Lead Provider Framework
NHS England / 30/01/14
Gateway Ref: 00102
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Introduction
The commissioning support lead provider framework is being developed in response to requests from CCGs for a way to quickly and
easily procure excellent commissioning support. A survey we conducted over the summer indicated that 76% of CCG respondents
supported the development of a lead provider framework. The framework will be optional and will be launched alongside procurement
information that outlines other choices available to CCGs and NHS England and the support available. CCGs and NHS England will be
able to buy some, or all, of their support from one or more suppliers on the framework.
If CCGs wish to procure services from the framework (“call-off”) they can only do this where the services are included in the scope of
the framework and they will need to award call off contracts on the basis of evaluation criteria set out in the framework. It is intended
that the framework covers the full range of commissioning support services CCGs may wish to buy, in the way in which they would be
buying, and tests criteria which CCGs would want to test. This document sets out the scope of the framework and the range of
commissioning support services it is intended to cover. It also contains an indicative short description of each service line.
We have been testing the range of services identified in this pack through open to all regional engagement events attended by
representatives of 69 CCGs, 17 CSUs and 35 independent and voluntary sector organisations. The draft was also shared by email for
comments with the Commissioning Assembly Commissioning Support Working Group, Commissioning Support Industry Group,
Commissioning Support Patient Advisory Group, CSU Network and 63 suppliers who had registered an interest following the PIN on
16/05/13. A number of changes were made as a result of this engagement and these can be found in the draft scope of the framework,
published on 13/12/13
This document is indicative of the areas that are anticipated to be assessed at PQQ. The questions are not an expression of the actual
selection criteria to be applied at PQQ but are aimed at giving potential bidders advance notice of the kinds of areas we will be
assessing, in order to support the development of the best quality bids.
The OJEU, and the subsequent process documentation issued as part of that procurement, will be the definitive statement of the
service lines to be procured, the questions and criteria, and the process to be followed in operating the procurement. The OJEU notice
for the framework is intended to be published during the week commencing 24/02/14.
Guidance to bidders – Statement of bidding forms
During our engagement with CCGs, commissioning support suppliers and other stakeholders last year, a concern was raised that the
requirement for a single legal contracting entity might preclude or discourage a range of innovative bidding arrangements where best of
breed organisations – each bringing their own distinct set of services and products to the end customer - come together as joint parties in
a co-bidding arrangement.
In order to provide suppliers with a greater degree of flexibility around their approach to risk sharing and management, we will no longer
expect bidders to form a single contractual entity or for there to be a single contracting entity party to the ultimate contract.
Set out below is a summary of the potential bidding forms that are available to suppliers along with some of the legal rules. Whilst this is
subject to final confirmation within the tender notices and documentation, we hope that this will stimulate further discussions between
potential bidders as they work collaboratively to refine and enrich their offer for the framework.
• Tenders from a consortium are permitted. A “consortium” means two or more persons acting jointly for the purpose of being awarded
a place on the lead provider framework.
• NHS England will not treat the tender of a consortium as ineligible on the grounds that the consortium has not formed a legal entity for
the purposes of tendering.
• NHS England will not require any consortium to form a legal entity before entering into, or as a term of, the lead provider framework.
Tenders for the lead provider framework will therefore be permitted from:
• a sole corporate entity (whether formed prior to tendering or before contract);
• a lead/prime supplier together with sub-contractors; or
• a group of providers, each entering into direct contractual obligations with the customer (co-bidding)
To ensure transparency throughout the tendering process and to support consortia bids, we have developed a mock co-bidding
agreement available to download at www.england.nhs.net/lpf which illustrates the potential shape and detail anticipated to apply to a cobidding arrangement.
