Provision of a Patient Transport Advice Centre

SCW CSU (the incumbent) is closing on 31st March 2027 as part of the overarching NHS changes and restructures, and specifically the closure of CSUs. The SCW CSU Patient Transport Advice Centre (PTAC) service, which currently supports 4 ICBs needs to transfer to a new host organisation by 1 December 2026. The transfer deadline is fixed and the overriding priority agreed is safe, effective and uninterrupted service continuity.

The ICB has a statutory responsibility to commission NHS services to meet the reasonable requirements of the population and to ensure access to services. Where eligible patients require NHS-funded transport, ICBs need arrangements to assess eligibility and arrange transport and the ICBs party to this contract award have previously selected a PTAC operating model to meet this need.

A direct award would provide a practical and time-limited route to maintain service continuity, protect patient access and create sufficient time for the ICBs to undertake a compliant full procurement exercise. The direct award does not remove the need for longer-term competitive procurement; rather, it provides a safe bridging arrangement.

A two-year contract term is being sought due to significant organisational restructuring programme across the ICB's, including a mandated 50% reduction in running costs, the authorities are currently unable to undertake compliant competitive procurement without substantial risk to service continuity.

The authorities are simultaneously developing a new integrated service specification across four ICBs, which will fundamentally alter the future scope and delivery model of the service. To ensure continuity of critical services during the restructuring period, winter pressure response and subsequent development and implementation of the new regional specification, a time-limited direct award is considered necessary and proportionate pending completion of a future competitive procurement.

The proposed contract term is two years (1 December 2026 to 30 November 2028). While the indicative timetable below demonstrates that a competitive procurement and mobilisation could potentially be completed within approximately 18 months (allowing for a potential implementation date from July 2028), contingency has been built into the last six months of the contract term to accommodate any delays in procurement, approvals, mobilisation, organisational change or transition activity.

Indicative duration

ICBs restructure and leadership establishment 4 months

June 2026 - September 2026

Development of joint specification 4-6 months

October 2026 - March 2027

Stakeholder engagement and approvals 3-4 months

April 2027 - July 2027

Procurement process 4-6 months

August 2027 - January 2028

Mobilisation 3-6 months

February 2028 - July 2028

Total 18-24 months