Trauma Informed Talking Therapy Service for North West prisons

North of England Commissioning Support (NECS) is a commissioning support service working for and on behalf of NHS England - North West, Health and Justice Team (the Contracting Authority), who are undertook a procurement to commission a Trauma Informed Talking Therapy Service for North West prisons under the NHS Standard Contract 2023/24.

The service is to be provided at the following sites:

The contract term is for an initial period of 5 years commencing on 01 April 2024, with an option to extend for a further 2 years at the discretion of the Contracting Authority and subject to satisfactory contractual and financial performance.

Please note that caveat responses will be considered as non-acceptance of this requirement.

The closing date for submission of tenders was by 12:00 noon on 12 October 2023.

Additional information

The "Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006" as amended by the "Collective Redundancies and Transfer of Undertaking (Protection of Employment) (Amendment) Regulation 2014" (TUPE) may apply to this contract. However, Bidders were advised to obtain their own legal advice and carry out due diligence including the New Fair Deal non-statutory policy setting out how pensions issues are to be dealt with when staff are compulsorily transferred from the public sector to independent providers delivering public services.

NECS utilised an electronic tendering tool to manage this procurement and communicate with potential bidders. Accordingly, there were no hard copy documents issued to potential bidders and all communications with NECS, including bid submissions, were conducted via the Atamis portal at: https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome

It is free to register on the portal and it can be accessed at any time of day providing you have a working internet connection. Should bidders have any queries, or are having problems registering on the portal; they were to contact the Atamis helpdesk via:

Support-health@Atamis.co.uk or phone number 0800 9956035

The helpdesk is open Monday - Friday between 9am - 5.30pm

Tender documentation was available on the e-tendering site from 11 September 2023.

Additional information: Objective rules and criteria for participation

Under the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012, Contracting Authorities must consider:

• (a)How what is proposed to be procured might improve the economic, social, and environmental well-being of the area where they exercise their functions; and

• (b)How, in conducting the process of procurement, they might act with a view to securing that improvement. Accordingly, the subject matter of the contract has been scoped to take into account the priorities of the Contracting Authority relating to "economic, social, and environmental well-being".

The basic principles of the Open Procedure were followed for this procurement to test the capacity, capability, and technical competence of bidders in accordance with The Light Touch Rules Regime, Regulations 74 to 77 of The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (SI 2015 No102) (for Health, Social, Education, and certain other Service Contracts).