Tip of the Day - Communication

Completing a bid is a process that requires a multi-disciplinary team of people to complete.  You might have a lead Bid Manager or Bid Writer, but the expert material will likely come from a range of sources throughout the organisation. Do co-ordinate this effort you need to ensure that you communicate properly with the people you need to complete the bid.

Unfortunately it is often the case that the right people to provide input to a bid are not contacted until very late in the day.  This ends up rushing them in to getting the input to you, as well as generally annoying them that they have to this at short notice on top of their day job.  This can then end up breeding resentment against a Bid / Business Development Team and make it even more difficult to get information in the future.

This sounds obvious, but I would recommend that you contact those people you need input form as soon as possible – at least 4 weeks in advance if possible.  This should mean that you will get better quality input, as well as having the opportunity to develop a positive relationship with them.

This all feeds in to wider communication around bids but I will leave that tip for another day.

Top Contracts Today

Very quiet today with only one new contract of interest.

  

Hampshire CCGs:

Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service

Description – The provision of a comprehensive Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) for children, young people and their families/carers with access to timely assessments and interventions.

Length – 5 Years

Value – Unknown

Deadline – 24^th June

Link for further info – Here

Tip of the Day - Pricing it Right

I’ve mentioned financial modelling in a previous tip, but this one focuses on how you price your bid competitively.  It is probably the single most important decision you can make on a bid so make sure you spend time on it and do everything possible to get it right for your organisation.

Unfortunately many organisation price simply to win a contract; this is not a recommended approach!  You need to look at what price is right for your organisation as opposed to what will simply win the contract.  There is no point in winning a contract if it will financially cripple you, particularly if you are an SME.

The only reason it may be worth pricing to win is if you can break even and it stops a competitor getting in to an area you want to protect or even potentially a re-tender.  This is still risky as it only takes something small to go wrong and you are losing money.

Top Contracts Today

Top 3

North Lincolnshire CCG:

Community Respiratory Service

Description - The CCG expects that the enhanced respiratory service will deliver healthcare to our local population covering the following services and conditions: Services to be delivered by the Provider include:

• Pulmonary Rehabilitation Service

• Self-Management Education

• Advice & Support to Primary Care

• Early Supported Discharge Scheme for COPD patients

• Assessment and Review for Home Oxygen service

• TB services (except diagnosis of TB)

• Consultant and Nurse Specialist Community Respiratory Clinics Conditions to be supported will include

• COPD

• Asthma (except ‘difficult-to-control’ Asthma)

• Bronchiectasis

• Obstructive Sleep Apnoea

Length – 3 Years + 2

Value – £1.1m-£1.7m

Deadline – 13^th June for EoI

Link for further info – Here

NHS England (Essex Area Team):

Trapps Hill GP Practice

Description - NHS England Essex Area team are looking to commission a new provider for primary medical services for patients currently registered at a practice in the IG10 postcode of Loughton, Essex Overview of the service To provide primary medical services for registered patients currently registered under an APMS contract which comes to an end on 31.03.15. Key features of service are: • Services are to be provided from premises provided by the successful bidder in the IG10 postcode of Loughton Essex from the commencement of the contract • To be GP Led under by a provider with an existing contract with NHS England (either GMS or PMS) • The contract will be at the rate currently being paid under the providers existing GMS or PMS contract • The successful provider will deliver a model of service that supports the development of the Primary Care Strategy and vision of both NHS England and West Essex CCG. • To be committed to supporting 7 day working for services in the local area The service will play an integral part in improving patients' experience of the NHS by ensuring that they receive high quality care as a registered patient in the locality. The range of services include the delivery of those services which form part of a NHS general medical primary care service contract. We are looking for a provider that can meet the specification and demonstrate innovation, best quality patient experience, cost effectiveness, superior access and seamless, safe patient pathways.

