--- title: "NHS England & NHS Improvement (South East) Translation and Interpretation Services for Dentistry, Pharmacy and Optometry" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-6484c135-4d05-4b7c-b757-d19e1e453c42" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-6484c135-4d05-4b7c-b757-d19e1e453c42" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-6484c135-4d05-4b7c-b757-d19e1e453c42.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-6484c135-4d05-4b7c-b757-d19e1e453c42.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "NHS SOUTH, CENTRAL AND WEST COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNIT" published: "2020-10-06" --- # NHS England & NHS Improvement (South East) Translation and Interpretation Services for Dentistry, Pharmacy and Optometry Buyer: NHS SOUTH, CENTRAL AND WEST COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNIT Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-b5fd17-6484c135-4d05-4b7c-b757-d19e1e453c42 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-6484c135-4d05-4b7c-b757-d19e1e453c42) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-6484c135-4d05-4b7c-b757-d19e1e453c42.json) ## Summary The procurement process involves NHS England & NHS Improvement (South East) seeking to engage potential providers for Translation and Interpretation Services specifically for Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Optometry. This initiative is currently at the planning stage, with a notable engagement end date set for 30th October 2020. The services are targeted at regions within the South East of England, including Kent & Medway, Surrey Heartlands, and Sussex. This early engagement notice supports the commissioning authority's objective to enhance access to healthcare services for patients with different language needs. This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses focused on providing translation and interpretation services. Companies specialising in language services, especially those with expertise in healthcare communications, will be well-positioned to compete. The procurement encourages responses from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs), enabling them to play a crucial role in enhancing equality of access to healthcare for non-English speaking patients in the desired geographical locations. ## Notice This notice is placed in order to facilitate early engagement with potential providers, and relates only to a provider sounding questionnaire. NHS England and NHS Improvement South East (the Commissioner) is seeking feedback through the attached provider sounding questionnaire to determine the level of interest in the provision of Translation and Interpretation Services for Dentistry, Pharmacy and Optometry in the following areas: - Kent & Medway - Surrey Heartlands - Sussex - Frimley - Berkshire West, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire (BOB) - Hampshire & Isle of Wight The Commissioner is committed to equality of access for patients whose first language is not English and with sensory communication needs. This means they should receive the support and information they need to access services, communicate with staff and make informed decisions about their care and treatment. This extends to people who are deaf or deaf/blind and who might use British (or another form of) Sign Language. Specific objectives are to: 1. Maintain continuity of service provision to eligible groups and existing patients of the current interpreter and translation services. 2. Improve equity of access to primary care medical services for patients. 3. Ensure clear communications and engagement with all stakeholders, including patients, regarding proposed changes to services in the South East, 4. Achieve a cost-effective, sustainable, quality service which is accessible to all eligible groups to enable them to access the full range of primary care services. The range of translation and interpretation services include: * Telephone interpreting for patients whose first language is not English * Occasional face-to-face interpreting for patients whose first language is not English and for whom telephone interpreting would not be appropriate * Video BSL interpreting * Face-to-face BSL interpreting * Written translation of clinical documents We would welcome feedback from those organisations or individuals who are interested in these services, and may be interested in bidding for these either in their own right or as a subcontractor, if they were to be procured. If you are interested, please complete the provider sounding questionnaire attached to this notice and return to the NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit procurement mailbox at: scwcsu.procurement@nhs.net . Please return by 12 noon on 30th October 20202020. Additional information: This notice is an information gathering exercise rather than a call for competition in its own right, and therefore publication or response does not commit NHS England and NHS Improvement or respondents to a future procurement or to any award of contracts, nor provide any process exemptions or preferential treatment to any parties expressing an interest. NHS England and NHS Improvement will not be liable for costs incurred by any interested party in participating in this exercise. This early engagement exercise is being carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner. The services are healthcare services falling within Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ("the Regulations") which are not subject to the full regime of the Regulations, but is instead governed by the "Light Touch Regime" contained within Chapter 3, Section 7 of the Regulations (Regulations 74 to 77). ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/a46407d8-d77c-4af0-9768-224b6fa371e0 | | Notice type | Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Not specified | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 6 Oct 2020 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 30 Oct 2020 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | NHS SOUTH, CENTRAL AND WEST COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNIT | | Locality | BRISTOL | | Post town | Bristol | | Postcode | BS1 3NX | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) | | ITL 2 | TLK5 West of England | | ITL 3 | TLK51 Bristol, City of | | Local authority | Bristol, City of | | Electoral ward | Central | | Westminster constituency | Bristol Central | | Delivery location | TLJ South East (England) | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 79530000 - Translation services - 79540000 - Interpretation services ## Release History - 6 Oct 2020 at 14:35 - Planning - Market Engagement Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/a46407d8-d77c-4af0-9768-224b6fa371e0 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/a46407d8-d77c-4af0-9768-224b6fa371e0 6th October 2020 - Early engagement notice on Contracts Finder - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/df8f8d59-8fe4-4c02-841b-36135f7b8a1e Provider Sounding Questionnaire ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-6484c135-4d05-4b7c-b757-d19e1e453c42. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-6484c135-4d05-4b7c-b757-d19e1e453c42.json.