NHSE619 - Regional Interpretation & Translation Services

North of England Commissioning Support (NECS) is working for and on behalf of NHS England and NHS Improvement North East, NHS Newcastle Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) NHS Sunderland CCG and NHS South Tyneside CCG (the Contracting Authorities) who are commissioning Regional Interpretation and Translation Services for patients of primary care services across the North East region whose first language is not English.

The Contract Term will be for 3 years with the option to extend for a further 2 years, subject to satisfactory financial and contractual performance, with effect from 01 April 2021.

As this is a non-clinical service, the procurement of this service is subject to The European Public Contracts Directive (2014/24/EU) and the tendering process was conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Open Procedure, Regulation 27 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR2015) (as amended).

Bidders were tested on the capability, capacity and technical competence of their submission in accordance with The Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Under the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 the 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 it exercises its functions; and
• (b)How, in conducting the process of procurement, it might act with a view to securing that improvement.

Accordingly, the subject matter of the contract was scoped to take into account the priorities of the Contracting Authorities relating to economic, social and environmental well-being.

The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (as amended) may apply. 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, no hard copy documents were issued to potential bidders and all communications with NECS, including bidder submissions, were conducted via the in-tend portal https://in-tendhost.co.uk/nhsnecsu

Tender documentation was be available on the e-tendering portal from 07 December 2020.

The closing date for submission of tenders was 12:00 noon 11 January 2021.