Length – 5 Years

Value – Unknown

Deadline – 9^th June for EoI

Link for further info – Here

Hertfordshire County Council:

The Provision of Preventing Substance Misuse in At Risk Groups in Broxbourne

Description – Hertfordshire County Council is working to prevent substance misuse in young people. Our data has identified that some young people are more at risk of taking up smoking, drinking alcohol or taking drugs than others; and we want to focus our efforts on these more vulnerable groups. Local data has also identified that Broxbourne is a target geographical area for this type of work. We take a broad view of prevention of substance misuse, as we believe that often it is linked to other risky behaviours and health inequalities including poor mental health, and unhealthy relationships. Our previous work indicates that programmes which focus on promoting young people’s wider emotional wellbeing and physical health are likely to be successful, if combined with general awareness raising of substance misuse and the support available. We therefore would like to commission a targeted programme to work with at risk groups in Broxbourne to prevent substance misuse, and to demonstrate the impact of this work with a view to potentially securing sustainable funding for future years.

Length – 1 Year

Value – £25k-£50k

Deadline – 18^th June for EoI

Link for further info – Here

Other Contracts of Interest

Hertfordshire County Council - The Provision of a Sex, Relationships and Aspirations Programme for Young Women – further details here

Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby CCG - Provider Engagement Event for Whitby Community Services – further details here

Tip of the Day - Playing to your strengths

Always play to the strengths of your organisation when bidding for a contract.  This sounds obvious but a lot of the time organisations get side-tracked by trying to come across as something that they plaint are not.  If you do this, you will get found out, either at interview or even during service delivery if you win the contract; this will potentially have catastrophic consequences for your reputation.

On an organisational type level, examples of playing to your strengths are:

·         Large Corporates – play on your size and the infrastructure you have at your disposal such as IM&T and HR

·         Social Enterprises – public sector commissioners love social enterprises so play up on the employee owned model and how this helps deliver great services

·         Smaller Specialist Organisations – play on your excellence in service delivery and how it is innovative, safe, etc.

Now the above are broad brush stereotypes but you get the impression.  Of course to balance our playing to your strengths you also need to minimise your weaknesses, but that is a tip for another day.

Top Contracts Today

Top 3

Kernow CCG:

Integrated Community Elective Services

Description - Integrated Community Elective service procedures including:

General Surgery

Trauma & Orthopaedics

Gastroenterology

Ophthalmology

Dermatology

Rheumatology

Gynaecology

ENT

Cardiology

Urology

Length – 3 Years

Value – Up to £75m

Deadline – 15^th July

Link for further info – Here

Greater East Midlands CSU:

Integrated Healthcare Services for Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre

Description – Primary health services in Secure Training Centres and other accommodation

of a prescribed description should work alongside other custodial staff

and include programmes that specifically address:

— General Medical Services,

— Mental Health Services,

— Primary Care Nursing/Nurse Practitioner services,

— Access to Maternal Care (Mother and Baby Unit – babies registered

separately with Community Practice),

— Primary Dental services,

— Physiotherapy services,

— Pharmacy services,

— Optometry services,

— Sexual Health services,

— Podiatry services,

— Contraception and sexual health services,

— Substance misuse services – Clinical and Psychosocial,

— Screening and immunisation,

— Diagnostic services,

— Smoking Cessation Services,

— Management of long term conditions,

— Health promotion and prevention,

— Management of escorts and bed watches

Length – 2 Years + 1 + 1 + 1

Value – £2m-£5m

Deadline – 27^th June

Link for further info – Here

Calderdale CCG:

Medicines Waste Campaign

Description – Calderdale CCG seeks expressions of interest from suitably experienced and qualified service providers who would like to be considered for the provision of a medicines waste campaign within Calderdale in the first or second quarter of 2014/15. We wish to reduce the level of medicines waste in Calderdale by engaging with the public through GP practices, community pharmacies and through local advertising for example on local public transport. The campaign must include high quality posters and patient information which can be collected from GP practices and community pharmacies and provided proactively from these locations. The key messages of the campaign would be around ordering only what medicines are required, highlighting the costs to the NHS of waste medication and raising awareness that medicines cannot be recycled, as well as the importance of discussing medicines with health professionals on a regular basis. Secondary messages would include the safe disposal of medication and not sharing medicines. The benefits to the CCG should include a reduction in the volume of prescribing in the 3 months following the end of the campaign, improved patient understanding regarding waste medication and promoting improved communication between patients and health professionals.

