VCSE Structure & Strategy to NHS BRISTOL, NORTH SOMERSET AND SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE (BNSSG) INTEGRATED CARE BOARD (ICB)

1. This notice is placed as a Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (PMEN) to inform the market of Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Integrated Care Board's (ICB) (the Commissioner) intention to commission Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Structure & Strategy services. The Commissioner would like to understand the level of provider and partner interest in delivering these services.
2. The Commissioner is seeking to secure a Provider that has the capability and capacity to deliver VCSE Structure & Strategy services. The purpose of the VCSE Structure & Strategy services is to provide structure within the VCSE sector so that it can be an equal partner in the BNSSG Integrated Care System (ICS). The objectives of the service are:

a. Provide VCSE structure / interface with VCSE sector and ICS - through culture, planning, decision-making, new models and innovation / improvement.

b. Support co-design and implementation of strategic commissioning and strategic developments, including the BNSSG VCSE Vision, Healthier Together 2040 and neighbourhood health.

3. The Commissioner's intention is to source a single contract with a single contracting entity, for a service that will cover the entire BNSSG area.
4. The service will be for three years and will start in the early part of the 26/27 FY.
5. The following should be noted:

a. The VCSE sector in BNSSG is estimated to number 8,000 independent, diverse VCSE organisations, 80% of which are micro and small (with annual turnover up to £100,000, employing up to 5 people).

b. The BNSSG VCSE Vision and its goals (culture, planning, decision-making, new models and innovation / improvement) provide the framework for the VCSE Structure & Strategy service.

c. Activities similar to those to be commissioned are currently provided through a grant-funding arrangement between BNSSG ICB and the BNSSG VCSE Alliance. The VCSE Alliance is a collaboration between the ICB and the VCSE sector, which aims to

i. Encourage and enable the VCSE sector to work in a coordinated way to inform policy, strategy and decision-making.

ii. Provide the NHS and health and social care colleagues with a simple route of contact, engagement, and links to community.

iii. Better position the VCSE sector to contribute to the design and delivery of integrated care.

6. Work is progressing to create the new ICB from the NHS BNSSG ICB and the NHS Gloucestershire ICB. The detail of the new ICB will become clear over time and it is possible that the VCSE Structure & Strategy service will need to include Gloucestershire as well as BNSSG.
7. It is not possible to state that TUPE will or will not apply at this stage, as the requirements of the VCSE Structure & Strategy service will develop after this notice and market engagement.
8. Following this exercise, the BNSSG ICB intends to hold pre-market engagement for another service: the "VCSE Support & Deliver service". In summary, the purpose (provisional) of the VCSE Support & Deliver service is to have a mature VCSE provider market in the form of a framework, that can deliver wellbeing / health outcomes through health and care services / activities in BNSSG. The objectives (provisional) of the service are:

a. Enable and support VCSE collaborations / partnerships to deliver in neighbourhoods and communities.

b. Test and provide approaches to targeted capacity building / market development support for priority VCSE organisations / communities.

c. Provide services that support wellbeing / health programmes to reach diverse and mature VCSE market and VCSE organisations to make innovative proposals for delivery.

9. Early estimate envelope of c. £120k per annum, for a term of 3-years, totalling £360k. These figures are provided as a means for providers to ascertain scale and are highly liable to change before any formal procurement process is undertaken.
10. The Commissioner is seeking for all interested parties to register their interest and provide responses to a supplementary market engagement questionnaire. Access detail have been included in the "Engagement" section of this notice. The Commissioner encourages all interested parties to engage with this process, be it potential prime providers, interested subcontractors or even parties who do not wish to bid but believe they may be impacted by this service.

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