Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group - NEPTS Voluntary Car and Taxi Services

Somerset CCG is to award a contract to Somerset County Council -Transporting Somerset (SCCTS) to source and provide medical need Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services. It requires the use of volunteer car and taxi services as well as the provision of limited support for the social need Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme.

The commissioners undertook a thorough market analysis to review different operating models against market offerings for Somerset requirements. The outcome of which concluded that Somerset County Council offered the best financial value and functionality in line with the long-term plan and the ongoing development of the Somerset Integrated Care System of which Somerset County Council is a key partner.

SCCTS provides support across both the health and social care sectors and delivers significant efficiencies through the joined up working arrangement between health and the local authority. The contract operates on a cost recovery basis only with the fleet of volunteer drivers prioritised over the taxi operators. Where journeys are allocated to taxi companies, Somerset County Council use a combination of a dynamic purchasing system and regular market price testing to ensure best value for money against requirements.

The new contract period is 1st April 2022 - 31st March2023 and will include the option to extend for up to a further year (to 31st March 2024) at an annualised contract value of circa £1,560k.

The services are deemed to be subject to the full regime of current procurement legislation and governed by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The Commissioner has voluntarily advertised this notice of intention to award this contract to reach as wide an audience as possible and to promote transparency and in line with regulation 32(2)(b)(ii). The Commissioner is firmly of the view that competition is absent for technical reasons, and that the organisation listed above is the only provider capable of meeting the CCG's needs with its cost-effective journey allocation process and resourcing model.