Length – 3 Months

Value – Up to £40k

Deadline – 2^nd June (!)

Link for further info – Here

Other Contracts of Interest

Suffolk County Council – Sensory Services – further details here

Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust – Enteral Feeds – further details here

East Riding of Yorkshire Council – Intensive Housing Support for Care Leavers – further details here

Tip of the Day - Partnering

At times there will be bids that you want to go for that you either can’t provide all of the services required, or that you feel you won’t stand a chance without partnering with another organisation.  In both cases you will need a partner organisation to be able to try and win the service.  How do you chose the right partner though?

First of all, think about what your organisation brings to the table.  What are your strengths and weaknesses, particularly in the context of the service you are bidding for?  Then try and identify organisations that can fill the gaps in your weaknesses and be able to present a credible bid that satisfies the needs of the commissioners.  It may be that your weaknesses are considerable and that you need to find a partner is willing to take you on as a minor player.

That brings us to the second point, how do you want a relationship with another organisation to look like?  Assuming you have found a willing partner you need to decide what model this relationship will take.  Options include:

·         One organisation takes the lead and the other is a sub-contractor

·         A joint venture model – though this takes time to set up properly

·         A loose partnership arrangement that will be solidified should you win the service

That doesn’t cover everything but gives you an idea of the questions and things you need to think about before heading in to a partnership.

Top Contracts Today

Cardiff and Value University Health Board:

Continuing Healthcare Nursing Care

Description - The Health Board is seeking to establish a framework of suitably qualified for the provision (on a call off ‘as required' basis) of Continuing Healthcare Nursing Provision. Guiding principles will be for the provision of Services which, inter alia:
— Are transparent and consistent
— Are appropriate
— Are sustainable
— Are of an increased quality
— Are cost effective
— Secure value for money
— Secure realistic costs framework in terms of financial viability of selected Service Providers
— Meet assessed specialist needs of Service users (where applicable)
— Are safe in interests of wider community
— Comply with NHS Wales' prescribed and strictly defined terms and conditions, specification and standards
— Meet at all times the statutory obligations of the NHS

Length – 4 Years

Value – £25m

Deadline – 23^rd June

Link for further info – Here

London Boroughs of Southwark & Lewisham:

Accommodation-based support services framework

Description - The London Boroughs of Southwark and Lewisham invite expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced providers for inclusion in its service framework for the provision of Accommodation-based Prevention and Inclusion (P and I) services. The P and I services have been divided into 5 multi provider Lots being:
— People with Mental Health problems;
— Vulnerable Adults;
— Young People including those at risk, leaving care, at risk of re-offending, teenage parents;
— People with Disabilities including learning and physical, sensory, impairment and long term condition including people with challenging behaviours; and
— Violence Against Women and Girls.

Length – 4 Years

Value – £48.5m

Deadline – 27^th June

Link for further info – Here

Police & Crime Commissioner for Merseyside:

Forensic Medical and Healthcare Services (excluding SARCS)

Description - Provision of professional forensic medical and healthcare services to detainees within force custody suites. The service is required 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365/366 days a year and, presently, at five locations. The service may also be required at police stations and at scenes of sudden death.

Length – 3 Years + 1 + 1

Value – £6.5m

Deadline – 23^rd June

Link for further info – Here

Tip of the Day - Downtime

Unless you are a large organisation that is constantly dealing with a conveyor belt of bids, it is likely that you will have times when there are no bids going on, or at least only those at early stages of procurement.  It is important to use this time constructively to make things easier for you in the future.

Use the time to:

·         Create / Update your bid library

·         Create new case studies

·         Visit services that the organisation provides and speak to service managers to get a more rounded view of how things work in practice

·         Competitor research

·         Ensuring systems and processes are working

·         Learning lessons from things that haven’t worked well in the past

As well as using the time constructively, also look after a bid team if you manage one.  Bids are stressful and it is easy to burn out on them; give the team a break or maybe even an away day to reward them for the hard work they have done.  Bid Writers and Managers are some of your most important assets; look after them before they head off elsewhere.

