---
title: "Contingency, Asylum, Refugee and Migrant Service (C.A.R.M.S.) Wrap-around service to provide additional Primary Care capacity, advice and support"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-048520"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-048520"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-048520.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-048520.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NHS SOUTH, CENTRAL AND WEST COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNIT"
published: "2024-07-26"
---

# Contingency, Asylum, Refugee and Migrant Service (C.A.R.M.S.) Wrap-around service to provide additional Primary Care capacity, advice and support

Buyer: NHS SOUTH, CENTRAL AND WEST COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNIT  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-048520

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## Summary

NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board (ICB) is set to award the "Contingency, Asylum, Refugee and Migrant Service (C.A.R.M.S.) Wrap-Around Service" contract, under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. This contract, worth £1,928,690 per annum, spans from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 and falls under the health and social work services category. The service aims to provide additional primary care capacity, advice, and support across Sussex for asylum seekers in contingency hotels and individuals under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). This notice marks the initiation of the standstill period, during which representations must be made by midnight on 7 August 2024 via the specified project portal.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for businesses with experience in providing comprehensive healthcare services, especially those adept at addressing urgent and complex needs within vulnerable populations. The contract will be particularly beneficial for organisations that can demonstrate expertise in integration, collaboration, and service sustainability, as well as experience in working with voluntary and community groups and NHS trusts. Businesses specialising in trauma-informed care, managing health inequalities, and facilitating access to specialist services stand a good chance of competing effectively, ensuring significant impact and continuity of care for this sensitive and essential service.

## Notice

NOTIFICATION OF INTENTION TO AWARD: NHS Sussex ICB is intending to award a contract to an existing provider following Direct Award Process C of the UK Health Care Services (PSR) Regulations 2023 for Contingency, Asylum, Refugee and Migrant Service (C.A.R.M.S.) Wrap-around service to provide additional Primary Care Capacity, Advice and Support across Sussex. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be submitted to the relevant authority via the project (Atamis reference no. C231812) at: https://healthfamily.force.com/s/Welcome (https://healthfamily.force.com/s/Welcome) by midnight (23:59) on 07/08/24. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR. This direct award is for a maximum period of 12 months. The service value is PS1,928,690 per annum. CARMS is a seven-day service with clinical cover between the hours of 8am - 8pm across the whole of Sussex for asylum seekers in contingency hotels commissioned by the Home Office, those with settled status under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) scheme and Ministry of Defence sites for those with settled status under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) Scheme. This is a wraparound service for urgent medical needs whilst liaising with other key stakeholders including general practice, local acute providers, mental health services, community services, voluntary community sector, county councils.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

NHS Sussex ICB intends to award a contract to an existing provider following Direct Award Process C under the Provider Selection Regime (PSR). The CARMS Service will: Provide clinical cover for the hotels which were stood up as quarantine hotels during the Covid pandemic. Collaborate with NHS Trusts, various voluntary and community groups and GP practices which the asylum seekers in hotels registered with. Responded quickly to the arrival of a significant number of Afghan arrivals with a right to settle in the UK under the ARAP (MOD Operation Lazurite) and ACRS schemes (Pathways 1 and 3) who have been given notice to quit Pakistan or risk deportation back to Afghanistan. Contract start date: 1 April 2024 Contract end date: 31 March 2025 Contract value per annum: PS1,928,690 Total contract value (including extension options):PS1,928,690

### Procurement Information

The existing provider has been providing a service in the hotels to Asylum Seekers since October 2021. The original contract was to provide clinical cover for the hotels which were stood up as quarantine hotels during the Covid pandemic. As these hotels were stood down from providing quarantine accommodation, some were repurposed to provide accommodation to asylum seekers. NHS Sussex was then informed with less than four weeks' notice that around 1,000 people on the Afghan Relocations programme accommodated in hotels in London would be transferred to hotels in Crawley. In addition, around 1,000 asylum seekers were also being accommodated in hotels in Crawley. The numbers have increased over the past 16 months with almost 3,000 people on either the Afghan Relocation programme or asylum seekers residing in hotels across Crawley, Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings. The current provider has acquired significant experience and excellent links with NHS Trusts, various voluntary and community groups and GP practices which the asylum seekers in hotels registered with them. In addition, the provider has responded quickly to include the arrival of a significant number of Afghan arrivals with a right to settle in the UK under the ARAP (MOD Operation Lazurite) and ACRS schemes (Pathways 1 and 3) who have been given notice to quit Pakistan or risk deportation back to Afghanistan. It is not conceivable that another provider could step in and continue delivery without significant risk to service delivery and an impact upon local healthcare providers and emergency services. Due to the ongoing need for wraparound support to ensure the impact on secondary care is minimised it is important to maintain continuity of service whilst a comprehensive procurement exercise is undertaken to secure a provider from 1st April 2025 for an anticipated three-year period.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023466-2024 |
| 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 | 26 Jul 2024 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 31 Mar 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 | £1,928,690 |

## Status

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

## 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 | TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | ALLIANCE FOR BETTER CARE (ABC |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85000000 - Health and social work services

## Release History

- 26 Jul 2024 at 14:53 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023466-2024

## Notice URLs

- https://healthfamily.force.com/s/Welcome
- https://www.sussex.ics.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-048520. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-048520.json.