Scope
Description
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust ("RFL") is seeking to procure renal dialysis provision through a partnership with an independent dialysis provider contracted under a Managed Service Agreement (MSA) to work together as a long-term strategic partner. This is in response to a requirement for the Trust to relocate its renal service from an existing kidney care unit based on the St Pancras Hospital site, currently undergoing redevelopment and is also intended to future proof dialysis capacity, which is under significant strain given ongoing growth in demand. The MSA contract scope is set out in full in the associated tender documentation, in particular the Instructions and Guidance to Tenderers. Key elements include:
• The MSA will include the potential for the provision of clinical (nursing) services, clinical and non-clinical supply chain (excluding pharmacy), medical and non-medical equipment, soft and hard facilities provision and management. There should be provision for nursing, admin and support services staff to be provided by the industry partner under the MSA.
• The MSA will have two separate contracts with two separate contract prices and two separate invoicing trails for a) clinical services and b) facilities management services. RFL will contract with one lead provider for both contracts, however, this does not rule out subcontract arrangements between providers, which could include SMEs and VCSEs.
• Clinical services will not be required for the first dialysis unit opened under the MSA, as NHS employed staff will transfer from the current St. Pancras Hospital location and will remain employed by the NHS.
• The industry partner will hold/novate the lease/s for any units commissioned under the MSA.
• The industry partner will provide any capital funding required and undertake refurbishment, remedial works and/or supply equipment required to make the units fit for purpose operationally.
• RFL will reimburse an industry partner on a pay-per-treatment basis and will not guarantee minimum levels of activity. The estimated total value of the contract is based on the anticipated activity levels.
• The first kidney care unit should ideally be operational by 1st April 2027 (and at the latest must be operational by 31st July 2027) and must accommodate infrastructure for at least 60 dialysis stations and 10 outpatient rooms.
• A second unit (with or without clinical services delivered via an independent dialysis provider) is not guaranteed but is likely to be operational between 2030 and 2032 and must accommodate infrastructure for between 30 and 40 dialysis stations.
The Contracting Authority is utilising an electronic Tendering system ("E-Tendering Portal") to manage this Contract Opportunity and communicate with Tenderers. Accordingly, there will be no hard copy documents issued to Tenderers and all communications with the Contracting Authority, including the submission of Tenders, will be conducted solely via the following link:
https://atamis-1928.my.site.com/s/Welcome (contract reference number "C376731")
For further assistance or specific queries, you can contact the helpdesk via the online Help Centre at:
Phone: +44 (0) 800 098 8201
Email: support-health@atamis.co.uk
Supplier Portal User Guide: https://sp-user-guide.refined.site/space/SPUG
A detailed description of the requirements of the contracting authority, including the procurement process, award criteria, technical specifications and goods/works/services to be provided, is contained in the associated tender documentation available at the above link, in particular the document titled Instructions and Guidance to Tenderers.
Total value (estimated)
- £189,062,000 excluding VAT
- £211,956,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 8 May 2026 to 31 March 2037
- Possible extension to 31 March 2042
- 15 years, 10 months, 24 days
Description of possible extension:
The Contracting Authority proposes to enter into Contract(s) for a maximum period of sixteen (16) years with the successful Tenderer(s).
It is anticipated that the initial contract term of both the Clinical and FM MSAs shall be eleven (11) years with the potential for up to five (5) years in the Contract extension period by election of the Contracting Authority, on such notice and for such periods as are specified by the Contract. The Service Provider will enter into both MSAs on the same date.
The Contracting Authority and the Service Provider shall enter into a Statement of Services under the FM MSA for Unit 1 at the same time as the FM MSA is signed. It is anticipated there will be approximately 12 months of work to prepare Unit 1 in order to enable an anticipated service commencement date for the FM Services for Unit 1 of ideally 1st April 2027 and at the very latest 31st July 2027.
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 33181000 - Renal support devices
- 70220000 - Non-residential property renting or leasing services
- 79993100 - Facilities management services
- 85111900 - Hospital dialysis services
- 85121220 - Nephrology or nervous system specialist services
Contract locations
- UK - United Kingdom
Justification for not using lots
RFL has carefully considered the options of procuring the clinical and FM contracts using lots and has taken legal advice regarding potential risks/challenges of these options under procurement law alongside the experience of other NHS Trusts who similarly outsource renal dialysis services. Based on this, RFL has taken the decision not to use Lots for the following reasons:
1. RFL wishes to establish a strategic partnership with a recognised dialysis specialist as the lead supplier, given the growing demand for dialysis in north London.
2. Separating future expansion from the initial contract runs the risk of RFL having two different suppliers delivering renal dialysis services via two separate procurement processes. This would be a significant contract management challenge and interface risk between suppliers, as well as present an operational and clinical challenge in managing multiple relationships across multiple sites, which are, in effect, part of a single service.
3. RFL has carefully researched the market and conducted market engagement to ensure that RFL's proposals are viable.
Submission
Enquiry deadline
20 August 2025, 11:59pm
Submission type
Requests to participate
Deadline for requests to participate
1 September 2025, 10:00am
Submission address and any special instructions
The Authority will be using the Atamis E-Tendering Portal to conduct the procurement process ("E-Tendering Portal").
The E-Tendering Portal can be accessed at https://atamis-1928.my.site.com/s/Welcome
All communications (including submission of Conditions of Participation and Tenders) should be carried out via the E-Tendering Portal.
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
21 April 2026
Award criteria
| Name | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Technical Questionnaire | Quality | 60% |
| Commercial Questionnaire | Price | 30% |
| Social Value | Quality | 10% |
Other information
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Competitive flexible procedure
Competitive flexible procedure description
RFL plans to award the Managed Service Agreement through a competitive flexible procedure process under section 20 of the Procurement Act 2023.
The competitive flexible process involves the following stages and is set out in more detail in the Instructions and Guidance to Tenderers document:
• Stage 1: Bidders will be required to respond to the Supplier Information Questionnaire 1 (Pass/ Fail and to be scored for shortlisting the three (3) highest-ranked tenderers that will be selected to progress to Stage 2).
• Stage 2: The three (3) highest-ranked tenderers that have not been excluded from the procurement process at Stage 1 will be invited to participate in the Initial Tender. The Initial Tender will not be scored and will serve solely as the basis for the Negotiation Stage (Stage 3). However, the three (3) highest-ranked Tenderers are still required to complete the relevant questionnaires and documentation.
• Stage 3: The tenderers that have not been excluded from the procurement process in Stage 2 will be invited to participate in the negotiations. The basis for negotiations will be informed by the questions raised by the Authority during the market engagement and the completed relevant questionnaires/ documentation submitted by the three (3) highest-ranked tenderers during Stage 2 (Initial Tender).
• Stage 4: Following the completion of Stage 3, the tenderers that have not been excluded from the procurement process will be invited by the Contracting Authority to submit Best and Final Offer (BAFO) Tenders.
Contracting authority
ROYAL FREE LONDON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PZMT-9686-GJMP
Pond Street
London
NW3 2QG
United Kingdom
Contact name: Partners Procurement Service
Email: rf.ppstenders@nhs.net
Region: UKI31 - Camden and City of London
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government