Top Contracts Today

Top 3

Warrington Borough Council:

Integrated Sexual Health Service

Description - Provision of an integrated sexual health service to prevent, detect and treat sexual ill health

Length – 4 Years + 1

Value – £8.25m

Deadline – 23^rd June

Link for further info – Here

East Sussex CCGs:

Community Wheelchair Service

Description - The service will include the assessment, prescription, provision and maintenance of wheelchairs and specialist seating and equipment for clients with permanent mobility problems. The service will be for both children and adults. The service will be tendered in 2 Lots: Lot 1 - Children and young people's service across all the Commissioner's area Lot 2 - Adults service

Length – 3 Years + 2

Value – £1.85m-£2.27m

Deadline – 30^th June

Link for further info – Here

Great Yarmouth and Waveney CCG:

Palliative Care Beds

Description – The CCG requires the renewal and expansion of their current provision for Palliative Care Beds in the locality. The Commissioner is looking to procure 4 beds (potentially over different locations) for patients requiring specialist palliative care in an in-patient setting, in a manner that maximises their quality of life.

Length – 3 Years

Value – £250k-£300k

Deadline – 20^th June

Link for further info – Here

Other Contracts of Interest

Hertfordshire County Council - Alcohol Telephone Counselling Service – further details here

The Corporation of Trinity House - Occupational Health and Employee Assistance Programme – further details here

Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust - Ultrasound Services – further details here

Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - Interim MRI Solution – further details here

Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - Interim Mobile MRI Solution – further details here

Tip of the Day - Presenting Examples

One consideration when constructing a bid is how to present your examples.  Part of this will be determined by the submission rules, e.g. portal, hard copy,etc.  If you do have the freedom to use formatting and insert pictures, then how you present your examples can become very important.

There are two ways that I approach presenting examples when I have the freedom:

·         Paste / write your example where it is required and then format with a shaded and coloured box around it, also potentially italic the words.  This method makes your example stand out without being too obtrusive or that they distract from the substance of what you are trying to say. Example:

Experience of providing x service

·         Another way is to present your example as bullet points in a PowerPoint slide that is then pasted as a picture in to the bid.  This has the advantage of drawing the attention and you can also incorporate pictures or diagrams much easier in to a PowerPoint

However you present your examples, make sure they are relevant, in the right position and add value to what you are trying to say.

Top Contracts Today

Top 3

Telford and Wrekin Council:

Framework for the Provision of Domiciliary Care Services

Description - An Open Procedure to establish a Preferred Provider Framework for the Provision of Domiciliary Care Services for Adults and Children in the Borough of Telford & Wrekin. This will be Tendered across two lots; Lot 1 - Adults. Lot 2 - Children

Length – 1 Year

Value – £5m-£10m

Deadline – 9^th June

Link for further info – here

Nottingham CCG:

Psychological Therapies AQP

Description – Nottingham City CCG is seeking to commission Primary Care Psychological Therapies services. The Commissioners require Primary Care Psychological Therapies services with staff qualified to appropriate levels of skill and experience, using connection to NHS information and the ability to integrate with the Choose and Book system, robust performance management systems and stringent levels of clinical governance.

Length – Unknown

Value – N/A as volumes variable

Deadline – 20^th June

Link for further info – here

Suffolk County Council:

Learning Disability Supported Housing

Description – The facility (Milbank) will be a 24 hour supported living scheme, consisting of 4 self-contained bungalows (2 pairs of semi-detached each pair with a communal space) for 4 women with a diagnosis of autism, behaviours and complex needs.

Length – 3 Years + 2

Value – £2.175m

Deadline – 9^th July

Tip of the Day - Check the Submission Details

Bit of an obvious tip today but it is just as important as any of the others.  Whatever you do, check how the bid has to be submitted!  I have had instances in the past where people have not checked until the day before or the day of submission and found that they were about to submit it incorrectly.

Firstly, check how the bid needs to be submitted.  Is it email, online portal, hard copy, CDs or a combination of them?  If it is hard copy / CDs I strongly suggest you plan for all the printing and packaging to be done at least a day before submission, if not sooner.  Figure out you delivery options – will you it by hand, courier or royal mail?

