Pathology Outsourcing

The contracting authorities consisting of 3 NHS Trusts and 3 clinical commissioning groups: 1. Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust: Hamstel Rd, Harlow CM20 1QX 2.

East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, Lister hospital, Coreys Mill Lane, Stevenage, SG1 4AB 3. West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Watford General Hospital, Vicarage Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WD18 0HB 4.

East and North Hertfordshire CCG, Charter House, Parkway, Welwyn Garden City, Herts. AL8 6JL 5.

Herfordshire Valleys CCG, The Forum, Marlowes Hemel Hempstead, HP1 1DN 6. West Essex CCG, Building 4 Spencer Close, The Plain, Epping CM16 6TN are looking to award contracts for the provision of pathology services under a target operating model that is compliant with the guidelines from NHS Improvement and can provide quality benefits to patients, clinicians and financial sustainability to the organisations.

The current expectation is that the pathology services will need to cover the full range of pathology disciplines currently provided or commissioned by the above organisations. The detailed scope of the procurement will be issued during the formal procurement but will include the provision of a full pathology service for: • Blood sciences, including blood transfusion; • Phlebotomy; • Microbiology; • Histopathology; • Molecular pathology; • Specialist testing and send aways; • Laboratory facilities; • Single IT LIMS; • Logistics; • PoCT and NPT; • Other pathology testing and support facilities.

The aim of this notice is: 1. Notify the market of the intention of the above parties to start a formal procurement process for the appointment of a pathology service provider; and 2.

Notify the market of a market engagement day where organisations will be asked to provide feedback on the procurement. The Contracting authorities will determine the number of lots that it will be creating based on the feedback that it has gathered from the market.

This will be reflected in each successive competitive dialogue tender and evaluation stage. The contracting authorities anticipate each of them entering into separate contracts with the selected supplier (and that the award may involve more than one contract between each contracting authority and the selected supplier).

(2) Potential bidders should be aware that the procurement is not dependent on all of the contracting authorities eventually awarding contracts with the selected supplier (although only one supplier will be selected). Each of the contracting authorities reserves the right not to award any contract(s).

(3) The precise place or places of work will be determined through the tender process but the selected supplier will need to provide at least some elements of the services from the premises of the Core Contracting Authorities. The contracting authorities currently anticipate that all of the procured services will need to be provided from within the UK.

(4) The procurement is under the "light touch regime" pursuant to Regulations 74 to 76 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. As such the contracting authorities are free to set the procedures for the procurement, subject (inter alia) to those procedures being sufficient to ensure compliance with the principles of transparency and equal treatment.

Accordingly, the contracting authorities intend to follow a procedure which broadly follows the process of a competitive dialogue, but will not be bound to follow all of the prescriptive elements of that procedure. References in this notice and subsequent procurement documents to the or a "competitive dialogue" shall be construed accordingly.