Market Engagement Notice: Sexual Assault Referral Centre Services for Thames Valley, Kent and Medway, Surrey and Sussex

This notice is placed in order to facilitate early engagement with potential providers, and relates only to a pre-procurement market engagement event. Prospective bidders and interested organisations are warmly invited to a pre-procurement market engagement event being held on Friday 2nd February 2018 in Reading.

NHS England (South Central) and NHS England (South East) are seeking to re-commission Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) services in the Thames Valley, Kent and Medway, Surrey and Sussex areas. In April 2013, NHS England became responsible for the commissioning of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs).

A SARC provides services to victims of rape or sexual assault regardless of whether the victim reports the offence to the police or not. SARCs provide immediate medical care and support for victims of sexual violence, with onward referral to other health and social care services.

SARCs can see both recent victims and victims whose experiences were in the past, and can offer victims the opportunity to assist in a police investigation of their crime, including undergoing a forensic medical examination. NHS England clinical specifications for these SARC services will be underpinned by NHS England Service Specification No. 30 Sexual Assault Referral Centres (2016).

The route to market for the various service elements and geographies is still being determined but, as a guide the procurement(s) are anticipated to commence from Spring 2018, with phased contract commencement anticipated in the period from 1st April 2019 to 1st June 2020. The annual value of these services is circa £2.6m.

This procurement is being carried out by NHS South, Central & West (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioners. We would welcome attendance from those organisations or individuals who may be interested in bidding for these services, either in their own right or as a subcontractor.

It will be an opportunity to meet with the Commissioners, hear more about SARC services in the region and discuss the critical issues, challenges and opportunities that relate to commissioning and provision of this service. Commissioners will also provide an early indication of future commissioning intentions for SARC services in Hampshire & Dorset.

At the meeting we will also provide information about the procurement processes, which are being designed to be proportionate, transparent, equitable and effective. There will also be an opportunity for potential lead providers to engage with other providers who may be interested in joining forces or subcontracting.

The Commissioners also welcome input from prospective bidders as an opportunity to share best practice and innovation on the day. In order to book a place, please register an expression of interest on the In-Tend e-procurement portal, as well as completing the Event Registration Questionnaire, by 12:00 midday on Tuesday 30th January 2018, stating your organisation along with the names and titles of those wishing to attend.

Additional information: In order to establish fair representation, availability for this event is limited to a maximum of 3 individuals per organisation. Venue details and further information will be provided to interested parties on receipt of booking details To register on In-Tend please visit: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/scwcsu/aspx/Registration You can access the project on In-Tend directly using the following link: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/scwcsu/aspx/ProjectManage/504 In order to return the Event Questionnaire, you will need to 'express an interest' and register on the In-Tend portal, and then upload the completed questionnaire to the placeholder provided This notice is part of an information gathering exercise rather than a call for competition in its own right, and therefore publication or response does not commit NHS England or respondents to a future procurement, nor provide any process exemptions or preferential treatment to any parties expressing an interest.

NHS England will not be liable for costs incurred by any interested party in participating in this exercise The services are healthcare services falling within Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ("the Regulations") which are not subject to the full regime of the Regulations, but is instead governed by the "Light Touch Regime" contained within Chapter 3, Section 7 of the Regulations (Regulations 74 to 77) The tendering process will be conducted in accordance with the requirements and flexibilities provided by Articles 74 to 76 of the Directive, and Regulations 74 to 76 of the Regulations. The Authority will run a transparent tender process, treating all Bidders equally.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Authority will not be bound by the Regulations or the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union or any other regulations or legislation except for the specific parts or circumstances that apply to the procurement of these Services Neither the inclusion of a Bidder selection stage, nor the use of any language or terms found in the Directive or Regulations, nor the description of the procedure voluntarily adopted by the Authority ("Open", "Restricted", "Competitive Procedure with Negotiation", "Competitive Dialogue" or any other description), nor any other indication, shall be taken to mean that the Authority intends to hold itself bound by the Directive or Regulations, save by the provisions applicable to services coming within the scope of Annex XIV of the Directive / Schedule 3 of the Regulations The Contracting Authority intends to voluntarily observe the award decision notices provisions and 10 day standstill period described in Regulation 86 of the Regulations. Unsuccessful Bidders will receive scores and reasons for the decision, including the characteristics and relative advantages of the winning bid and the reasons why the Bidder/application was unsuccessful. Deadline for lodging of appeals shou