North East Essex Integrated Community Services

NHS North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group and Essex County Council ('the Commissioners') have sought to commission an integrated community service model that supports the vision and aims of the North East Essex Health and Wellbeing (NEE H&W) Alliance. Commissioners have set a bold and challenging goal to create multi-agency/multi-disciplinary teams in North East Essex who are empowered and supported to deliver the NEE H&W Alliance Live Well outcomes. North East Essex Integrated Community Services needs to underpin these plans, delivering a transformation of community services that seeks meaningful integration with acute, primary care networks, primary care, mental health, voluntary sector services and other NEE H&W Alliance partners to support the achievement of the strategic vision for everyone in NEE to live well. Commissioners have decided that working with an alliance of providers will be the best solution to provide affordable, sustainable and fully Integrated services.

In June 2020, the Commissioners published a Prior Information Notice (PIN) in OJEU inviting expressions of interest form providers willing to make the commitment to collaborate in an alliance way of working and who believed they have the necessary experience in multi-disciplinary integrated care, willing to work with other statutory providers, willing to work with the current providers and capable of financially holding and managing the scale of risk through a degree of income risk share.

The PIN was not commencing a competitive process but did not exclude new entrants to the Alliance either via partnering, associate or subcontracting arrangements.

The Commissioners have conducted a process that complies with the principles of transparency and equal treatment, however the Commissioners were not required (and did not intend) to run the procurement in accordance with one of the specified procedures in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended by The Public Procurement (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020) (e.g. Restricted, Open, etc.). The Commissioners have, therefore, utilised the flexibilities available to them under the 'light touch regime' in conducting this process.

The Commissioners have opted to undertake a due diligence assessment alongside dialogue, which has formed the basis of 'Structured Dialogue'.