For online portals, test the portal as soon as you can.  This will give you an indication of what you can do it, e.g. pictures, diagrams, attachments, etc.  Take a note of the word / character limit for each question as well.  Many portals will cut off any words / characters over the limit and leave you in a bit of bother if you are submitting it close to the deadline.

Top Contract Today

A very quiet day today with only one new Health and Social Care contract out!

City and County of Swansea:

Direct Payments Support Service

Description - The Direct Payment Support Service is to provide a sliding scale of support for eligible individuals within the Western Bay foot print which enables the service user to be as independent as possible. Support will therefore be delivered in an individualized way, but may encompass advice and guidance on being an employer, recruitment and retention of personal assistants, compiling of payroll and annual accounts.

Length – 4 Years

Value – Unknown

Deadline – 30^th June

Link for further info – Here

Tip of the Day - Horizon Scanning

Missing out on a contract because you didn’t spot the advert can be infuriating, particularly if it happens on multiple occasions.  To make sure this doesn’t happen, you need to know where to look, as well as what to look for.

The two websites I use every day to see what new contracts are coming out include:

·         Government Contract Finder - https://online.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/

·         The Official Journal of the European Journal - http://ted.europa.eu/TED/main/HomePage.do

Neither website is particularly user friendly, but after a bit of practice you will know how to use it.  As I focus on Health and Social Care, I’ll give a few easy steps as to how to find these opportunities through contract finder:

·         On the home page click on Advanced Search

·         Under What type of information should we show you? Click on Live Opportunities

·         On the left-hand menu below this, click on by CPV Code

·         To the right then click Browse CPV Codes

·         Scroll down on the menu then select Health and social work services – 85000000 (it may also be worth selecting Other community, social and personal services – 98000000)

·         At the bottom of the page click Search

·         This will then give you all the live opportunities. For ease of use I suggest sorting it by Publication Date, this will give you the newest opportunities first

As a final tip, do not rely on email alerts from either website, I would suggest you manually check or get someone to do so for you every day.  This way, you hopefully won’t miss anything.

Top Contracts Today

Top 3

Bromley CCG:

Provision of an urgent care and walk in service

Description:

a) To provide continuous access to and availability of treatment for urgent care needs.
b) To assess and treat any illness or injury not requiring intensive or specialist care and prevent avoidable A&E attendances.
c) To develop a responsive service that anticipates issues, develops and implements plans to address them and makes informed service improvements.

Length – 5 Years

Value – £5.4m-£11.5m

Deadline – 24^th June

Link for further info – Here

Bath and North East Somerset CCG:

BaNES Pilot Outreach Service

Description – A pilot to provide an Outreach Service to engage with Gypsy Travellers, Irish Travellers, New Travellers, Boaters, Showmen/women, Roma communities and itinerant workers in the CCG area. The pilot Outreach Service will test the provision of some limited healthcare, social intervention and direct, individual support, for example, completion of paperwork.

Length – 20 Months

Value – up to £100k

Deadline – 3^rd June

Link for further info – Here

Arden Commissioning Support:

Emergency and urgent unplanned patient transport services for Worcestershire

Description - The aim is to procure a Worcestershire wide Patient Transport Service that provides both non-emergency and urgent unplanned transport i.e. patients who need to be moved within either a 2 or 4 hour window of PTS being booked (based upon each patient's medical needs) for respite care or step up/down care at nursing homes and/or hospices. 

Length – 5 Years

Value – £7.5m

Deadline – 19^th June

Link for further info – Here

Other Contracts of Interest

South-East

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust - Provision of Neuro Pathology Services – further details here

Yorkshire and Humber

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust - Outsourcing of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Outpatient Dispensing Services – further details here

The City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council - Integrated Carers Service – further details here

North-West

Blackpool Council - The Provision of an Accommodation Based Housing Related Support Service – further details here

North East

Cumbria County Council - Provision of Smoking Cessation Service – further details here

Cumbria County Council - Provision of Public Health Services in Pharmacy – further details here