Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust established a framework of suitable healthcare providers to meet their needs for additional mental health inpatient capacity due to the rising demand, the closure of current outsourced services and the reconfiguration of internally provided services.

The ITT was conducted as an ‘OPEN’ single stage process. The authority elected to follow the open procedure for this procurement exercise as per regulation 27 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015. The form of tender was conducted in accordance with the EC Treaty based principles of, inter alia, transparency, equal treatment and non-discrimination.

The authority established a framework which will be for the hire of complete, same sex wards, generally for a minimum period of six (6) months and up to four (4) years and for the ‘spot purchase’ of individual beds for short term periods.

The authority believed the most appropriate way of helping resolve its long and short term requirements was to create a framework which will allow for a direct award and further competitions, at its discretion, direct awards can be placed with any of the suppliers on the framework but will be based on the best fit provider, which includes but not limited to (Quality, Location, Value for Money).

Being awarded a place on the framework does not guarantee any future business through the framework. Any call-off contracts under the framework agreement shall be for a maximum period of four (4) years at point of award.