Commissioner Led Market Intelligence Initiative for Community Requested Pathology Services in North West London: Request for Information

Eight North West London PCT’s; namely NHS Barnet, NHS Brent, NHS Ealing, NHS Harrow, NHS Hammersmith and Fulham, NHS Hillingdon, NHS Kensington and Chelsea and NHS Westminster are conducting a market intelligence initiative with providers to establish whether there are opportunities to transform and enhance community requested pathology services to deliver benefits to patients, GPs , PBC consortia and commissioners.

The commissioners want to test the market to establish specifically whether there are any pathology providers with experience in delivering:

1.   Innovation across the whole Community Requested Pathology pathway

2.   Transformation of pathology services as per the Carter Pathology Review

3.   Cost savings through attractive commercial arrangements, demand management, efficiencies and consolidation

The eight PCT’s, invite pathology organisations from both the acute and independent sector with experience in these areas to complete a Request for Information which will provide them with the opportunity to engage with the PCTs in further dialogue if they are successfully shortlisted.

This will be a two stage process with organisations initially completing a concise 5 page Request For Information (RFI), which can be obtained by request by sending an email to Richard.Dolby@harrowpct.nhs.uk

Completed RFI’s should be returned by the 15 September 2009 by 1200 by email to Richard.Dolby@harrowpct.nhs.uk. RFI responses will then be evaluated and up to three providers will be invited to present to the eight North West London PCT’s on their innovation, transformation and cost saving experiences outlined above on Friday 25 September.

This initiative will allow individual PCT’s to decide whether or not to commit to a formal procurement exercise in the future after consideration for all the stakeholders involved. This is a pre procurement exercise, allowing commissioners to make better informed decisions and does not alter existing contractual arrangements with Community Requested Pathology providers. On this basis formal tendering may or may not commence at a later date for all or any subset of the eight PCT’s. Participation in this market intelligence initiative will not form any part of any future evaluation process should a formal tender be issued.

For further information or clarification please contact:

Richard Dolby at NHS Harrow; Richard.Dolby@harrowpct.nhs.uk , telephone 07866 389 956.