NHS England South - Liaison and Diversion Services across the South

NHS England South is seeking to commission Liaison and Diversion Services across the South.

There are high numbers of people with mental health, learning disability, substance misuse and other psychosocial vulnerabilities who enter the youth and criminal justice systems, who could be dealt with in the community, or diverted from the justice pathway altogether, as well as requiring early identification should custodial sentences be applied. The aim of the L&D Service is to provide early intervention for vulnerable people (adults, children & young people) as they come to the attention of the criminal justice system. The service will provide a prompt response to concerns raised by the police, youth offending teams, court staff or any other referral process (including self-referral) and provide critical information to decision-makers in the justice system, in real time, when it comes to charging and sentencing. The service will also act as a point of referral and follow up for these service users, to ensure they can access, and are supported to attend community treatment and rehabilitation appointments.

The contract duration will be for 3 years, with an option to extend for up to a further 3 years, with a commencement date of 01 April 2019.

The procurement exercise is split into 8 Lots as illustrated below, with the corresponding 3 year financial envelopes.

1. Devon and Cornwall, (including the Isles of Scilly) (£4,890,000) 2. Wiltshire (£1,740,000) 3. Gloucestershire (£2,145,000) 4. Hampshire, (including the Isle of Wight) (£6,454,005) 5. Dorset (£2,441,397) 6. Kent (£4,639,704) 7. Surrey (£2,867,946) 8. Sussex (£4,440,015)

Bidders may bid for one or multiple Lots, however, each Lot must be bid for separately and be viable and sustainable in their own right.

Commissioners are seeking for improved outcomes for service users, not necessarily for economical savings.

A few key outcomes include: •Improved access to healthcare and support services for vulnerable individuals and a reduction in health inequalities •Diversion of individuals, where appropriate, out of the youth and criminal justice systems into health, social care, education and training, or other supportive services •To deliver efficiencies within the youth and criminal justice systems •To reduce re-offending and/or escalation of offending behaviours

TUPE may apply to all Lots.

Provision for Peer Support is only included in the South West and South Central Specifications. Although there is no provision for Peer Support within the South East (Kent, Surrey and Sussex) Specifications, it is currently being reviewed nationally for the possibility of additional allocation. The service specification is likely to expand to include peer support through the life of the contract. The successful Provider(s) will be required to adopt these changes.

This exercise is being carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of NHS England Commissioners.

Additional information: Interested providers will be able to search for the tender opportunity via the 'current tenders' list on the e-procurement system https://in-tendhost.co.uk/scwcsu/aspx/Home or access it directly by the following link: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/scwcsu/aspx/ProjectManage/771

In order to submit a bid, you will need to register on the e-procurement portal and 'express an interest' and then 'Opt-in' to the relevant Lots in order to complete all necessary questions as specified within the documents. Bidders are required to respond to the Selection Questionnaire and ITT questions directly within the system and attach any requested documents separately to the placeholders provided.

On registration, please include at least two contacts to allow for access to the portal in times of absence.

The services are healthcare services falling within Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ("the Regulations") which are not subject to the full regime of the Regulations, but is instead governed by the "Light Touch Regime" contained within Chapter 3, Section 7 of the Regulations (Regulations 74 to 77).

The tendering process will be conducted in accordance with the requirements and flexibilities provided by Articles 74 to 76 of the Directive, and Regulations 74 to 76 of the Regulations. The Authority will run a transparent tender process, treating all Bidders equally. For the avoidance of doubt, the Authority will not be bound by the Regulations or the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union or any other regulations or legislation except for the specific parts or circumstances that apply to the procurement of these Services.

Neither the inclusion of a Bidder selection stage, nor the use of any language or terms found in the Directive or Regulations, nor the description of the procedure voluntarily adopted by the Authority ("Open", "Restricted", "Competitive Procedure with Negotiation", "Competitive Dialogue" or any other description), nor any other indication, shall be taken to mean that the Authority intends to hold itself bound by the Directive or Regulations, save by the provisions applicable to services coming within the scope of Annex XIV of the Directive / Schedule 3 of the Regulations.

The Contracting Authority intends to voluntarily observe the award decision notices provisions and 10 day standstill period described in Regulation 86 of the Regulations. Unsuccessful Bidders will receive scores and reasons for the decision, including the characteristics and relative advantages of the winning bid and the reasons why the Bidder/application was unsuccessful. Deadline for lodging of appeals should be in accordance with Regulation 87 and Regulation 91 of the Regulations.