Hosting of the Pharmacy Practice Unit to deliver Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) Functions

Tender description

**This opportunity is on behalf of NHS England** Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) covers a range of services which provide invaluable support to NHS pharmaceutical services across all sectors of the NHS. A review of SPS was commissioned by Dr Keith Ridge, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer in 2013 and this review resulted in the publication of the report “A Review of Specialist Pharmacy Services” in May 2014. This document proposes that SPS are commissioned once as a single national service. This paper made recommendations regarding the future configuration of the service and hosting arrangements of these services proposing that these should be aligned to a provider unit. The PPU is currently being hosted by North West Commissioning Support Unit. The purpose of this opportunity is to tender for a new host for the PPU. Hosting arrangements will consist of management of the unit in line with SPS and North West Stakeholder requirements for the pharmaceutical day to day management of the service, the financial management and accounting, HR and Organisation Development, Governance and Risk management and information and communication technology, healthcare procurement and provider management, communications. Bidders are advised that they will need to manage income and pass-through costs of circa £2.5 million per annum in addition to the contract value listed. The procurement exercise is being carried out via the North West Commissioning Support Unit on behalf of NHS England. **Please note the tender submission deadline has now been amended to Tuesday 22nd September 2015**