Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service

The aim of this procurement is to establish non-emergency patient transport services across the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) locality.

The Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service (NEPTS) will be provided to all eligible patients within the locality. Currently over 13,500 journeys per month are undertaken.

NEPTS are a key enabler underpinning access to elective care and supporting timely and efficient discharge processes for acute and community providers. As a partner within the system, the NEPTS provider will support improvements across the system, enabling patient choice and equitable access for elective care.

National planning guidance breaks down the patient transport system into four core components.

-triage and co-ordination

-specialist services, which will require trained staff, often an adapted/specialist vehicle where the provider will be registered with the CQC.

-non-specialist services, where a regular taxi or minibus is appropriate.

-reimbursement for private or public transport, either as part of NEPTS or the Healthcare Travel Cost Scheme (HTCS).

Consideration within these elements needs to be given to system relationships, improving integrated patient pathways including discharges, the wider transport system, including urgent services and local authority provision.

The Contract will be for a term of 60 months (five years), with the possibility of extending the term for a period of 60 additional months (five years) beyond the initial contracted duration by agreement between the Authority and the Provider. The service is due to start on the 1st April 2026 with the first term ending on 31st March 2031, and the extension period would run from 1st April 2031 until 31st march 2036.

The anticipated aggregate contract value is £123,226,440. across the potential 10 years, but this figure is subject to the tender process.

This notice is an Intention to Award notice under the competitive process for an existing service being awarded to a new provider.

This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) Contract Notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award. Additional information: The Authority may wish to introduce additional services during the lifetime of the contract ("Contract modifications"). Such contract modifications will be contemplated where additional requirements are similar and or complementary to the services already included in the Specification, at any given time. Such expansion would be by the addition of services commissioned by the Authority as named in the Contract Notice. To this end, the Bidder should be aware that after the award of contract, there is a possibility that the successful Bidder may be offered a variation to the contract in accordance with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.