Timeline
Jan
Mar
Feb
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Development of
PQQ criteria and
sign off
24 Feb – publish OJEU and PQQ
Suppliers have 11 weeks to complete
PQQ documentation
PQQ Evaluation – briefing,
individual and consensus
assessment
14 July – unsuccessful suppliers briefed and ITTs
issued to successful suppliers
7
8
9
Internal NHS England sign off
Drafting of issuing successful &
unsuccessful supplier letters
Bidder interviews (ITT ONLY)
Individual assessment of bids
Collation/clarification of bids
and panel briefing
On average 2hrs per service
category per bid
2-6
1
2 day consensus meeting with
complete panel
Weeks
Suppliers have 9 weeks to
complete ITT
documentation
ITT Evaluation – briefing,
individual and consensus
assessment
Supplier
debriefs, 10day standstill
period and
contract award
Niche and specialist CSS supplier list
Framework launched
24 Feb – launch process to create supporting supplier list
Light touch accreditation of suppliers (VSOs
and SMEs)
July– Launch supplier list
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Structure of Framework
Lot 1 – End to End Commissioning Support
Business Support Services
Financial management and
accounting
Payroll
HR services
ICT Infrastructure, Support
and Strategic Services
Corporate governance, risk
management and
compliance
Healthcare Procurement and
Provider Management
Healthcare procurement
Market development
Contract requirement,
definition and negotiation
Provider and contract
management
Lot 2 – Specialist
Decision Support
Transformation and Service
Redesign
Research and analysis
Strategy and planning
System and commissioning
transformation
Pathway optimisation, revision
and redesign
Organisational development
Communications and PPE
Proactive communications
Patients in control
Reactive communications
Patient and public participation at strategic and
operational level
Business Intelligence (excl DMICs)
Business Intelligence applications
Business analytics
Lot 2 A
Medicines management
and optimisation
Lot 2 B
Individual Funding
Request (IFR) case
management
Continuing healthcare
and funded nursing care
Overarching questions
The organisation’s capability to operate as a lead provider
Organisational
including its policies and systems, governance and resilience.
capability
Draft PQQ assessment areas (these will be superseded by the OJEU notice):
In addition to the areas below the PQQ will examine a range of standard measures to
test legal and regulatory requirements and may test the organisation’s information
governance arrangements.
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Describe your experience of delivering end to end to commissioning support
services
Provide details of a contract you have held for services across each of the service
categories (The contract example can be for one or more of the services in each
category and also bridge multiple categories)
Describe how you have engaged with multiple partners and other organisations to
improve and enrich your offer to customers. Include your approach to supply
chain management and governance of sub-contractors (for example fair
treatment)
Outline your experience ensuring excellence across your supply chain and that
services continually represent best practice
Provide an example of your track record of scaling up your capacity to deliver
services to broader customer base, including the systems you have in place to
manage capacity thresholds.
Provide an example of when you have developed a new bespoke service to meet a
customer's specific requirements
Provide an example of the way in which you have continually involve customers in
delivery, monitoring and management of your services
Outline the approach to business continuity, and disaster/emergency recovery
and the plans and tests you have used to ensure continuity of service to
customers.
Provide evidence of your approach to risk management
Describe how you have assured quality of provision and support continuous
improvement
Demonstrate how you your service offering has been enhanced by reducing
inequalities within your organisation
Demonstrate how you have supported continued professional development
Business Support Services
Draft PQQ assessment areas (these will be superseded by the OJEU notice):
Provision of strategic and operational financial management and accounting services
including financial planning, management accounting, budget setting, budget control,
financial reporting and analysis services, financial accounting, finance operations,
financial modelling, accounting service support, general accounting services, systems
accounting, systems management, cash management and forecasting, working capital
and fixed asset management, VAT advisory and management services, expert financial
support to transformation and service redesign services, invoice payment, invoice query
management and supplies management including transactional procurement services.
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Provide an example from a health and social care environment of delivering Financial Management
and Accounting Services to a customer. Responses should include how you delivered the service
(including performance in relation to the contract / agreement, the scale of the project and how you
delivered value for money to the customer), applied and developed processes, made best use of
technology to deliver an efficient and effective service for the customer and delivered to customer
deadlines.
Payroll Services
Provision of payroll services including payroll processing, account management and
payroll administration.
