Tower Hamlets CCG is issuing this tender on behalf of 7 named CCGs, to commission the East London Health Care Partnership, Integrated Urgent Care (ELHCP IUC), 111 and Clinical Assessment Service (CAS), creating a multi-skilled CAS with a range of clinicians supporting telephone, triage, assessment and treatment for both patients and Health Care Professionals (HCPs).

The enhanced CAS will include a range of multi-skilled clinicians across the 24/7 period including: 24/7 general practitioner(s), paramedics, pharmacist, advanced nurse practitioner, community specialists.

The anticipated value range over the 5 year contract period is 45 200 000 GBP up to a maximum of 48 300 000 GBP, with a 2-year option to extend. Bids above the maximum will be given 0 marks.

The overall total contract price will be split across the 5 years, made up of core payments and quality KPI incentives. 2.5 % of the total bid price includes incentive financial quality KPI incentives outlined in Annex A.

The East London Health Care Partnership (ELHCP) procurement strategy is to let one contract, through a lead provider arrangement, to provide an Integrated Urgent Care Telephone Clinical Assessment Service and promote NHS111 as the ‘smart call to make’ creating a 24-hour personalised priority contact point.

The CAS will enable patients to receive fast efficient clinical advice, with increased consult and complete calls with improved onward referral pathways, reducing the number of steps in key pathways, delivering the following key principles below and outcomes identified in the service specification.

—- bringing together phone triage which is currently carried out separately by NHS111 and Out of Hours services;

—- increase confidence and trust for users and other stakeholders in this new service;

—- the first point of access for urgent care, reducing demand on Emergency Departments (ED) and 999;

—- deliver equity and consistency in response across ELHCP footprint;

—- support increased self-care and the principle that every contact should count;

—- encourage and support use of existing day time GP services where possible;

—- supporting local health-care professionals — so that no decision needs to be taken in isolation;

—- improved access will in turn increase the number of patients managed at home and reduce the number of conveyances to ED through clinical advice, direct booking, and referral to visiting teams where required via the Directory of Services (DoS).

The services are covered by the Light Touch Regime are set out at Schedule 3 (Social and Other Specific Services) of PCR 2015. If the value of the Contract is over 589 148 GBP the Contracting Authority must advertise it in the OJEU, although there is flexibility as to the design of the remainder of the Procurement Process The Commissioner is not voluntarily following any other part of the Regulations. The procedure that the Commissioner is following is as set out in the Invitation to Tender. The Process will be similar to Open Procedure process under the Regulations but, for avoidance of doubt, the commissioner is not running the Process as though the Open Procedure under the Regulations applies and so reserves the right to depart from that procedure at any point. The procurement will be advertised via OJEU and Contract Finder.

The contracting authority is currently charged VAT for the existing NHS 111 service in line with present HMRC guidance, which it is able to recover. The bid price quoted for the new Integrated Urgent Care Service assumes that VAT will continue to have a net zero effect on the cost of the service to the contracting authority. Bidder submissions should include the advice that has been sought on the treatment of VAT and an explanation on how bidders intend to maintain the net zero effect to the contracting authority within the bid price for the length of the contract We would also like to take this opportunity to advise that a Bidders Event will be held on 2nd May between 14:00 and 17:00 in Stratford. Expressions of interests will be completed on submission of the Tender. The deadline for submitting a completed Tender is at 12:00 on 12.6.2017. Responses received after the deadline will not be considered. It is anticipated that bidders will be invited to an Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) assessment meeting if they are successful at the pass/fail stage.