9238226

This is a voluntary ex ante transparency notice and is intended to provide notice of NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board ("the ICB") intention to award a 24-month contract term, with the option to extend the contract for up to an additional 12-month period, for the provision of Primary Care (GP) IT Service Management and Primary Care Enabling Services for Primary Care, Pharmacists, Optometrists and Dentists (PODs) across Mid and South Essex.

This is a voluntary ex ante transparency notice and is intended to provide notice of MSE ICB’s intention to award a 24-month contract (1st July 2023 – 30th June 2025) with the option to extend the contract by up to an additional 12-month period (1st July 2025-30th June 2026); a maximum contract term of 36-months. It is MSE ICB’s intention to award this contract to the existing supplier, NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (AGEM CSU) for the provision of Primary Care (GP) IT Service Management and Primary Care Enabling Services for Primary Care, Pharmacists, Optometrists and Dentists (PODs) across Mid and South Essex.

The national guidance confirms that Commissioning support units (CSUs) operate within the NHS family across England, providing services that have been independently evaluated for quality and value for money. The expectation is that CSUs will continue to develop as trusted delivery partners to ICSs, providing economies of scale.

Nationally NHS England have put in place a moratorium to protect core CSU services whilst clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are dissolved and transitioned to ICB. No definitive date has been given for when the protected status will end.

The ICB have concluded that there is an unacceptable risk associated with change of service provision whilst the system is in a significant state of transition and valuable resources must be duly focused on ensuring Business as Usual (BAU) services and steady state across the new MSE ICB. The ICB deem that the incumbent provider is the only technically capable provider to deliver the services within the timescale and budget available. Additionally, there is insufficient time to complete a robust contract mobilisation, involving critical mobilisation and transition risks including workforce and transfer of data and systems, which is estimated to require 12+ months to implement in a robust and safe manner, based on previous experience. In the face of current ICB transition environment and in the absence a longer mobilisation period, no reasonable alternative or substitute exists.

MSE ICB have decided that the best solution to ensure that Primary Care users across Mid and South Essex benefit from Primary Care (GP) IT Service Management is to ensure continuity of service provision with the existing supplier, who is uniquely placed to successfully deliver GP IT Service Management in accordance with the NHS England Moratorium and the available timescales. As such the ICB propose to award a contract to AGEM CSU for the provision of Primary Care (GP) IT Service Management, service delivery commencing 1st July 2023-30th June 2025 (with the option to extend by a further 12 months).

The contracting authority will award the contract utilising the NHS supply of goods and provision of service, with similar contract mechanisms utilised within the Health Systems Services Framework (HSSF).

In accordance with Regulation 72 (1) (a) of the PCRs 2015, the services covered by the arrangement may change and expand as the Service develops in accordance with national guidelines and mandates in relation to operating principles for the funding applications for Primary Care (GP) IT Service Management.