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HR Services
Provision of strategic and operational HR Services including; recruitment , selection and
retention, employee administration, HR policy and process development, advice,
implementation and compliance with HR legislation and standards, equality and
diversity, job evaluation, employee well-being and Occupational Health services, change
management, talent management and performance management, leadership
development, learning and development including statutory training requirements,
organisational design services, organisational development, workforce planning and
management, remuneration services and industrial relations.
Provision of ICT infrastructure, ICT support and strategic ICT services, including in a
Primary Care setting, taking account of IT best practice and market developments.
Services including; managed IT estates services, disaster recovery services, managed data
hosting, network services, systems integration and interoperability, implementation of
software solutions, storage and server management, management of third party
providers and integration of third party goods and services, desktop support, service
desk, asset management services, computer estate management, remote access services,
print management, telephony, mobile device management, end-to-end delivery services
(from discovery, development and implementation of solutions, training and support
through to benefits testing and realisation), IT Strategy services (including support to
development of strategic plans and strategy delivery), implementation and support to
national programmes of work, provision of IT advice, programme and project
management support and access to specialist resource.
Provision of services for the smooth and compliant running of an organisation including:
business continuity planning, testing and resilience; development and implementation of
a corporate governance and risk management framework and support in handling
governance and risk issues; assurance and compliance - Delivery of services within and
support to progress beyond legal and regulatory responsibilities across the customer
organisation, including around equality and diversity, health and safety, data protection
and information governance advice; Equality and diversity – Support to embed equality
and diversity in practice including through equality objective setting, publishing equality
information, equality analysis, training for staff and board members and equality impact
assessments; Information Governance - Ensuring confidentiality and integrity of
information, data security and provision of Information Governance Toolkits .
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Provide an example of delivering payroll services to a customer. Responses should include how you
delivered the service (including performance in relation to the contract / agreement, the scale of the
project and how you delivered value for money to the customer), ensured provision of an accurate
and timely service and worked with customers to provide reporting to meet their needs.
Provide an example of your experience delivering HR support services to a customer to ensure
compliance with the Equality Act 2010. Responses should include the process implemented to
measure compliance, how you ensured they became and/or remained fully compliant with the
Equality Act 2010 including details of your approach to reviewing and delivering ongoing compliance
and how you rectified any area of weakness.
Financial
Management and
Accounting
ICT
Infrastructure,
Support and
Strategic Services
Corporate
governance, risk
management and
compliance
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Provide an example of delivering ICT services to a customer. Responses should include how you have
worked with customers to develop and implement an IT strategy, delivered the service (including
performance in relation to the contract / agreement, the scale of the project and how you delivered
value for money to the customer), the operational benefits received by the customer as a direct result
of your service and the approach to risk management adopted.
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Provide an example from a health and social care environment of delivering corporate governance
and risk management services to a customer. Responses should include how you delivered the
service (including performance in relation to the contract / agreement, the scale of the project and
how you delivered value for money to the customer) and your approach to business continuity.
Healthcare Procurement and Provider Management
Draft PQQ assessment areas (these will be superseded by the OJEU notice):
Healthcare
procurement
The procurement of NHS funded clinical services that includes the
provision of strategic advice on healthcare procurement methodologies,
the relevant technical infrastructure and provision of the expert tactical
resource to deliver a range of healthcare procurement options.
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Provide an example from a health and social care environment of your experience
delivering comprehensive healthcare procurement services to a customer in a health and
social care environment. Responses should include how you delivered the service
(including performance in relation to the contract / agreement, the scale of the project and
how you delivered value for money to the customer), delivered at scale to drive
efficiencies, involved key stakeholders, patients and the public and embedded the
principles of the Social Value Act in your procurement service.
Market
development
Market development covers a range of activities including analysis and
benchmarking of the relevant healthcare market that helps to determine
the market status. Market development includes identification of
whether a market exists for particular services, how mature it is or
whether it requires development, increasing the number of providers
(and the range of services offered by those providers) within local
markets and on the periphery where this adds value to the healthcare
outcomes available to the population. Where a market doesn’t exist
advice may be required on what market opportunities may be
developed.
