Endoscopy Service

Lot 1

To provide a volume of endoscopy and outpatient activity on behalf of the Trust, using Trust endoscopy units, facilities and equipment.

Lot 2

To provide a volume of outpatient activity on behalf of the Trust, using Trust outpatient facilities and equipment.

Lot 1:

The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that their staff on the endoscopy unit are appropriately qualified and registered with the relevant professional body (GMC/RCN), are able to work to JAG standards and have been DBS checked.

The Contractor's endoscopist's shall be fully qualified to undertake independent diagnostic/therapeutic endoscopy including gastroscopy, sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy (including therapeutic colon polypectomies of less than 2.0 cm).

Patient Appointments/Bookings will be undertaken by the Trust's Central Booking Service.

The Contractor shall be required to provide the appropriate number of staff with the necessary skills to operate scope decontamination equipment (the Trust has standardised to Lancer).

Lot 2:

The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that their staff are appropriately qualified and registered with the relevant professional body (GMC/RCN) and have been DBS checked.

Patient Appointments/Bookings will be undertaken by the Trust's Central Booking Service.

The Contractor will be required to provide appropriately trained outpatient nurses.

Lot 1

A senior clinician within the Trust will be appointed to assess and oversee the quality of endoscopists contracted to deliver endoscopy work.

A senior nurse supervisor identified by the Trust will be appointed to ensure nursing standards are maintained.

Under normal conditions, where there are no IT or connection problems, an account of each clinical intervention will be entered onto the Unisoft gastrointestinal reporting software and complete comprehensive and comprehendible nursing documentation in line with Trust policies and guidance available upon request. For outpatients, a letter will be recorded on the ALS letter system.

All incidents must be reported to the supervising senior nurse and via the Trust DATIX incident reporting system.

The Contractor shall participate in audits if required.

Lot 2

A senior clinician within the Trust will be appointed to oversee the quality of work delivered in outpatients.

An account of each clinical intervention should be recorded on the ALS letter system.

All incidents must be reported to the Trust via the Trust DATIX incident reporting system.

The Contractor shall participate in audits if required

The Contractor shall have policies, procedures and systems in place as appropriate to assure standards of technical, professional and managerial competence.

There is also the option not to Lot this contract but rather to make an award of a single contract for the whole service to one supplier. we would be happy to receive comment s on the options from potential suppliers.

Additional information: Service provision will be divided by individual Lots.

The contract will not necessarily be exclusive; accordingly you may bid to provide services for both Lots or for one particular Lot. Notwithstanding the foregoing the Authorities reserve the right to instruct other Contractors at their discretion.

Contractors are required to provide costs for each Lot that they wish to bid for in Annex B4 of this document. Each Lot will be evaluated separately and awarded to the Provider offering the most economically advantageous offer to the Authority as outlined in the scoring criteria.

If you wish to bid for both Lots but on evaluation you only secure a single Lot, then you will be required to provide the service for the Lot secured at the original price quoted.

Please confirm which Lots you wish to be considered for by indicating below:

Lot 1:

The Contractor shall be responsible for the provision of a high quality, timely, accurate, secure and reliable endoscopy and outpatient service. The Contractor will be responsible for the full patient pathway from first outpatient appointment, diagnostics and first follow-up.

Lot 2:

The Contractor shall be responsible for the provision of a high quality, timely, accurate and secure reliable Colorectal and General surgery outpatient service. The Contractor will be responsible for the provision of outpatient services to the point of listing for surgery or discharge. This will include 1 follow up appointment only. The contractor will be responsible for requesting relevant diagnostics and following up on the results of these once undertaken.

There is also the option not to Lot this contract but rather to make an award of a single contract for the whole service to one supplier. we would be happy to receive comment s on the options from potential suppliers.

Next Steps

The Trust anticipates publishing a Contract Notice to commence procurement in July 2021. The expected contract award date is anticipated to be in November 2021. The length of the contract is to be confirmed.

Expression of Interest

Interested Suppliers are invited to express an interest in this procurement. The submission of an expression of interest is not a pre-requisite to any subsequent procurement application; however the response to this market engagement advert will help to inform the procurement approach, including whether or not 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.