Acorns Childrens Hospice Trust (Walsall) (NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB)

The ICB is intending to award a contract to an existing provider following direct award process C, where the existing provider is satisfying the existing contract and will likely satisfy the proposed new contract, and the contract is not changing considerably, and the test for considerable change is not met.

The lifetime value of the contract is: £66,628 (for 12 months).

The dates between which the services are intended to be provided are: 01/04/2025 to 31/03/2026.

This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period.

Representations by providers must be made to decision makers by midnight Wednesday 2nd April 2025. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.

The ICB is satisfied that the requirements for the provision of health care services are not changing considerably, i.e., they don't meet the considerable change threshold as set out in Regulation 6(10).

The intention is to award a contract to the existing provider, via the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, Regulation 9, Direct Award C.

The contract period shall be for a period 12-months from 1st April 2025 to 31st March2026.

Email address where written representations should be sent: governance@staffsstoke.icb.nhs.uk

Details of the award decision-makers: NHS SSOT ICB Finance and Planning Committee (FPC) on 7th January 2025.

The Planned Care, Cancer & Diagnostics (PCCD) Multi Disciplinary Team (MDT) and Procurement Operational Group (POG) agreement and approval processes seek to identify any Conflicts of Interest and, if declared, these are documented and managed according to SSOT ICB policy. Persons with known or declared Conflicts of Interest would be excluded from the decision-making process. In this case, no conflicts were declared by any members of the ICB's Finance and Performance Committee.

The ICB are confident that the existing provider is satisfying the original contract and will likely satisfy the proposed contract to a sufficient standard. The continuation of existing services in 2025/26 will maintain capacity and reduced demand on primary and secondary care. The proposed contracting arrangements are not changing considerably from the existing contract. The ICB Quality & Finance teams undertook these checks (including an assessment of the Basic Selection Criteria and Key Criteria) are recorded on the ICB's DMR Tracker.

Right to Cancel: The Contracting Authority reserves the right to discontinue the direct award process at any time, which shall include the right not to award a contract or contracts and in addition reserves the right to award only part of this contract.

The Contracting Authority shall not be liable for any costs or expenses incurred by any provider in connection with this Contract Notice, or in the completion or submission of any representation to the Contracting Authority.