This service line covers the set of contracting activities that enable the
acquisition of high quality healthcare provision efficiently and effectively.
It includes the analysis of what services are needed, their scope and
definition, technical advice on contract opportunities and negotiation of
contracts on behalf of a customer.
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Provide an example from a health and social care or equivalent public service environment
of your experience delivering market development services to a customer in a health and
social care environment. Responses should include how you delivered the service
(including performance in relation to the contract / agreement, the scale of the project and
how you delivered value for money to the customer) and the outcome of this work.
Provide an example from a health and social care environment of a service you delivered to
a customer where you stimulated the health provider market to increase quality and
choice. Responses should include how you delivered the service (including performance in
relation to the contract / agreement, the scale of the project and how you delivered value
for money to the customer) and the outcome of this work.
Contract
requirement,
definition and
negotiation
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Provider and
contract
management
The management of both contracts and providers to ensure better
provision and value for money and to proactively manage performance,
ensuring that quality is maintained and that delivery is on target.
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Provide an example from a health and social care environment of how, on behalf of a
customer, you introduced specific incentives within a contract to drive improvements
through contract re-negotiation.
Provide an example from a health and social care environment of what you have done to
lay the foundations for your customers to support outcome based commissioning. Describe
within your response how outcome based contracting and commissioning can drive greater
value for customers. Responses should include how you delivered the service (including
performance in relation to the contract / agreement, the scale of the project and how you
delivered value for money to the customer) and the outcome of this work.
Provide an example from a health and social care environment of your experience
delivering a contracting function on behalf of a customer. Responses should include how
you delivered the service (including the scale of the project and how you delivered value for
money to the customer) and your approach to negotiation and agreement of contracts,
quality and financial management.
Provide an example from a health and social care environment of your experience
developing contract management systems on behalf of a customer. Responses should
include how you delivered the service (including performance in relation to the contract /
agreement, the scale of the project and how you delivered value for money to the
customer), managed contract, quality and financial performance and managed compliance
with nationally mandated targets or metrics.
Provide an example from a health and social care environment of when you have taken a
proactive approach to tackling poorly delivery performance on behalf of your customer.
Transformation and Service Redesign
Research and analysis
Provision of research and analysis service that can operate across the commissioning system
and healthcare markets including: the ability to undertake primary and secondary research
using quantitative, qualitative and other evident methods; delivery of advice on policy
development; healthcare economics analysis and other bespoke analytical services with the
ability to translate to a business plan, business case or other recommendations; use of
variation data to identify priorities; use of service review techniques to identify opportunities
for improvement and potential solutions and recommendations.
Draft PQQ assessment areas (these will be superseded by the OJEU notice)
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Strategy and planning
Provision of planning and strategy support both locally and at scale developing collaborative
commissioning strategies including the development of QIPP strategies, strategic and
operational plans, small scale project planning, business or commissioning planning, business
and commissioning planning and being able to work between and with other LPF offers such as
communications and PPE and/or business support service or other.
Provision for strategic planning support and facilitation with tools to understand capability,
build plans, create organisational consensus, prioritisation, understanding of the underlying
challenges when undertaking healthcare planning and delivery. This will support the
development of clear coherent strategies which might include developing a consistent mission,
vision and values.
System and
commissioning
transformation
Provision will also include the delivery of financial business cases and smaller scale
project/programme planning pre-delivery including the cases for using technology, innovation
or other investment to secure future successes.
The system and commissioning transformation service line relates to complex projects
requiring significant change, transformation or intervention. Provision will include delivering
parts of a project lifecycle or the full programme life cycle from strategic advice through to
delivery and outsourcing.
Provision will include the experience and skill to run an organised Programme Management
Office for major change. Programmes will include major systems reconfiguration ; financial
turnaround ; managing and/or decommissioning major failures; collaborative transformation
between networked/partnership organisations which are bound by geography or other
relationships; decommissioning lower value interventions, pathways and/ or steps within
pathways.
