Planning

Request for Information (RFI) Introducing Standards for Case Management Systems (ASC)

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

26 Sep 2024 at 09:05

Summary of the contracting process

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is in the planning stage of a procurement process titled "Request for Information (RFI) Introducing Standards for Case Management Systems (ASC)." This initiative falls under the health services industry category and spans across the UK, targeting enhancements in adult social care. The RFI aims to address inefficiencies within the Case Management System (CMS) market, which include underperforming systems, difficult procurement processes for local authorities (LAs), and cost pressures on suppliers. The DHSC is working towards a foundational specification and is exploring opportunities for direct market intervention. Key dates include a future notice date of 26th September 2024, with the deadline for RFI submission set for 24th October 2024 at 15:00.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses with expertise in health and social care systems, particularly those experienced in developing, testing, and implementing standards. Suitable contenders can expect to engage in a market-driven innovation process aimed at creating more effective and efficient case management systems. This initiative could substantially benefit IT suppliers, consultancy services specialising in government support, and firms involved in software development for health and social care. Businesses with strong existing relationships with LAs, UK CMS providers, and relevant expert bodies are particularly well-positioned to compete and contribute to this transformative project.

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Notice Title

Request for Information (RFI) Introducing Standards for Case Management Systems (ASC)

Notice Description

Request for Information (RFI) The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has spoken to a wide range of Local Authorities (LAs) and IT suppliers about the challenges and opportunities they face in the Adult Social Care sector. A consistent theme came up - that the Case Management System (CMS) market was not functioning effectively; systems were not performing as expected, LAs were finding procurement excessively difficult, and suppliers were facing major cost pressures. DHSC decided to explore this market in more detail and provide greater support. This is to enable the market to sustainably innovate and produce efficient and effective systems that best serve the needs of people requiring care. <br/>The Department is developing a programme to deliver this support focusing on finalising a Foundational Specification (details in annexe) and identifying opportunities to for more direct intervention in the market. However, as part of informal consultation on the Foundational Specification 'Part 1' both suppliers and LAs noted that, while this guidance was helpful, they would also benefit from standards that set out clear processes that govern priority use cases and promote greater standardisation and performance across the market.<br/>The Department is therefore seeking a partner with experience developing, testing, and implementing standards across the social care and/or digital systems market.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has spoken to a wide range of Local Authorities (LAs) and IT suppliers about the challenges and opportunities they face in the Adult Social Care sector. A consistent theme came up - that the Case Management System (CMS) market was not functioning effectively; systems were not performing as expected, LAs were finding procurement excessively difficult, and suppliers were facing major cost pressures. DHSC decided to explore this market in more detail and provide greater support. This is to enable the market to sustainably innovate and produce efficient and effective systems that best serve the needs of people requiring care.

The Department is developing a programme to deliver this support focusing on finalising a Foundational Specification (details in annexe) and identifying opportunities to for more direct intervention in the market. However, as part of informal consultation on the Foundational Specification 'Part 1' both suppliers and LAs noted that, while this guidance was helpful, they would also benefit from standards that set out clear processes that govern priority use cases and promote greater standardisation and performance across the market.
The Department is therefore seeking a partner with experience developing, testing, and implementing standards across the social care and/or digital systems market.

Objective:
The Department is exploring procuring a partner to identify opportunities in current English CMSs for clear and definitive standards, focusing either on data, functionality, or interoperability, to be developed and introduced. From this longlist of opportunities, this partner would develop a prioritised shortlist of standards and identify their implementation requirements. These would then be sequenced into a delivery strategy and roadmap. To test the validity of the approach, the first of these standards would then be developed as a pilot. The final deliverable would be a long-term strategy for delivering priority standards to the CMS market validated through the development of an initial pilot standard. We aim to develop both this overall strategy by the end of this FY (24/25) and the initial pilot standard by the end of the next FY (25/26). As such we expect the programme will be conducted in two phases, the first lasting 4 months and the second 12 months with a break-clause between them.
Questionnaire:
Please complete:
Supplier Name
Supplier Address
Supplier Company Registration Number
Key Contact Name
Email Address
Telephone Number

* How would you propose delivering a project of this type to best achieve our objectives?
500 words max.

