Supported Return to Training for Junior Doctors - SoEPS17.395

NHS South of England Procurement Services, acting on behalf of Health Education England (the Commissioner) are inviting quotes from training organisations and medical professional bodies, such as the medical Royal Colleges and their bodies, to present a costed proposal for investing a one-off payment up to the sum of £49,000 per organisation/medical professional body to develop training packages for doctors who return to training after time out of programme in England.

The 18th May ACAS agreement for the Junior Doctors Contract committed HEE to lead a process for developing evidence-based, innovative approaches to training for junior doctors,

... to remove as far as possible the disadvantage of those who take time out due to, for example, caring responsibilities. This approach would include targeted accelerated learning with the prime intention to enable the person who has taken time out to catch up.

HEE published its Supported Return to Training investment and strategy plan in November 2017.

HEE proposed that there should be a "menu" of options for trainees that can be built into a bespoke package that accommodates the individual trainee, their specialty, their circumstances and their reasons for leaving in the first place. As part of its investment plan a National innovation fund has been allocated within 2017/18 for specialty-specific knowledge based learning resources to help support trainees with skills and knowledge fade after they return to training after time out of programme.

Please access the procurement documents for further information.

Additional information: Bidders are invited to access the procurement documentation at https://in-tendhost.co.uk/soepscommissioning.

The deadline for submission of completed ITQ responses is 12 February 2018 at 12:00pm (midday). Late submissions will not be accepted. The e-portal system will shutdown at 12:00pm and any un-submitted bids not registered to the system at this time will not be accepted. Therefore, please submit in good time prior to the deadline date and time.

Should Bidders have any queries, or are having problems using the portal, they should contact the In-tend dedicated Supplier Helpdesk by calling 0845 557 8079 Monday to Friday (9am to 6pm) or email support@in-tend.co.uk.

All communications should be made via the messaging function on the In-tend E-Tendering portal. During the tender exercise the Contracting Authority requests that all communications are channelled through the e-portal system via the appointed procurement specialist on behalf of NHS South of England Procurement Services and not with the Contracting Authority itself. No Bidder, Bidder Member, or any of such Bidder's advisors, consultants or subcontractors may have ex parte communications with the Contracting Authority or any of their employees, advisors, contractors or consultants regarding the ITQ, the Procurement, other than as expressly permitted in this ITQ.