Stock Control System · UK public procurement notice

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) is seeking via this Prior Information Notice (PIN) to engage with the market to provide a Stock Control Management System suitable for use by the Trust for a go live date of 1st October 2022.

SCAS intend letting a contract for up to ten years (an initial five years with the option to extend by multiples of one year up to a further five years) via the Open Procedure.

The Prior Information Notice Pack is available by registering and expressing an interest at www.proactisplaza.com/BuyerPortal/ ↗ consists of the following documents:

• Document 1: Invite and Instructions
• Document 2: Engagement Workshop Registration Form

SCAS is looking to engage with the market via a pre-tender Microsoft Teams facilitated virtual workshop from 12:00 to 13:00pm on Thursday 24th March 2022. The intention is to then issue the Contract Notice on 20 April 2022 for a tender deadline of 12 Noon on 26 May 2022.

Please complete and return via the Trust’s Proactis Source to Contract system the Engagement Workshop Registration Form on Friday 18th March.

The objectives are as follows:

• Carry out a procurement exercise to drive change in the current system to meet a system Specification that defines the Trust requirements effectively.
• Develop the Stock Control System to improve the management of consumables effectively and the re-ordering process.
• Integrate a standalone Stock Management System onto the SCAS IT systems at all 20 Ambulance Stations and the Central Logistics Unit (CLU).
• Integrate bar code scanning hardware in the CLU and at all stations.

The Trust’s Logistics distribution is currently conducted using a very archaic system for stock flow accounting, whereby a generic Microsoft Access inventory system is used to account for the quantity of Medical Consumables that are stored and that flow through the Central Logistics Unit (CLU) only.

Once stock is issued from the warehouse to stations, its accountability and final disposal cannot be assured as the current Stock Inventory system is limited. The Make Ready Supervisors and/or Team leaders at each station are required to order their perceived amount of stock from the CLU every week.

This process, and with the current systems employed, makes it hard to conduct credible audit of the Trust’s Logistical movement and use of stock. The limited ability to monitor stock and the uncertain nature of consumable item usage within the Trust, has led to stock unnecessarily expiring, stations running out of stock, mainly due to incorrect ordering, and stations over ordering leading to overstocking and the risk of degradation and loss.

The knock-on effect is that this causes disorganisation and inadvertently creates pressure on the logistics department, as it must conduct many ad hoc deliveries which increases the demand on the already limited resources and raises the annual mileage of transport vehicles, thus increasing our Carbon Footprint. Ultimately the Trust is losing revenue because of its limited ability to manage consumable stock.

The Trust requirements is to engage with the market and drive the required change in the current system to meet a system specification that defines Trust needs effectively.