Pan Lancashire and South Cumbria Audiology Services (AQP plus)

The aim of the procurement is to identify suitable providers to deliver an innovative service which is a comprehensive patient centred Integrated Hearing Service across the Lancashire and South Cumbria area. The vision for people with age related hearing problems is for them to receive high quality, efficient services delivered closer to home, with short waiting times delivered patient focussed outcomes in response to the needs of the individual patients/families/carers and the community in which they live which is free at the point of access.

The service will include the provision of hearing aids for age related hearing loss (for patients aged 50 years and over) in line with national guidance and in local requirements for the registered population of the NHS commissioning organisations. The service required for the registered population of the NHS commissioning organisations is a hearing assessment service, including hearing and fitting (where required), rehabilitation support, follow-up and aftercare services for adults with no contraindications, who have suspected or diagnosed non-complex hearing loss. The service be delivered 6 days per week. The Integrated Hearing Service is for adults (over the age of 50) experiencing difficulties with their hearing and communication who feel they might benefit from hearing assessment and care, including the option of trying hearing aids to reduce these difficulties.

The ITT will be live on the 19th June 2019 on M&L CSU Bravo portal (see below) and it will have a deadline for submissions of 12:00 on the 19th July 2019.

Clarifications may be asked during the procurement process up to a week before the ITT deadline, i.e. the deadline for submitting clarification questions on the tender is 12:00 10th July 2019.

Interested providers are guided to the MLCSU eProcurement portal Bravo at https://mlcsu.bravosolution.co.uk to register their interest and gain access to this procurement's documents and more specific information. Project: project_682 - Pan Lancashire and South Cumbria Audiology (AQP plus) itt 699

Additional information: NOTES

"Light Touch Regime" services This procurement 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 authorities are only bound by those parts of the Regulations detailed in Chapter 3 Particular Procurement Regimes Section 7. The contracting authorities are not voluntarily following any other part of the Regulations. The procedure which the contracting authorities are following is set out in the MOI and ITT. As the CCG is a relevant body for the purpose of the National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) (No 2) Regulations 2013 these Regulations also apply to this procurement.

Right to Cancel The contracting authority reserves the right to discontinue the procurement process at any time, which shall include the right not to award a contract or contracts, and does not bind itself to accept the lowest tender, or any tender received, and reserves the right to award a contract in part, or to call for new tenders should it consider this necessary. The contracting authority shall not be liable for any costs or expenses incurred by any candidate or tenderer in connection with the completion and return of the information requested in this Contract Notice, or in the completion or submission of any tender, irrespective of the outcome of the competition or if the competition is cancelled or postponed. All dates, time periods and values specified in this notice are provisional and the contracting authority reserves the right to change these.

Transparency The contracting authority is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) and may be required to disclose information received in the course of this procurement under FOIA or the EIR. In addition, and in accordance with the UK Government's policies on transparency, the contracting authority intends to publish procurement documentation and the text of any resulting contractual arrangements, subject to possible redactions at the discretion of the contracting authority. Any redactions, whether in relation to information requests under FOIA, the EIR or policies on transparency will be in accordance with those grounds prescribed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. Further information on transparency can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-and-contracting-transparency-requirements-guidance

To register on the Bravo portal If your organisation has registered previously, you do not need to re-register. 1) Register on the portal webpage at https://mlcsu.bravosolution.co.uk (registration and use of the website is free of charge).

2) Once registered, candidates must Express their Interest by: a) logging into th