HealthTrust Europe (‘HTE’) acting as a provider of procurement services on behalf of The Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust is seeking to award a contract for Outsourced Pharmacy Services which will be for an initial term of 5 years with an option to extend for five seperate 12 month periods. The potential total length of contract is 10 years.

It is envisaged that the procurement will comprise of the following elements:

a) Outpatient dispensing services.

b) Discharge dispensing services.

c) Dispensing medicines compliance aids.

d) Retail sales.

e) Ward and department stock replenishment.

f) Homecare.

The main objective of the Trust is to improve the health of the communities it serves through world-class medical research, education and patient care. The Trust is seeking a provider who is willing to work with the Trust to deliver on this objective.

The above information summarises the Trust's current understanding of its requirements but the precise scope of the contract will be determined during dialogue with shortlisted bidders, depending on the solutions that are put forward and other factors that may affect the Trust's requirements. The scope of this procurement relates to the provision of services to all patients of the Trust and may be subject to change as a result of future organisational and/or site developments.

As the contract for this procurement falls within Part B of Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, the Trust is not obliged to follow one of the prescriptive procedures set out in those Regulations. However, the Trust intends to use the competitive dialogue procedure as a model for this procurement without being bound by the rules that usually attach to that procedure. The Trust therefore reserves the right to deviate from the competitive dialogue procedure at any stage. Any changes to the process will be communicated to all bidders in advance in accordance with the principles of equal treatment, transparency and nondiscrimination.

An overview of the short-listing criteria is set out in more detail in the Prequalification questionnaire (PQQ) which will be made available alongside the OJEU advert.