NHS North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group and Essex County Council (‘the Commissioners’) have sought to commission an integrated community service model that supports the vision and aims of the North East Essex Health and Wellbeing (NEE H&W) Alliance. Commissioners have set a bold and challenging goal to create multi-agency/multi-disciplinary teams in North East Essex who are empowered and supported to deliver the NEE H&W Alliance Live Well outcomes. North East Essex Integrated Community Services needs to underpin these plans, delivering a transformation of community services that seeks meaningful integration with acute, primary care networks, primary care, mental health, voluntary sector services and other NEE H&W Alliance partners to support the achievement of the strategic vision for everyone in NEE to live well. Commissioners have decided that working with an alliance of providers will be the best solution to provide affordable, sustainable and fully Integrated services.

A voluntary ex ante transparency notice relating to this matter was published on 24 February 2021.

Commissioners and providers will work collaboratively to ensure delivery of the alliance objectives and the standards and outcomes of North East Essex Integrated Community Services. The contract to be entered into by the Commissioners and the selected alliance partners will be the NHS Standard Contract 2021/22, and subsequent revisions thereof. In addition to the NHS Standard Service Contract the providers will be required to agree and sign an alliance agreement with each other and the Commissioners. The alliance contract will run for 10 years commencing on the 1 July 2021.

The Commissioners intend to work with existing providers of the integral elements of the new model, as well as other supporting partners. Commissioners believe that the existing providers and supporting partners are uniquely placed to deliver the specifications and vision for community services as part of the North East Essex Health and Wellbeing Alliance Local Delivery Plan.

In June 2020, the Commissioners published a Prior Information Notice (PIN) in OJEU inviting expressions of interest form providers willing to make the commitment to collaborate in an alliance way of working and who believed they have the necessary experience in multi-disciplinary integrated care, willing to work with other statutory providers, willing to work with the current providers and capable of financially holding and managing the scale of risk through a degree of income risk share.

The PIN was not commencing a competitive process but did not exclude new entrants to the Alliance either via partnering, associate or subcontracting arrangements.

The Commissioners have conducted a process that complies with the principles of transparency and equal treatment, however the Commissioners were not required (and did not intend) to run the procurement in accordance with one of the specified procedures in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended by The Public Procurement (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020) (e.g. Restricted, Open, etc.). The Commissioners have, therefore, utilised the flexibilities available to them under the 'light touch regime' in conducting this process.

The Commissioners have opted to undertake a due diligence assessment alongside dialogue, which has formed the basis of 'Structured Dialogue'.

To achieve this vision, the current Services that were subject to the original PIN included:

- musculoskeletal, pain and therapies including paediatric therapies

- homecare and support service

- community nursing and intermediate care

- falls - strength and balance

- cardiology

- stroke rehabilitation

- community beds

- audiology

- ophthalmology

- community continence and urology

- diagnostics

- lymphoedema

- crisis response.

In accordance with Regulation 72 (1) (a) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended by The Public Procurement (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020), the services covered by the arrangement may change and expand as the partnerships develop through an alliance contract. Examples of areas that could be considered by the Alliance for future delivery include but are not limited to Cataract, Glaucoma, Reablement, Diabetes, and Integrated Crisis Response services within North East Essex.

The Commissioners will continue to engage with stakeholders as appropriate throughout the mobilisation and subsequent phases of the contract.