Official UK procurement notice
DAP C - Tier II Dermatology Services - 27-28
Authority: NHS Essex Integrated Care Board (NHS & healthcare)
The community dermatology service is currently delivered by Mayflower Healthcare Alliance (MHA). This contract was passed to Essex ICB from NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB as part of the ICB reorganisations in April 2026. The commissioning responsibility for this contract transferred to Essex ICB as part of the ICB reorganisation in April 2026. The service must consistently deliver safe, evidence-based care, provide timely access to specialist dermatology expertise, ensure appropriate triage and management of referrals, and support patients to manage long-term skin conditions closer to home.
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe community dermatology service is currently delivered by Mayflower Healthcare Alliance (MHA). This contract was passed to Essex ICB from NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB as part of the ICB reorganisations in April 2026. It provides community-based dermatology services for the local population. Mayflower Healthcare Alliance has an established role in delivering dermatology care, supporting timely access to specialist assessment and treatment outside of the acute setting.
This contract focuses on the delivery of community dermatology services, helping to manage patient demand closer to home and reducing pressures on secondary care providers where clinically appropriate. The service forms part of the wider dermatology pathway and works collaboratively with acute providers to ensure patients requiring specialist or hospital-based interventions are referred appropriately.
The commissioning responsibility for this contract transferred to Essex ICB as part of the ICB reorganisation in April 2026.
The contract is indicative and based on the 26/27 activity and for the purposes of clarity the value will be subject to the national inflator/deflator calculations.
The relevant authority determined that Direct Award Process C applies because Mayflower Healthcare Alliance is the existing provider, the existing contract is due to end, the proposed contracting arrangements are not changing considerably, and the provider is satisfying the existing contract and is likely to satisfy the proposed contract to a sufficient standard.
CPV: Hospital services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Awarded
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayflower Healthcare Alliance Limited | £819,043 † | — | Awarded |
Contracts
DAP C - Tier II Dermatology Services 27-28 · Mayflower Healthcare Alliance Limited
- Signed
- 26 Oct 2026
- Value
- £819,043
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1bids · 2 from abroad | — | — | — |
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- 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
- 4 Nov 2026, 14:51 GMT
- Last source update
- 4 Nov 2026, 14:51 GMT
- Authority reference
ACE-0052-2026-ESX- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-104757- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-07b310Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the directive
- Published justification
This is a Direct Award Process C intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 and Procurement Act do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to decision makers by midnight Tuesday, 17 November 2026. The contract has not yet formally been awarded, this notice serves as an intention to award under PSR.
The Authority has undertaken an appropriate and proportionate review of declarations and is satisfied that effective arrangements are in place to identify and manage any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest. Where relevant, mitigation measures have been applied to ensure that no conflict is capable of conferring any undue advantage or disadvantage. On this basis, the Authority is satisfied that no conflict of interest has adversely affected, or is capable of adversely affecting, the integrity of the procurement.
The provider has been assessed against the criteria specified for this DAP C process:
Quality & Innovation 40%.
Quality should be the primary consideration because community dermatology is a specialist clinical service that requires accurate assessment, diagnosis, treatment and referral within an agreed clinical pathway. The service must consistently deliver safe, evidence-based care, provide timely access to specialist dermatology expertise, ensure appropriate triage and management of referrals, and support patients to manage long-term skin conditions closer to home. High-quality delivery is directly linked to improved patient outcomes, reduced waiting times, increased patient satisfaction, and a reduction in unnecessary referrals to secondary care, ensuring specialist acute services are reserved for patients with the most complex needs.
Value 30%.
It is a statutory duty to ensure the best use of public resources, therefore value has the second highest weighting
Integration, Collaboration & Service Sustainability 15%,
It is essential for good collaboration between provider, primary and secondary care
Access Health Inequalities and Choice 10%;
Access to community services are important to ensure not all patients are referred into an acute setting where appropriate
Social Value 5%.
Although the main focus of the specialist fertility service is to provide healthcare, a weighting of 5% has been allocated to reflect the ICB priority towards the importance of social value
Key criteria were specified, and assessment against each criterion was assessed based as above and on the current service delivery model and performance. and the supplier meets all the requirements specified to the satisfaction of the ICB, and it is expected that they will satisfy the requirements of the new contract.
NHS Essex Integrated Care Board (the Authority) intends to award a contract for the provision of Tier II Dermatology Services to the existing provider named above following Direct Award Process C under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.
Publisher note: This is a Direct Award Process C intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 and Procurement Act do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to decision makers by midnight on Tuesday, 17 November 2026. The contract has not yet formally been awarded, this notice serves as an intention to award under PSR. Written Representation should be sent to: [email protected] The Decision Maker for this award was NHS Essex ICB Executive Committee based on the value and term of the contract. In accordance with Regulation 21 of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, a comprehensive conflicts of interest review was undertaken regarding the decision to utilise Direct Award Process C. No conflicts of interest were declared or identified by any of the designated award decision makers or individuals connected with the process.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- The Independent Patient Choice and Procurement PanelReview body
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Mayflower Healthcare AllianceAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.