Circle Health Group to Ashford & St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for the Provision of Endoscopies

CPV: Hospital and related services

Procedure method

Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition

Legal basis

CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)

Procurement category

Services

Notice status

Awarded without competition

Procurement threshold

Unspecified in notice

Regulatory regime

Standard

Commercial structure

Stand-alone contract (no framework)

Competition type

Direct award (no call for competition)

GPA / WTO covered

Unspecified in notice

Recurring procurement

Unspecified in notice

First published

23 Mar 2026, 09:38 GMT

Last source update

23 Mar 2026, 09:38 GMT

Authority reference

CAS629

FTS notice number

2026/S 000-026071

Classification (CPV)

Hospital and related services

Delivery area

South East (UKJ2)

Official registry OCID

ocds-h6vhtk-0670fa Find a Tender

Why no open competition

The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the directive

Published justification

This award has been made under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (PSR 2023).

For the avoidance of doubt, the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015) do not apply to this procurement, in accordance with Regulation 3 of the PSR which disapplies PCR 2015 for healthcare services.

The contract has been formally awarded using the Urgent Award Process, permitted under PSR Regulation 14(2).

Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (ASPH) required immediate access to additional elective surgical capacity to meet Surrey Heartlands ICB's elective recovery objectives and to prevent breaches of statutory RTT and clinical prioritisation requirements. The ICB allocated time‑limited non‑recurrent elective recovery funding, which required rapid deployment and could not accommodate the timescales of a competitive process or Most Suitable Provider route.

The urgency of need for procedures (including endoscopy) meant that delaying the award to conduct a competitive process would have:

placed patients at risk of clinical harm due to extended waiting times

resulted in imminent RTT breaches

risked loss of ICB recovery funding

impaired ASPH's ability to comply with obligations under the NHS Standard Contract

Circle Health Group Ltd was identified as a provider with immediate confirmed capacity, validated pathways, established governance interfaces, and the ability to mobilise activity within days of contract signature, therefore, a viable provider capable of meeting the timescale and safety requirements associated with the urgent need.

Accordingly, the award was made via the PSR Urgent Route, which allows direct award where there is an imperative need to protect patients or meet service continuity requirements, and where using another PSR route would be impossible or unsafe because of the immediacy of the need.

All local independent sector hospital providers were engaged to support system elective recovery, including Nuffield Health Woking Hospital, Epsomedical Ltd at Cobham Day Surgery and Circle Health Group, each of whom was allocated activity and awarded a contract appropriate to their capacity and clinical capability.

The specific award documented here relates to Circle Health Group Ltd.

Publisher note: This contract has been awarded under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this procurement. The award has been made via the Urgent Award Route in accordance with Regulation 14(2) of the PSR due to immediate operational need for additional endoscopy capacity to support statutory RTT, diagnostic waiting time and elective recovery obligations. Circle demonstrated immediate capacity, full JAG‑aligned governance compliance, ability to return documentation within 48 hours, and capability to submit NEDS outcomes. ASPH has engaged all local independent sector providers to support elective recovery: Nuffield Health Woking Hospital Epsomedical Ltd at Cobham Day Surgery Circle Health Group Each has been awarded contracts proportionate to capacity and capability. This Circle award forms one component of the system‑wide elective recovery approach.

• Circle Health Group LimitedAwarded supplierGB-COH: 02164270 London, South East

No document links were published on the notice.