Market Engagement for the Provision of STRS Patient Transport Services

The South Thames Retrieval Service (STRS) provides specialist paediatric critical care retrieval and transfer services for critically ill children across a network of hospitals. Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust is preparing to procure a dedicated 24/7 patient transport service, including specialist ambulances and Ambulance Technicians, to support the safe and timely transfer of patients to specialist paediatric intensive care units (PICUs).

With this Prior Information Notice (PIN), the Authority wishes to inform the market of this upcoming opportunity and undertake a Pre-Market Engagement (PME) exercise to better understand supplier capability, market capacity, mobilisation considerations, and potential delivery models ahead of any formal procurement process. Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (“the Authority”) is undertaking a Pre-Market Engagement (PME) exercise in relation to the future procurement of Patient Transport Services for the South Thames Retrieval Service (STRS).

STRS is a specialist paediatric critical care retrieval service based at Evelina London Children’s Hospital. The service provides emergency and urgent retrieval and transfer of critically ill children between referring hospitals and specialist paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) across a regional network.

The Authority is seeking to procure a dedicated specialist patient transport service operating on a 24/7 basis. The proposed service is expected to support the rapid deployment and transfer of specialist clinical retrieval teams and critically ill paediatric patients.

The anticipated scope of services includes, but is not limited to: Provision of specialist ambulances suitable for paediatric critical care transport; Provision and maintenance of associated ambulance equipment; Provision of Ambulance Technicians and operational support staff; Vehicle maintenance, servicing, cleaning, and compliance management; Support for rapid mobilisation and time-critical patient transfers; Provision of contingency and resilience arrangements; and Participation in contract governance and performance management arrangements.

The Authority anticipates that the service model will operate on the basis that: The Supplier provides ambulances, associated equipment, and Ambulance Technicians; and The Authority provides the clinical retrieval team (e.g. doctors and nurses).

The service is expected to include: Two (2) dedicated ambulances available on site at all times; One (1) backup vehicle available 24/7; and Access to a resilience vehicle for contingency scenarios.

The future provider is anticipated to: Be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC); Have a certified CQC Registered Manager in place; Operate within a clinical healthcare environment; and Demonstrate the ability to deliver a highly reliable, time-critical service.

As part of this PME exercise, interested suppliers will be invited to: Review the PME briefing document, draft Specification, and PME questionnaire; Submit written feedback to the Authority; Participate in supplier engagement discussions and/or one-to-one sessions (where applicable); and Raise clarification questions during the PME period.

The PME documentation can be accessed via the Atamis procurement portal. The Authority intends to undertake a competitive procurement process in accordance with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (“PSR 2023”).

However, the final procurement approach may be refined following completion of the PME exercise. The indicative timeline currently anticipates:

Launch of formal tender process: June 2026; Contract award: September 2026; Mobilisation period: October 2026; and Contract commencement: 1 November 2026. The Authority is particularly interested in obtaining market feedback regarding:

Vehicle availability and lead times; Mobilisation requirements and timelines; Workforce availability and operational models; Interim or phased delivery solutions; and Commercial considerations and key market constraints. Participation in this PME exercise is not part of a formal procurement process, and responses will not be evaluated or scored.