Award

NP605223 SMS Smart Messaging Service

THE COMMON SERVICES AGENCY (MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS NHS NATIONAL SERVICES SCOTLAND) ("NSS")

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

16 Jun 2023 at 00:00

Summary of the contracting process

The National Services Scotland (NSS), more commonly known as NHS National Services Scotland, has awarded the contract for the "NP605223 SMS Smart Messaging Service" to British Telecommunications PLC. The procurement method used was a limited award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition. The contract, valued at £4,320,000 GBP, was signed on 1st June 2023. This procurement opportunity falls within the Health industry category and is located in Edinburgh, UK. The tender stage has concluded, and the procurement process was initiated through a mini-competition under the CCS Framework RM6261 Lot2 (Network Services), with BT being the sole bidder.

This tender for the Smart Messaging Service presents an opportunity for businesses in the services sector to engage with the NHS National Services Scotland. The procurement, aimed at supporting NHS Boards in Scotland, focuses on improving communication efficiency through text messaging. Businesses offering innovative messaging solutions could find this tender particularly relevant. The competitive pricing offered by British Telecommunications PLC and the focus on enhancing communication within the healthcare sector indicate opportunities for companies with expertise in telecom services or digital communications to compete effectively in this market segment.

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Notice Title

NP605223 SMS Smart Messaging Service

Notice Description

The service is currently made available to all NHS Boards and its primary uses are to remind NHS patients via text message to attend clinical appointments and to communicate staff rotas to NHSS employees. NHS Boards collectively sent an average of 4,805,793 fragments per month over the period April 2021 to March 2022. For the corresponding period 2022 / 2023 the average monthly fragment volume increased to 6,870,128.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The service is currently made available to all NHS Boards and its primary uses are to remind NHS patients via text message to attend clinical appointments and to communicate staff rotas to NHSS employees. NHS Boards collectively sent an average of 4,805,793 fragments per month over the period April 2021 to March 2022. For the corresponding period 2022 / 2023 the average monthly fragment volume increased to 6,870,128. All figures quoted are based on a fragment containing 160 characters. 20 NHSS Health Boards currently rely on the SMS service for various business/clinical purposes. NSS Procurement, Commissioning & Facilities conducted a full procurement to establish a single supplier Agreement for the provision of SMS Services. A mini-competition for the requirement was published via CSS Framework RM6261 Lot2 (Network Services). 8 suppliers are included in this framework but only 1 BT, submitted a bid. This bid was evaluated by the project team and are now seeking approval to renew this contract starting on 15th May 2023. Due to market instability, the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) have significantly increased pricing over the past 6 months (all the major UK MNOs are investing in solutions to tackle spam/smishing in order to maintain trust in SMS as a communication channel. The UK MNOs are all focused on closing SIM farms and ensuring the protection of all consumers through activities such as the addition of network firewalls and Spam shields) and as a result this will result in an 11.3% price increase compared to the price paid in the previous 12 months. However, prior to running the mini-competition a PIN was published in October of 2022 and the new price offered by BT (1.79p per fragment) is very competitive when compared to other pricing offered by other suppliers via the PIN. 8 suppliers responded to the PIN including BT. BT also offered the cheapest prices with the closest supplier (Reach Data) at 3% more expensive. Having been offered a final price by BT the recommendation is to award a 3-year contract.

Procurement Information

A mini-competition for the requirement was published via CCS Framework RM6261 Lot2 (Network Services). 8 suppliers are included in this framework but only 1 BT, submitted a bid.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-r6ebe6-0000735754
Publication Source
Public Contracts Scotland
Latest Notice
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=JUN481348
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

64 - Postal and telecommunications services


CPV Codes

64212100 - Short Message Service (SMS) services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£4,320,000 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Jun 20232 years ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
1 Jun 20232 years ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
THE COMMON SERVICES AGENCY (MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS NHS NATIONAL SERVICES SCOTLAND) ("NSS")
Contact Name
Ope Ore
Contact Email
ope.ore@nhs.scot
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
EDINBURGH
Postcode
EH12 9EB
Post Town
Edinburgh
Country
Scotland

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM1 East Central Scotland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM13 City of Edinburgh
Delivery Location
TLM Scotland

Local Authority
City of Edinburgh
Electoral Ward
Drum Brae/Gyle
Westminster Constituency
Edinburgh South West

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

BRITISH TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Further Information

Notice Documents

  • https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=JUN481348
    NP605223 SMS Smart Messaging Service - The service is currently made available to all NHS Boards and its primary uses are to remind NHS patients via text message to attend clinical appointments and to communicate staff rotas to NHSS employees. NHS Boards collectively sent an average of 4,805,793 fragments per month over the period April 2021 to March 2022. For the corresponding period 2022 / 2023 the average monthly fragment volume increased to 6,870,128.

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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