Tender

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

Single Point of Access Market Engagement

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

12 Oct 2026 at 12:06

Planning Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is seeking to develop an automated digital musculoskeletal (MSK) Single Point of Access tool for services in Berkshire. It is intended to assess patients and direct them to community physiotherapy, specialist physiotherapy, integrated pain and spinal services, or MSK podiatry. The tool must accept referrals from primary care, community and secondary care through the NHS e-Referral Service, as well as patient self-referrals through an online portal being developed by the Trust. The requirement is for digital clinical triage services covering MSK conditions throughout the body, with assessment and onward routing carried out without human intervention. This is a health technology and digital clinical triage requirement, rather than a request for physiotherapy treatment services.

The process has reached the tender stage: the Trust invited suppliers to take part in soft market engagement, not to compete for a contract. The purpose is to understand the provider landscape and refine a possible future procurement; there is no competition in this exercise, and participation is not a condition of bidding in a later procurement. Responses were due by 2 November 2026 at 12:00. The anticipated contract period is 16 November 2026 to 21 May 2027. The stated value is £1. The notice describes a restricted procedure, but any later project is expected to use the Competitive Process route under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. Any future evaluation is expected to cover technical, quality, social value and price criteria. Suppliers bear their own costs of participating.

This engagement is suited to providers already delivering digital clinical triage that can assess referrals independently and without human intervention. Suppliers need to demonstrate substantial automated clinical capability: differentiating between general MSK physiotherapy, specialist MSK services, chronic pain and spinal services across conditions throughout the body, then routing patients to the appropriate service. The tool is likely to require registration as a medical device. Experience integrating with the NHS e-Referral Service and supporting online self-referral is relevant to the intended access routes. The Trust would prefer the tool to support English, Polish, Punjabi, Nepalese and Urdu, reflecting languages common in Berkshire. The engagement is intended to inform the specification and approach for a possible subsequent procurement; it does not itself award delivery work or confer an advantage in a later competition.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Single Point of Access Market Engagement

Notice Description

The development of an automated digital musculoskeletal (MSK) Single Point of Access (SPA) tool for BHFT's community physiotherapy (MSK Physio), specialist physiotherapy (Community Specialist Service - CSS), integrated pain and spinal service (IPASS) and MSK podiatry.

Lot Information

Lot 1

See II.2.14.1 for detail of the market engagement.

The purpose of this soft market testing exercise is to understand the provider landscape and potential providers who are capable of delivering this solution. The outcome of the soft market engagement will assist BHFT to develop and obtain a sufficiently detailed knowledge of the provider landscape and to refine its requirements and approach to market in order to invite businesses to quote.

The timescales for the market assessment detailed in II.2.7.3 and II.2.7.4 of this notice are estimated.

There is no competition associated with the pre-market engagement. BHFT will liaise with any supplier with suitable experience and service offering, to inform its views of how to structure a potential downstream procurement project. Please ignore II.2.5 Award Criteria.

Once the pre-market engagement concludes, BHFT may take forward a project to develop the required solution under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. Whilst IV.1.1.1 states that restricted procurement procedure will be followed, any downstream procurement project will be sourced via the Competitive Process route under the Provider Selection Regime. Any downstream procurement project will involve multiple award criteria across technical, quality, social value and price criteria.

Participation or non-participation in this soft market engagement shall not prevent any supplier participating in any potential future procurement, nor is it intended that any information supplied as part of this process shall place any supplier at an advantage in any potential procurement process. Additional information: See 'MSK Triage Single Point of Access (SPA) market engagement fact sheet' in the referenced PME document pack. Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BHFT) are seeking to understand the potential to deliver a solution from suppliers that currently deliver digital clinical triage solutions that independently assess and manage patients without human intervention. It is likely that the developed tool sought by BHFT will require registration as a medical device. The developed SPA must be able to receive referrals from primary care, community services and secondary care via eRS in addition to patient self-referral via an online portal that BHFT is developing.

BHFT seeks providers of digital clinical triage services that can assess MSK conditions throughout the body and direct the patient into discrete and specialist MSK services without human intervention.

The level of automated clinical expertise to differentiate between general MSK physiotherapy, specialist MSK services, chronic pain and spinal services during assessment will be significant.

If possible, the tool should be made available in the most common languages relevant to the population of Berkshire - English, Polish, Punjabi, Nepalese and Urdu.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-078580
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/096023-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Planning Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Restricted procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85142100 - Physiotherapy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
12 Oct 2026Yesterday
Submission Deadline
2 Nov 20263 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
16 Nov 2026 - 21 May 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BRACKNELL
Postcode
RG12 2UT
Postcode Area
Reading
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ15 Berkshire East
Delivery Location
TLJ11 Berkshire
Local Authority
Bracknell Forest
Electoral Ward
Bullbrook
Westminster Constituency
Bracknell

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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.

Loading OCDS record...