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Provide an example from a health and social care environment of undertaking research and analysis on behalf of a
customer to identify local priorities for improvement at a strategic and programme level and the improvement plan
that was produced as a result. Responses should include the methodology you used to undertake the research and
analysis, the approach you took to prioritising areas for improvement and how you supported the customer to take
ownership of the improvement projects and the impact of this work. Provide an example from a health and social
care environment of how you have undertaken research and analysis on behalf of a customer to enable positive
changes in the delivery of patient outcomes
Provide an example from a health and social care environment of the provision of research and analysis services for
a customer that demonstrate your ability to engage with OR access academic and research organisations.
Provide an example of your experience supporting the development of a short or long term commissioning strategy.
Responses should include your implementation plan, an overview of the process used (including use of variation
data to drive plans, strategies and strategic decision making), engagement of key stakeholders (including patients
and the public), the associated financial modelling and evidence that the objectives of this plan were achieved (if this
is not demonstrable evidence that the activity changes associated with the financial modelling occurred).
Provide an example of the use of impact assessment in determining strategic and operational priorities for a
customer
Provide an example from a health and social care environment of a transformational programme that you
implemented on behalf of a customer. Responses should include the methodology used, the change as a result of
the project to people, process, systems, culture or technology, stakeholder engagement in the project (including
patients and the public) and use of innovation in commissioning (for example, use of outcome based commissioning
or commissioning for value).
Provide an example of your capability to train and develop clinical commissioners and providers in population based
clinical practice.
Provision will include access to subject matter experts for healthcare transformation including
commissioning, decommissioning and clinical experts (potentially external individuals acting
as sub providers).
Provision will include the ability to galvanise and engage CCG leadership, including clinical, in
the transformation agenda.
Pathway optimisation,
revision and redesign
Organisational
development
Provision to implement best practice and innovation through small to medium size projects
focused on continuous improvement of commissioning systems and clinical change based on
evidence and nationally and internationally recognised best practice.
Provision to run effective project offices through the right project managers and clinical
expertise. This service should provide commissioning or decommissioning of smaller services
and pathways.
Provision to facilitate the development of CCGs including the development of leaders,
workforce planning and talent management.
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Provide an example from a health and social care environment of driving improvement for patients by optimising or
redesigning service pathways on behalf of a customer. Responses should include your approach to deciding which
delivery options to select, dealing with barriers to delivery and troubleshooting; programme monitoring and
management; achievement based contract and market management.
Provide an example of services you have implemented on behalf of a customer where patient and clinical
engagement were at the centre of the decision making process.
Provide an example from a health and social care environment of an organisational development programme that
you have delivered for a customer to facilitate the development of leaders, workforce planning and talent
management. Responses should include the methodology used, how you delivered at scale and pace, how you
designed the programme to meet a range of learning needs and your models and approaches to self sustaining
change and improvement.
Communications and Patient and Public Engagement
Draft PQQ assessment areas (these will be superseded by the OJEU notice)
Proactive
Communications
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Provide an example from a health and social care environment of your
implementation of a multi-channel plan / communication strategy on behalf of a
customer. Responses should include how you delivered the service (including
performance in relation to the contract / agreement, the scale of the project and
how you delivered value for money to the customer), evidence of partnership
working and the outcomes of this work.
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Provide an example from a health and social care environment of successful
reputation management and media handling on behalf of a customer following
difficult press /media coverage following an emergency/crisis. Responses should
include the solution you offered, evidence of how you co-ordinated a multiple
stakeholder response and a link to the media coverage / evidence of how the
situation was managed to ensure that it did not become a news item or
reputational issue with key stakeholders
Reactive
communications
Patient and
public
participation at
strategic and
operational level
Patients in
control
Provision of strategic PLANNED communications support, advice,
planning and delivery to ensure the organisation is effectively
communicating its vision, values and objectives. This includes
stakeholder management, communications strategy
development, consultation, corporate communications, internal
communications, multi-channel communications (digital, direct
mail, social media, etc.), behaviour change, proactive press/PR
planning (including emergency communications planning) and
evaluation. The complex and varied audience include the public,
patients, their carers, providers, volunteers, other stakeholders
and the CCG membership base.
