Delivery of AHP Workforce Reform Priorities 21/22 - Health & Care Professionals

Health Education England (HEE - the Commissioner) are putting out this notice as a PIN (Prior Information Notice) with a view to completing a Direct Award.

Please note the contracting authority intends to direct award the contract to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). The case for direct award can be found on the tender portal.

Heath Education England (HEE) considers that the HCPC is the only organisation capable of providing the support required to meet the specific requirements of the HEE National AHP Workforce Reform programme about AHP workforce data and intelligence and international recruitment which relate to their statutory regulatory functions. The HCPC is the only possible supplier delivering these regulatory functions and with access to data and associated expertise to assist HEE in fulfilling Mandate deliverables and actions of UK government policy including the Long-Term Plan and People Plan.

Deliverables

The specific deliverables of the award are summarised below.

To increase capacity to provide regular reporting of workforce data to support AHP workforce reform programme deliverables.

To support process development and increase capacity to accelerate the assessment and registration of international applicants to meet international recruitment targets.

Rationale for selection of supplier

HEE believes that it is highly unlikely for any other supplier to be able to provide the expertise provided by the HCPC as a supplier for the following reasons:

As the professional regulator for the AHP professions, the HCPC solely delivers the statutory functions of registering and regulating AHPs including assessing and registering internationally qualified AHPs.

As the professional regulator for the AHP professions, the HCPC collects and stores data on the AHP workforce which is not collected and cannot be readily accessed by other suppliers.

The HCPC has a track record of constructive engagement with HEE and service providers on workforce development activities. This includes previously supporting the DHSC and an Ambulance Service NHS Trust with an international recruitment exercise to tackle workforce challenges.

The financial envelope for the contract is £897,077

For the Specification, Contract and the Case for Direct Award please access the portal at: https://health-family-contract-search.secure.force.com/?SearchType=Projects Please access the portal for all documents.

All communications should be made via the messaging function on the Health Family eTendering portal.

If any provider has concerns with the commissioning intentions outlined within the published documentation, please raise this via the eTendering Portal in the first instance within 30 days of the date of this Prior Information Notice.

The closing date of this PIN is midday on Wednesday, 8th December 2021