Direct Access Pathology Services

NHS Brent CCG and NHS Harrow CCG are considering their future Commissioning Strategies for the Provision of Direct Access Pathology Services.

NHS Brent CCG and NHS Harrow CCG will be looking for a provider to deliver an end to end Direct Access Pathology Service. The specific outcomes of the service are:

• To provide a high quality and clinically effective 24 hour service (to include, amongst others, blood transfusion, haematology and coagulation, clinical biochemistry, microbiology, virology serology, immunology, andrology, PoCT support, etc) for both priority requests and non-urgent requests from GP Practices. The service provided will be CPA accredited (or any replacement accreditation system) across all the Services provided.

• To provide sample reception facilities, with new order-communications processes incorporating demand management rules and fast and efficient sample flows

• To ensure electronic reporting via ICE middleware.

• To transport samples from GP Practices to the laboratory safely, promptly and within key timescales, in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations and Good Industry Practice

Additional information: Should both NHS Brent CCG and NHS Harrow CCG opt to proceed with a competitive procurement process for the delivery of this service, it is anticipated that a contract will be awarded for 5 years to the appointed provider with the option to extend for up to a further 2 years at their discretion. The annual contract value will be circa £8,600,000. The expected service commencement date is anticipated to be May 2019.

Interested parties will be invited to attend a market engagement event in December 2017 (date, venue and time to be confirmed).

***INTERESTED PARTIES ARE ASKED TO RETURN THE ATTACHED PRE-EVENT QUESTIONNAIRE TO: markbrowne@nhs.net REFERENCING ' DIRECT ACCESS PATHOLOGY' IN THE TITLE. THE DEADLINE FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST IS 5pm ON 27 NOVEMBER 2017

*** Whilst your response will not form part of any potential subsequent procurement application, your response, or lack of response will inform both NHS Brent CCG and NHS Harrow CCG whether or not it is appropriate to award a contract directly, or via a competitive process.

*** Further Market Engagement event details will be provided upon receipt of your completed questionnaire. If a formal procurement process is to take place, NHS Brent CCG and NHS Harrow CCG anticipate publishing a Contract Notice to commence procurement during early 2018. The submission of an expression of interest is not a prerequisite to any subsequent procurement application; however the response to this market engagement advert will help to inform both of the CCGs' commissioning approaches, including whether a competitive process will be appropriate, i.e. a lack of expressions of interest may be used to evidence the appropriateness to award a contract direct without a competition.