Provision of Assisted Conception Services

NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group is seeking providers for the delivery of high quality Assisted Conception Services. It is estimated that infertility affects 1 in 7 heterosexual couples in the UK. Since the original NICE guideline on fertility published in 2004 there has been a small increase in the prevalence of fertility problems, and a greater proportion of people now seeking help for such problems.

The purpose of the Assisted Conception Service is to provide a range of appropriate assisted conception services for couples who meet the eligibility criteria.

Aims and objectives of the service:

• To help couples suffering from subfertility or confirmed infertility who meet the criteria to access licensed treatment to achieve a successful pregnancy
• To offer licensed assisted conception treatment for patients suffering from subfertility or confirmed infertility who meet the criteria to access treatment.
• To offer storage of gametes or embryos for patients who are on the NHS funded pathway or will be at risk of requiring Assisted Conception treatment in the future (e.g. patients receiving cancer treatment likely to impact on their future fertility).
• To provide a quality, safe, cost effective Assisted Conception Service ensuring that the risk of infection and other complications such as OHSS and multiple pregnancy to service users is minimised.
• To provide a personal service sensitive to the physical, psychological and emotional needs of service users.
• To ensure effective communications between service users and the service providers.
• To ensure effective communication between commissioners and the service providers.
• To ensure effective communication between secondary care and service providers.
• To develop and implement a data collection and monitoring processes which provides fertility services intelligence to support the future commissioning of fertility services.

Providers will be required to operate under the terms of the NHS Standard Contract and will be paid according to the prices as stated in the service specification document.

Providers will be eligible to join a list of qualified providers subject to demonstrating competency against the authority's specified criteria. This AQP procurement is open to existing providers and new entrants to the market, subject to assessment.

It should be noted that under the Any Qualified Provider model that there will be no guarantee of activity volume or payments in the contracts awarded.

Organisations will be asked to complete and return a qualification questionnaire.

Deadline for receipt of completed applications is 5pm, Wednesday 29 January 2020.

How to apply - If you are interested in providing this service you should register on the In-Tend e-procurement portal at the address shown below:

https://in-tendhost.co.uk/gloucestershireccg

Please note that all communication should be made via the InTend portal (above).