NHS Lancashire & South Cumbria Integrated Care Board: Digital Mental Health Support Network

NHS Lancashire & South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (LSC ICB): Digital Mental Health Support Network

*Please note this is not a call for competition and not a contract opportunity. *

NHS Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (CSU) is working on behalf of LSC ICB for the award of a Digital Mental Health Support Network. The contract is awarded without prior publication for the following Integrated Care Partnerships (ICPs) within the LSC IBC: Fylde Coast and Central Lancashire.

In response to additional urgent demand for digital psychological therapies arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the above two named ICPs have collaborated in the direct award of a 24-month contract for a Digital Mental Health Support Network to Togetherall Ltd, without a call for competition.

Please see below for the service details and justification for the urgent need to directly award this contract in accordance with the regulatory conditions.

Additional information: This Contract Award Notice is published under the Public Contract Regulations 2015. It is for clinical services which are Light Touch Regime services for the purpose of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 as specified in Schedule 3 of the Regulations ('Regulations'). Accordingly, the contracting authority is only bound by those parts of the Regulations detailed in Chapter 3 Particular Procurement Regimes Section 7. The contracting authority is not voluntarily following any other part of the Regulations.

The contract is let in accordance with Regulations 32 and 50 and the strict regulatory conditions for letting a contract without prior publication or formal competition due to extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable by the contracting entity, namely the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ICB considers the criteria for exceptional conditions of extreme urgency and criteria for patient best interest benefits have been met due to: 1. The urgent unforeseeable demand for increased mental health support, particularly online therapies resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the inability of patients to access usual face to face appointments. 2. There being a total of over 1500 individuals across the two ICPs who are registered to use and access the support network on either a short-term or long-term basis. 3. The previous government policy of social distancing and the ongoing requirement to request a change in service delivery models has forced commissioners to seek urgent provision of services and it is deemed in the best of interests of patients to commence the service immediately without a formal procurement process by using an existing provider previously commissioned by the two ICPs named in this notice. 4. Due to the event of COVID-19, demand has increased at a pace that justifies restricting the usual competitive process by directly awarding a contract to a provider capable of mobilising across the required geographical area within 1 week, deemed to be in the best interests of patients requiring immediate access to the services during the lockdown period of the pandemic. 5. Only the minimum urgent requirements have been provided for within this contract which includes a term of 24 months for the two ICPs. 6. Value for money is assured since there has been no increase to the population-based price previously charged at "pre-COVID-19" rates paid by the two ICPs holding existing contracts with the provider. 7. The value of the contract is below the threshold for advertising on Find a Tender Service (FTS). The direct award of this short-term contract for only the immediate need will allow commissioners time to analyse and plan a competitive procurement process for the longer-term solution to the increased demand for digital therapy.