Pathology services

Tender description

Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Services (BSPS) has procured a pathology managed service contract for the services of histology pathology. BSPS is a contractual joint venture between: Ashford and St. Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, and Royal Surrey County NHS Foundation Trust. The contract includes but is not limited to: laboratory equipment, maintenance and servicing, all associated consumables; reagents, auxiliary goods and equipment, training with associated services, installation, and enabling works. Strategic involvement will be expected, to ensure that best value and operational efficiency are achieved and maintained for the Trust throughout the life of the contract. The awarding authority seeks to award the contract to a single legal entity. The contract agreement will be let for a term of seven (7) years only with the option to extend for further periods, provided that the total term of the agreement does not exceed fourteen (14) years. The awarding authority has established the most economically advantageous tender (‘MEAT’) for the contract for the provision of a pathology managed service for histology. This includes but is not limited to laboratory equipment, maintenance and servicing, all associated consumables; reagents, auxiliary goods and equipment, training with associated services, installation, and enabling works. The contract aims to deliver the vision of BSPS to place pathology at the forefront of healthcare delivery and to bring added value to patients and users. Growth and innovation are key strategic objectives for BSPS. By growing, we can invest, and by investing we can be innovative. We intend to grow by expanding our repertoire of services and by attracting new customers through what we do and how we do it. We have a strong desire to be innovative. We want to develop ways in which we deliver pathology services that truly are of greater benefit to patients and users (added value) – new ways of accessing tests and results; more meaningful information about diagnosis and how to interpret results; better use of existing and developmental tests to shape care pathways for improved patient and user experience; partnering with organisations to translate novel ideas and research and development activity into practical use for patients and clinicians. The managed service will be subject to on-going review and development by BSPS to take note of emerging best practice and advances in approach throughout the life of the service. There is a clear expectation that the service provider will work closely with the BSPS and strive to continuously improve service delivery, embrace innovation and provide a flexible service which can readily respond to changing needs. The provider has demonstrated their understanding of immediate and long term requirements of both the NHS and the pathology industry, with continual improvement and underpinned by best practice. BSPS pathology has sought a partner to help deliver BSPS’s vision to include but not be limited to such services as lean, service improvements, horizon scanning. The objectives of the new Histology service are: (a) to deliver leading pathology innovation; (b) ensure a planned and reactive maintenance programme, that ensures uptime of equipment; (c) provide a regular service programme on all pathology equipment across all sites comprising BSPS Pathology; (d) improved logistics and material management on stock control, stock taking, ordering, deliveries; (e) improved capacity and resilience across all sites; (f) timely implementation of software and interface upgrades; (g) maximise the educational, learning and innovation. This will enable and ensure service provision, expansion and development, supporting the Trusts’ strategic development for the services commissioned and delivered to the customers of BSPS. The quality expectations of pathology services are increasing and accreditation requirements, both statutory and mandatory, are becoming much more stringent. This will continue and all suppliers will need to assist services in meeting standards as they are implemented. BSPS currently operates a number of quality measures as part of its governance standards and for on-going service quality review. These measures include assessment by external independent assessors against National, European or Quality Management standards including ISO15189, BSQR (2005), HTA, PHE and others. In addition there are an extensive number of operational key performance indicators around service provision including sample turnaround times.