* What experience do you have in the developing standards for social care systems or other relevant markets? What specific experience do you have in ensuring these standards are adopted by the market e.g. commercial routes?
750 words max.

* What existing relationships do you have across LAs, UK CMS providers, and relevant expert bodies to effectively create and test these standards as they are developed?
500 words max.

* What level of resourcing would you propose you need to deliver this work effectively? What skills will be needed across the project team?
300 words max.

* How long would you require to deliver this work given your proposed level of resource?
300 words max.

* What would be the cost of this level of resource for this time?
300 words max.



Annexe - Foundational Specification Overview

To date the key focus of work to support the CMS market has been the development of a Foundational Specification - a set of technical guidance that sets out what CMSs must, could, and should do. In discussion with a LA Reference Group, DHSC and supporting organisations (NHSE and Local Government), it was decided to tackle the lack of clarity in the CMS market. In concert with the LA Reference Group, supporting departments, experts, and CMS suppliers we have developed the first part of the Foundational Specification. This document will provide LAs and suppliers, for the first time, with an agreed and cohesive vision of what the future of CMSs should look like. The intention is that this will raise standards by setting out minimum requirements, especially around interoperability, which will improve the functionality of systems and enable wider transformation. In addition, it will lower costs for both LAs and suppliers by promoting greater standardisation. This specification is not being introduced as mandatory, instead the Department is working closely with LAs and suppliers to co-develop the specification and ensure it is fit for purpose to promote adoption.
The specification is planned to be delivered over two publications, as the LA Reference Group requested the topic of 'Continuous Improvement' was published sooner so that they can begin to effect change more quickly. We have developed Part 1 of this specification and received positive feedback from across the market. We are currently assessing our options for developing Part 2 which will focus on core 'Procurement' topics as detailed below.
Part 1 - 'Continuous Improvement':
* ASC Core Record - a core data standard and set for consistently and accurately recording a person's key information
* Interoperability - the ability for CMSs to connect to external health and social care information systems
* Self-service and Portals - options for supporting greater choice and control when accessing social care
* Data, Analytics and Reporting - how data can be managed used to support operational, performance and strategic activities
* Non-functional requirements - attributes that determine how well an application should perform, meet quality standards, and service and user expectations as they relate to 'Continuous Improvement'

Part 2 - 'Procurement':
* Case Recording - core functionality for recording key elements of care and the system workflows that direct and guide actions
* Finance - capability of CMSs to accurately and effectively assess and monitor financial requirements and limits for people receiving care
* Commissioning - ability of the system to link to and commission care from care providers
* Non-functional requirements - attributes that determine how well an application should perform, meet quality standards, and service and user expectations as they relate to 'Procurement' Additional information: DHSC is issuing this RFI to gain additional information from potential suppliers to ensure the successful future tender exercise for Introducing Standards for Case Management Systems (ASC)

To access the RFI Document which includes a more detailed Service Description.
register at:
https://atamis-1928.my.site.com/s/Welcome.
The Atamis reference for this RFI is C308903.
For any Atamis queries email to: support-health@atamis.co.uk or via Helpdesk Phone: 0800 9956035

Please return your completed RFI no later than Thursday 24th October at 15:00.

NOTE: For avoidance of doubt this is not a call for competition, the purpose is to advise the market on the forthcoming DHSC procurement and seek feedback from the market that may inform the final specification and/or procurement approach to the services.

The RFI process does not form part of the formal procurement process. When the formal procurement process commences any supplier may join the competition and all supplier Tenders will be evaluated on the same basis. The contractual opportunity will be available in the future via DHSC Atamis eTendering System.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-04a306
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030727-2024
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Planning Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

75 - Administration, defence and social security services

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

85 - Health and social work services


CPV Codes

72212900 - Miscellaneous software development services and computer systems

75130000 - Supporting services for the government

79410000 - Business and management consultancy services

85000000 - Health and social work services

85100000 - Health services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
26 Sep 20241 years ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
25 Sep 2024Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
Contact Name
Joe Smith
Contact Email
joe.smith1@dhsc.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1H 0EU
Post Town
South West London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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