024.

two.2.14) Additional information

This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intended approach 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.


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:

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 publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to decision makers by 12th June 2024. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.

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

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No


Section five. Award of contract

Title

Suffolk NHS Talking Therapies Wellbeing Service

A contract/lot is awarded: Yes

five.2) Award of contract

five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract

28 May 2024

five.2.2) Information about tenders

Number of tenders received: 8

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

five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

HELLESDON HOSPITAL DRAYTON HIGH ROAD

NORWICH

NR6 5BE

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code
  • UKH1 - East Anglia
NHS Organisation Data Service

RMY

The contractor is an SME

No

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

Total value of the contract/lot: £143,000,000


Section six. Complementary information

six.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 publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to the relevant authority by 12th June 2024. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.

An F01: Prior information notice was published 14 February 2024, 4:43pm - Notice reference: 2024/S 000-004999

Award decision-makers - NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board - No conflicts of interest were declared.

As described in the Provider Selection Regime statutory guidance the Most Suitable Provider process is undertaken when the ICB believes it is able to identify the most suitable provider without undertaking a competitive exercise.

The process is designed to allow the ICB to make an assessment on which provider is most suitable to deliver the proposed contracting arrangements based on a consideration of the key criteria, the basic selection criteria and taking into account all relevant information available to it at the time, which included knowledge of the existing provision, benchmarking data, risks of change and the costs and benefits of existing and potential

arrangements.

The additional information review focused upon understanding how interested providers would manage the main risks which could occur if a change in provider happened and the key areas of development currently in place with Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.

The numerical assessment of whether a provider can deliver a comparable service is only one part of the evaluation process and the ICB reviewed this in conjunction with benchmarking data, market intelligence, the wider system impacts and the impact upon existing and future service users and staff (including those working for subcontracted partner organisations).

The Suffolk Talking Therapies Oversight Group believed that the service currently delivered and planned by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust was at least comparable to other offers within the market and that other offers would not generate additional benefit, therefore negating the risks which are likely, in the opinion of the project group, to be experienced by the Ipswich and east Suffolk and west Suffolk populations were a change of provider to occur. It was felt by the project group that other offers available within the wider market would not offer enough potential benefits to outweigh the potential risks and costs associated with moving the service away from Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.

The ICB retains the belief that Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is the most suitable provider for this service within the Ipswich and east Suffolk and west Suffolk localities.

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board

Aspen House, Stephenson Road, Severalls Business Park Colchester CO4 9QR

Colchester

CO4 9QR

Email

procurement@snee.nhs.uk

Country

United Kingdom