Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board
Floor 2, North Wing, 100 Temple Street
Bristol
BS1 6AG
scwcsu.clinical.procurement@nhs.net
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKK11 - Bristol, City of
NHS Organisation Data Service
15C
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
https://atamis-1928.my.site.com/s/Welcome
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
https://atamis-1928.my.site.com/s/Welcome
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
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
NHS BNSSG - Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services
Reference number
C324784 / WA17406
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 85143000 - Ambulance services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
This notice is placed as a Prior Information Notice (PIN) to inform the market of NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Integrated Care Board's (the Commissioner), intention to recommission Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services.
The Commissioner would like to communicate a planned market engagement event and request expressions of interest for this.
The service will provide transport for eligible BNSSG patients. Full details on eligibility are provided in section II.2.4 below.
The service will provide transport between their places of residence, community and acute settings in reasonable time and comfort without detriment to their medical condition for secondary care treatment. This shall include secondary care services provided in a primary care setting.
The geographical scope of this contract includes the transport of all BNSSG patients to points of NHS care.
Planned Transport specifically covers pre-booked journeys to and from healthcare booked prior to 17:00 the day before transport.
Non urgent patient transport should be seen as part of an integrated programme of care and a non-emergency patient is one who, whilst requiring treatment, does not require an immediate or urgent response.
The estimated budget for this service is currently £5,331,710 per annum. This will be subject to annual inflationary uplift which will be detailed in the Invitation to Tender documentation. The expected contract term is likely be for 5 years with the option to extend for a further 2 years, making an estimated contract value of £26,658,550 over the initial 5-year term. If the 2-year extension option is utilised the estimated total contract value is £37,321,970. These figures do not include the annual inflationary uplift.
The new contract will commence on 1st April 2026.
TUPE may apply to this process.
It is the Commissioners intention to hold a market engagement event on Wednesday 29th January 2025 via MSTeams, with all parties who have registered their interest. An invitation to this in person event will be issued directly to you once you have registered on the Atamis portal.
The deadline to register your interest is 12:00 Friday 17th January 2025.
This exercise is being managed by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner.
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: £37,321,970
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKK1 - Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath area
Main site or place of performance
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
This notice is placed as a Prior Information Notice (PIN) to inform the market of NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Integrated Care Board's (the Commissioner), intention to recommission Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services.
The Commissioner would like to communicate a planned market engagement event and request expressions of interest for this.
The service will provide transport for eligible BNSSG patients that meet one or more of the following criteria:
A. They have a medical need for transport typically because they:
• require oxygen and are unable to self-administer this during transit
• need specialised equipment during the journey
• need to be closely monitored during the journey
• need to be transferred to another hospital
• have a medical condition, have undergone major surgery (such as a
transplant) and/or the potential side effects of treatment are likely to require
assistance or monitoring during their journey
• have a medical condition or disability that could compromise their dignity or
cause public concern on public transport or in a licensed taxi or private hire
vehicle, and do not have access to appropriate private transport
• have a communicable disease with which travel on public transport or in a taxi is not advised, and do not have access to appropriate private transport
• have been clinically determined as at risk from using public transport due to
being immunocompromised and are unable to make their own way with
relatives/friends and/or escorts/carers whether by private transport or a taxi
B. They have a cognitive or sensory impairment requiring the oversight of a
member of specialist or non-specialist patient transport staff or a suitably trained driver. This is likely to include patients who:
• have dementia or another mental health condition that means they are
unable to make their own way with relatives/friends and/or escorts/carers
whether by private transport, public transport or a taxi
• have a confused state of mind, learning/communication difficulties, hearing
loss and/or impaired sight of a severity that they are unable to make their
own way with relatives/friends and/or escorts/carers whether by private
transport, public transport or a taxi
• are at risk to themselves or others if they travel independently
C. They have a significant mobility need that means they are unable to make their own way with relatives/friends and/or escorts/carers whether by private transport (including a specially adapted vehicle if appropriate for the journey), public transport or a taxi. This is likely to include patients who:
• need to travel lying down and/or need a stretcher for all or part of the journey
• need specialist bariatric provision
• are unable to self-mobilise
• are wheelchair users.
D. They are travelling to or returning from in-centre haemodialysis, in which
case specialist transport, non-specialist transport or upfront/reimbursement costs for private travel will be made available. This will be following a shared decision-making process to consider the appropriate requirements for the patient.
E. A safeguarding concern has been raised by any relevant professional involved in a patient's life, in relation to the patient travelling independently. This may mean that the patient requires the oversight of a suitably trained driver or other member of patient transport staff.
F. They have wider mobility or medical needs that have resulted in treatment or discharge being missed or severely delayed.
The service will provide transport between their places of residence, community and acute settings in reasonable time and comfort without detriment to their medical condition for secondary care treatment. This shall include secondary care services provided in a primary care setting.
The geographical scope of this contract includes the transport of all BNSSG patients to points of NHS care.
Planned Transport specifically covers pre-booked journeys to and from healthcare booked prior to 17:00 the day before transport.
Non urgent patient transport should be seen as part of an integrated programme of care and a non-emergency patient is one who, whilst requiring treatment, does not require an immediate or urgent response.
The estimated budget for this service is currently £5,331,710 per annum. This will be subject to annual inflationary uplift which will be detailed in the Invitation to Tender documentation. The expected contract term is likely be for 5 years with the option to extend for a further 2 years, making an estimated contract value of £26,658,550 over the initial 5-year term. If the 2-year extension option is utilised the estimated total contract value is £37,321,970. These figures do not include the annual inflationary uplift.
The new contract will commence on 1st April 2026. An 8-month mobilisation period has been scheduled to enable sufficient time to implement the new service including the purchase of vehicles.
TUPE may apply to this process.
It is the Commissioners intention to hold a market engagement event on Wednesday 29th January 2025, with all parties who have registered their interest. An invitation to this in person event will be issued directly to you once you have registered on the Atamis portal.
The deadline to register your interest is 12:00 Friday 17th January 2025.
This exercise is being managed by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner.
two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice
4 April 2025
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
This notice is an information gathering exercise rather than a call for competition in its own right, and therefore publication or response does not commit the Authority or respondents to a future procurement, nor provide any process exemptions or preferential treatment to any parties expressing an interest. The Authority will not be liable for costs incurred by any interested party in participating in this exercise.
Interested providers will be able to view this opportunity via the live opportunities list on the 'Health Family' e-procurement system, Atamis. Click on 'View our Live Opportunities' from the home page, available on the following link: https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome.
Once you have found the opportunity (via the search function, using the title or reference number), to gain full access to the relevant information and market engagement questionnaire, you will need to click on 'Register interest' - this will take you to the log-in page.
You will find the project titled: NHS BNSSG - Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services with the Atamis reference C324784.
If you are not already registered on the system, you will need to do so before gaining full access to the documentation and to be able to submit your expression of interest using the correspondence function within Atamis.
It is the Commissioners intention to hold a market engagement event on Wednesday 29th January 2025 via MSTeams, with all parties who have registered their interest. An invitation to this in person event will be issued directly to you once you have registered on the Atamis portal.
The intention is to award a contract using the competitive process.
This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) prior information notice. The 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.