Provision of RESPONSIVE communications, delivering
communications strategies that protect and enhance the profile
and reputation of the organisation. This includes reputation
management (including media handling, corporate
communications and communications requirements around
complaints, and Freedom of Information requests). It also
includes planning/preparedness and delivery at the time
communications support is needed and evaluation of this
activity.
Provision of services to customers that support listening,
understanding and engaging with patients, their families and
carers, the public and voluntary sector organisations to enable
local voice to influence commissioning decisions and co-produce
and co-design services.
Provision of services to develop an equal partnership between
clinicians, patients and carers in decisions which relate to an
individual’s care or treatment to ensure that they receive services
which are proactive, holistic, preventative and people-centred.
The aim is to achieve a collaborative approach to care and
treatment with active patient involvement and effective selfmanagement support which takes account of peoples’
preferences though a culture of shared decision making. The
service includes supporting a customer to put in place systems
that recognise people as active partners in health and promote
the involvement of patients and carers in decisions which relate
to their care or treatment including, but not limited to, self
management support, shared decision making, personalised care
planning and personal health budgets.
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Provide an example of how you have supported a customer with the participation
of patients and the public at a strategic and operational level (e.g. to co-produce
or co-design services, when commissioning new services, redesigning or
decommissioning services). Responses should include the engagement
methodology used, the stage at which patients and the public were engaged, how
you supported the engagement of hard to reach groups (e.g. housebound older
people) and the result of the engagement activity (i.e. what changed as a result).
• Provide an example of how you have supported a customer to promote the
involvement of patients and carers in decisions which relate to their care or
treatment (e.g. self management support, shared decision making, personalised
care planning and personal health budgets). Your response should include the
methodology used and the outcome of this work.
• Provide an example of how you have started to develop systems on behalf of a
customer that recognise people as active partners in health, shifting towards
individual capabilities and community assets (that builds knowledge, skills and
confidence)
Business Intelligence (excl. DMICS)
Business
Business intelligence applications that provide decision support,
Intelligence
query and reporting such as KPIs, metrics, dashboards, risk
Applications
stratification, monitoring and alert systems and workflow
management systems.
Draft PQQ assessment areas (these will be superseded by the OJEU notice)
• Provide an example of delivering business support applications to a customer that
supports evidence based decision making, resource allocation and value for
money. Your response should include a description of the application(s) delivered
to the customer and how it met their requirements/ solved problem, availability of
and access to a range of data, including how limitations were overcome, evidence
of robust techniques and methodologies, an explanation of how the effectiveness
of the service was evaluated to embed continuous improvement (including
monitoring processes and measurements), how you engaged patients and
stakeholders, how you supported the customer to maximise value from the
application.
Business
Analytics
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Analytical know-how and supporting analysis to answer key
questions and will including predictive modelling, benefits case
development statistical analysis, benchmarking and bespoke
comparative analysis
Provide an example where you have analysed health data to really understand
what is happening in the system to support evidence based decision making and
ensure appropriate resource allocation and value for money for commissioners.
Your response should include evidence of use of a wide range of data (including
health, population and financial data, to provide timely and holistic analysis),
appropriate and robust methods and techniques for data analysis to improve
outcomes (including for example comparisons, benchmarking, demand analysis,
inequalities), use of appropriate and clear materials to convey key messages and
implications of the analysis to the customer, appropriate analysis, processes
monitoring and evaluation to ensure continuous improvement, appropriate future
needs assessment, planning and delivery to anticipate future needs and mitigate
risks and patient and stakeholder engagement to inform analysis.
