AQP Non-Obstetric Ultrasound (NOUS)

Commissioners within NHS Coastal West Sussex CCG wish to commission a direct access non-obstetric ultrasound (NOUS) service. This Service will deliver a safe, high quality service for NHS Coastal West Sussex CCG that offers patients a choice of provider, together with choice of location, date and time of appointments, excellent outcomes and an improved patient experience.

The Commissioners will be holding a Provider Information Event for all interested parties on Monday 17th October 2016. To reserve up to three places per organisation, please email claire.ferguson5@nhs.net or call 01903 708617 with contact details of those who will be attending.

The provision of direct access non-obstetric ultrasound (NOUS) service is a contract for a period of 3 years commencing on the 1st April 2017 with option to extend for a maximum of a further two years.

In 2013 the AQP direct access non-obstetric ultrasound (NOUS) was originally commissioned and seven providers were accredited, five remain. These providers will have their accreditation extended for a further period of three years and will continue to provide the service locally.

It should be noted that under the Any Qualified Provider model, there will be no guarantees of volume or payment in the contracts awarded.

The offer documentation comprises of the following:

Doc 1 AQP Qualification Information Doc 2 AQP Application form

Doc 3 Service Specification

In securing services from Providers, the authority needs assurance of competence, quality and safety standards, just as it would for services secured under a formal tender process.

Any provider will be eligible to join a list of qualified providers subject to demonstrating competency against the authority’s specified criteria.

Please read the qualification questionnaire and the supporting offer documents very carefully since failure to comply with the requirements contained therein (including paying particular attention to Maximum Word Limits for answers) will invalidate your submission.

If qualified, your organisation will be required to accept the terms and conditions and be compliant with the NHS Standard Contract and any subsequent revisions thereof.

It should be clearly noted that certain parts of the contract e.g. Local Quality Requirements are subject to change this and every year in line with DH/Monitor Guidance. At its absolute discretion, the contracting authority will reflect these changes as it deems appropriate in this contract.

Please note that the Contracting Authority will not enter into an arrangement with any individual or organisation that does not fully accept this requirement. Please note that caveat responses will be considered as non-acceptance of this requirement.

The Contracting Authority reserves the right to change dates and times or modify any stage of the process including the introduction of additional steps or stages in order to gain additional assurance and/or maximise efficiencies.

Additional information: An electronic procurement process is being used for this procurement.

Interested parties wishing to participate must follow the process detailed below to register their details on the IN-tend eTender system website https://in-tendhost.co.uk/soepscommissioning to gain access to further information and obtain the tender documents to be completed and returned for consideration. Any correspondence received via other means will not be responded to.

The window for questions from Applicants will close at 12pm, Tuesday 25th October 2016, allowing time for answers to be posted and applicants to complete and submit their applications by 12pm, Monday 4th November 2016.

If Applicants are asked Clarification Questions during the Evaluation Stages, they have 48 hours in which to respond. Please ensure that you have staff available to answer the questions, which will be sent to you by email. Failure to respond in the given time could adversely impact your application.

Suppliers Instructions of how to express interest and participate in this

Tender:

1. Register your company on the e-tendering portal (this is only required

once):

• Browse to the e-tendering Portal: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/soepscommissioning and click the link to register.
• Read and accept the terms and conditions and lick ‘Continue’.
• Enter your correct business and user details.
• Note the username you chose and click ‘Save’ when complete.
• You will shortly receive an email with your unique password (please keep

this secure).

• 2.Express an Interest in the tender:
• Login to the portal with the username/password.
• Click the ‘Tenders’ link and then select ‘Current’. (These are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires or Invitations to Tender open to any registered supplier.)
• Click on the relevant PQQ/ ITT to access the content.
• Click the ‘Express Interest' button at the bottom of the page.
• This will move the PQQ /ITT into your ‘My Tenders’ page. (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only.)
• You can now access any attachments via the relevant tabs.
• You can now use the ‘Clarifications’ function to communicate with the buyerand seek any clarification.
• Note the deadline for completion, then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the PQQ/ ITT.
• There may be a mixture of online and offline actions for you to perform (there is detailed online help available).You must then submit your reply using the ‘Publish Response’ button at the top of the page. If you require any further assistance please consult the online help, or contact the eTendering help desk.