- Id
- C339228/W172176
- Status
- complete
- Procurement Method
- limited
- Main Procurement Category
- services
- Procurement Method Details
- Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
- Why this procedure was chosen
- The Trust relies on the ground set out within Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) (Use of the negotiated procedure without prior publication) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. Following the formation of the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, the Trust has carried out significant restructuring which has taken time. <br/>The Trust has undertaken an options appraisal and determined that the patient and staff restaurant catering services delivered across the acute hospital sites in Southend, Basildon, and Broomfield, in addition to Braintree Community Hospital need to be market tested for third party provision to deliver value to the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. The timeline for the development of the service specifications, market testing process, and supplier lead in, onboarding and TUPE process is forecast to take approximately 2 years. An option to extend for up to an additional 12 months term will be included though not expected to be exercised.<br/>The Trust requires stability in its catering services, to ensure that this critical service can continue to be delivered with the same personnel and processes in place, until such time as the Trust wide procurement process is undertaken. The catering services in Southend require immediate capital investment in failing infrastructure by the supplier of approximately £200,000 and a change of catering supplier at this stage, with TUPE implications for in excess of 140 staff, would introduce significant risk, at a time when continuity of services and significant investment is required. COVID pandemic pressures contributed to delay for re-procurement process. Board approval received 30th August 2024.<br/><br/>Timeline for the further Trust-wide procurement process, running concurrently with the contract extension, delivering new long term contract:<br/><br/>Tender Stage Activity Duration (Calender Days) Start Date End Date<br/>Pre-Tender Trust Board, Cabinet Office, Engage Specialist support 180 01/04/2025 28/09/2025<br/>Tender Drafting Develop Specification, ITT Documents, Trust & Framework document approval 90 30/06/2025 28/09/2025<br/>Advert / ITT Publish ITT, Clarifications, Supplier bids to Trust 40 29/09/2025 08/11/2025<br/>Tender Evaluation Technical & commercial evaluation and moderation 35 09/11/2025 14/12/2025<br/>Award Intention Board approval, Supplier notification, Standstill, Draft award 90 15/12/2025 15/03/2026<br/>Award Prepare & Issue final award letter & contract 15 16/03/2026 31/03/2026<br/>Implementation Implementation phase and contract commencement 153 01/04/2026 01/09/2026