Lot 2: Decision Support Services
We are continuing to engage with clinical and pharmaceutical leads to finalise Lot 2. Currently, we propose that Lot 2 will be split into two
sublots:
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2A: Medicines Management and Optimisation
2B: Individual Funding Request Case Management and Continuing Healthcare and Funded Nursing Care
The proposal means that providers can be bid for either 2A or 2B or both.
The service line descriptions below are a draft of the proposed scope of these services.
Lot 2 – Decision Support Services
Medicines management and
optimisation
Individual Funding Request (IFR)
Case Management
Continuing healthcare and Funded
Nursing Care
Provision of support to ensure the safe and cost effective use of medicines that enables CCGs to achieve value for money and improved
outcomes for patients. This includes: support and advice to CCGs to ensure that their legal and governance requirements of medicines
management are met; analysis of business intelligence and use of best practice and expert knowledge to identify potential areas for
efficiencies and reduction of waste; use of data to benchmark and manage medicines management performance; provision of
intelligence and advice to enable CCGs to effectively monitor and manage expenditure on medicines; identification of areas for quality
improvement and efficiency savings and production and implementation of improvement plans; horizon scanning to support CCGs to
make strategic decisions about market entry of new products; provision of medicines optimisation support to GP practices;
management of medicines expenditure of commissioned secondary care services (e.g. PbR excluded drugs) medicines procurement.
Case Management of IFR cases including management of applications and the decision making process, the recording and sharing of
outcomes and analysis of data.
Enabling commissioners to deliver requirements to assess patients for NHS Continuing Health Care including: comprehensive referral
and assessment systems; systems which confirm and validate eligibility; funding and options for placement; provider performance
management.
Appendix 1: Questions from the previous draft
Can Lot 1 be split into separate Lots?
There has been extensive discussion with stakeholders about the lot structure for the framework. There has been broad support from
CCGs for a sole lead provider lot that covers the majority of commissioning support services and provides an integrated and seamless
service. In addition we have reviewed the requirement for bidders to form a single contracting entity, enabling more flexibility in the
partnership and risk management approaches and models that suppliers can adopt for the framework.
How prescriptive will you be about when case study examples took place?
We would expect all case study examples to be from within the last 3 years unless otherwise stated.
What format will be required for submission and what exactly will be required?
The revised assessment areas provide greater detail on the questions that are likely to be asked at PQQ stage. A draft of the areas
that we would expect responses to cover can be found in Appendix 2.
When will detail on the ITT assessment areas be available?
The high level criteria for the ITT stage will develop over the next few months. A draft of the ITT questions is anticipated to be
published at the end of May prior to the ITT stage launching in July.
How will you ensure that the framework is not used to procure services that are already provided at a national level?
When we publish the framework it will include a list of services which are explicitly excluded from the framework.
How will PPE be assessed across other service lines?
As stated in the draft PQQ assessment areas above case study responses in specific service lines will need to set out how bidders
have engaged with patients and the public.
There was significant feedback on the draft of Lot 2 from CCGs. This will be incorporated in the updated specifications for Lot 2.
Appendix 2: General Guidance
Guidance for the completion of the PQQ stage will be published alongside the official OJEU notice on 24 February and will supersede
the information provided below. This guidance is an early indication for bidders of the approach that NHS England intends to adopt in
gathering responses at PQQ stage:
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All responses should reference examples that are less than three years old. Where these examples must come from a health
and social care background this is stated explicitly in the question.
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Responses will be anonymised. Bidders will be asked to ensure that all case study examples provided are anonymous (referring,
for example, to work undertaken on behalf of “a CCG” rather than a specific CCG) and to provide separate references for each
case study. These references will be removed from the documents provided to the evaluation panel.
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Response to service specific questions (i.e. those in slides 6-11) are expected to be required to be less than 1000 words
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Bidders will be provided with template documents for each service category. These will contain a free text field for each
question. Bidders are likely to be asked to ensure that their responses, as far as possible, outline the situation, task, activity and
result of the work / services they have undertaken on behalf of a customer.