NHS Cheshire & Merseyside (formerly NHS Southport & Formby and NHS South Sefton CCG) - Community Dermatology Service

NHS Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (CSU) are working on behalf of NHS Cheshire & Merseyside (formerly NHS Southport & Formby CCG and NHS South Sefton CCG) who is awarding a contract for a Community Dermatology Service for patients living in the Place of Sefton.

The aim of the service is to provide support within a community setting for patients with acute and chronic skin conditions.

The Commissioner operate 4 levels of Dermatology provision for patients. These are:

Level 1 - Self-management Level 2 - GP Management Level 3 - Community Dermatology Service Level 4 - Acute specialist care

The Commissioner is commissioning the level 3 Community Dermatology service within this procurement. The aim of the service is to provide support within a community setting for patients with acute and chronic skin conditions.

The potential contract will be valued at approximately £800,000 per year; and the contract duration will be for 3 years with the potential to extend for a further 1 x 2-year period.

Additional information: This procurement was for Social and other specific services which are Light Touch Regime services for the purpose of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 as specified in Schedule 3 of the Regulations ('Regulations') http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/102/schedule/3/made

Accordingly, the Contracting Authority is only bound by those parts of the Regulations detailed in Chapter 3 Particular Procurement Regimes Section 7 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/102/part/2/chapter/3/made

The Contracting Authority was not voluntarily following any other part of the Regulations.

As the CCG is a relevant body for the purpose of the National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) (No 2) Regulations 2013 these Regulations also apply to this procurement.

Right to Cancel: The Contracting Authority reserves the right to discontinue the procurement process at any time, which shall include the right not to award a contract or contracts, and does not bind itself to accept the lowest tender, or any tender received, and reserves the right to award a contract in part, or to call for new tenders should it consider this necessary.

The Contracting Authority shall not be liable for any costs or expenses incurred by any candidate or tenderer in connection with the completion and return of the information requested in this Contract Notice, or in the completion or submission of any tender, irrespective of the outcome of the competition or if the competition is cancelled or postponed.

All dates, time periods and values specified in this notice are provisional and the Contracting Authority reserves the right to change these.

Transparency: The Contracting Authority is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) and may be required to disclose information received in the course of this procurement under FOIA or the EIR.

In addition, and in accordance with the UK Government's policies on transparency, the contracting authority intends to publish procurement documentation and the text of any resulting contractual arrangements, subject to possible redactions at the discretion of the Contracting Authority.

Any redactions, whether in relation to information requests under FOIA, the EIR or policies on transparency will be in accordance with those grounds prescribed under the Freedom of Information Act. If and when this requirement is offered to tender, this will be done via electronic means using the internet. Midlands and Lancashire CSU is conducting this procurement exercise as a central purchasing body for another NHS body with whom the successful bidder(s) will enter into contracts for the supply of the services.

Any other public-sector body detailed within this notice, wishing to access the contract may do so only with permission from the contracting NHS body.