---
title: "Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services - North East Essex"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-044b12"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-044b12"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-044b12.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-044b12.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NHS SUFFOLK AND NORTH EAST ESSEX INTEGRATED CARE BOARD"
published: "2024-03-21"
---

# Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services - North East Essex

Buyer: NHS SUFFOLK AND NORTH EAST ESSEX INTEGRATED CARE BOARD  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-044b12

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[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-044b12.json)

## Summary

The NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board has awarded a contract for Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services in North East Essex under the urgent circumstances provision of the Provider Selection Regime. The contract was awarded to the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust. This service is vital for patients who require non-urgent transportation between NHS healthcare providers within the North East Essex region. The two-year contract is valued at £9,710,000 and commenced on April 1, 2024, with no option for extension. The award decision was made by the ICB Board in November 2023 due to an urgent need to prevent risks to patient and public safety.

This procurement presents business growth opportunities for companies providing patient transport services within the healthcare industry. Businesses specialised in non-emergency patient transportation services, particularly those with experience in working with NHS healthcare providers, would be well-suited to compete for such contracts. The procurement method used was an award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition, in response to extreme urgency as per the Provider Selection Regime and Health Care Services Regulations 2023. Location-specific expertise in the North East Essex area will be advantageous for companies looking to participate in similar future opportunities within the healthcare services sector.

## Notice

Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) provision within the North East Essex Alliance footprints. The service is to be provided to all eligible patients, as per NHS E's eligibility criteria.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

NEPTS comprises the movement of patients whose condition is not considered an 'emergency' and who can, therefore, travel in an ambulance vehicle specified to a lower level of medical provision, or, indeed, a car. NEPTS are typified by the non-urgent, planned, transportation of patients with a medical need for transport to and from a premises providing NHS healthcare and between NHS healthcare providers. NEPTS are a key enabler underpinning access to elective care and supporting timely and efficient discharge processes for acute and community providers. Continuity of provision is important for the system to maintain patient flow and stability. The length of the contract is two years as this allows the necessary time to complete a complex procurement and allow one year for mobilisation, as requested by providers. This also ensures stability of provision whilst procuring and prevents additional interim running costs, and the potential for high service transfer costs for a short contract period. NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board are awarding the contract named within this notice due to an urgent circumstance which is outlined within the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.

### Procurement Information

The recent NEPTS procurement was abandoned following challenge. This did not leave the ICB with enough time to complete a full procurement for the new service and allow sufficient time for mobilisation before the existing contract expired. Due to the need to maintain stability, continuity and prevent unnecessary costs the ICB have awarded this contract to the incumbent provider. To enable the procurement of a new NEPTS service the contract length needs to be long enough to allow time to procure and mobilise; and prevent disproportionate additional costs of transferring / competing a short-term contract. The incumbent provider has been awarded a two-year contract, commencing on 1 April 2024, ending on 31 March 2026 with no option of extension.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/009126-2024 |
| Notice type | 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 |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 21 Mar 2024 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 26 Feb 2024 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £9,710,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NHS SUFFOLK AND NORTH EAST ESSEX INTEGRATED CARE BOARD |
| Locality | COLCHESTER |
| Post town | Colchester |
| Postcode | CO4 9QR |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLH East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLH3 Essex |
| ITL 3 | TLH34 Essex Haven Gateway |
| Local authority | Colchester |
| Electoral ward | Highwoods |
| Westminster constituency | Colchester |
| Delivery location | TLH34 Essex Haven Gateway |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | EAST OF ENGLAND AMBULANCE SERVICE NHS TRUST |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85100000 - Health services

## Release History

- 21 Mar 2024 at 09:44 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/009126-2024

## Notice URLs

- https://in-tendhost.co.uk/snee-icb/aspx/Home
- https://suffolkandnortheastessex.icb.nhs.uk/

## 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-h6vhtk-044b12. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-044b12.json.