Specialised Adult whole-body MRI (WBMRI) Surveillance for Cancer Predisposing Syndromes

Tender description

This is a notice of intention to make an award. NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (AGCSU),on behalf of NHS England Specialised Commissioning (referred to as the Authority) invited suitably qualified and experienced providers to express interest in the provision of Specialised Adult whole-body MRI (WBMRI) Surveillance for Cancer Predisposing Syndromes by responding to this accreditation process.<br/><br/>Services are being commissioned across seven (7) geographical regions to serve the population of England, as outlined below:<br/><br/>Lot 1: London<br/>Lot 2: East of England<br/>Lot 3: South East<br/>Lot 4: South West<br/>Lot 5: Midlands<br/>Lot 6: North East and Yorkshire<br/>Lot 7: North West<br/><br/>- There is no restriction on the number of sites that may be commissioned.<br/>- Providers must be located in and deliver services from the defined geographical area(s) that they are interested in providing services to.<br/><br/>Link to NHS England Regions:<br/>NHS England » Regional teams (https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/regional-area-teams/).<br/><br/>Inherited cancer predisposition syndromes are genetic conditions that increase the risk of developing one or more types of cancer. Scanning will be commissioned for three rare inherited cancer predisposition syndromes; Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), constitutional mismatch repair deficiency syndrome (CMMRD) and rhabdoid tumour predisposition syndrome (RTPS).<br/><br/>Published clinical guidelines for these conditions recommend the use of regular whole-body MRI (WBMRI) with the aim of detecting cancers at an early stage. The provision of expanded capacity for WBMRI scanning aims to improve clinical care of individuals once an inherited cancer predisposition has been diagnosed.<br/><br/>Providers will:<br/>• Provide, interpret and report WB-MRI Scanning for the patient cohort described.<br/>• Provide, interpret, and report brain MRI Scanning (the first one with contrast when possible).<br/>• Establish effective pathways (including sharing results) with providers.<br/>• Be linked to regional genetic centres to allow continuity of care.<br/>• Facilitate communication with referrers including consultant clinical geneticists<br/>• Have capacity to plan and undertake WBMRI under general anaesthetic if re-quired.<br/>• Have information governance processes that permit sharing clinical and imaging data across organisations involved with providing a cancer surveillance service, and collection of clinical outcome and monitoring data.<br/>• Engage positively with associated patient support groups.<br/>• Ensure clear communication with Genetics Services and patients, to support patients to make decisions on where to access screening.<br/>• Work collaboratively with other organisations e.g. within imaging networks, to provide scanning and reporting capacity and expertise to meet the needs of their population including transition between paediatric and adult services.<br/>• Operate Quality Assessment processes according to CQC standards<br/>• Screening will be in addition to breast screening undertaken through the National VHRS Programme<br/>• Provide facilities will be in line with NHS guidance on Facilities for diagnostic imaging and interventional radiology.<br/>• Support continued educational initiatives for non-genetics healthcare professionals to improve expertise and understanding of cancer predisposition syndromes.<br/>• Liaise with partners across cancer alliances to support early diagnosis innovation opportunities<br/>• Ensure screening frequency will be in accordance with surveillance protocols. Lot 1: This notice sets out the intention to award a contract following a competitive procurement process for the provision of Specialised Adult whole-body MRI (WBMRI) Surveillance for Cancer Predisposing Syndromes.<br/><br/>The Commissioner intends to award 10 individual contracts for this newly commissioned service, following this competitive process, to providers not previously contracted for this service.<br/><br/>Inherited cancer predisposition syndromes are genetic conditions that increase the risk of developing one or more types of cancer. Scanning will be commissioned for three rare inherited cancer predisposition syndromes; Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), constitutional mismatch repair deficiency syndrome (CMMRD) and rhabdoid tumour predisposition syndrome (RTPS).<br/><br/>Published clinical guidelines for these conditions recommend the use of regular whole-body MRI (WBMRI) with the aim of detecting cancers at an early stage. The provision of expanded capacity for WBMRI scanning aims to improve clinical care of individuals once an inherited cancer predisposition has been diagnosed.<br/><br/>Providers will:<br/>• Provide, interpret and report WB-MRI Scanning for the patient cohort described.<br/>• Provide, interpret, and report brain MRI Scanning (the first one with contrast when possible).<br/>• Establish effective pathways (including sharing results) with providers.<br/>• Be linked to regional genetic centres to allow continuity of care.<br/>• Facilitate communication with referrers including consultant clinical geneticists<br/>• Have capacity to plan and undertake WBMRI under general anaesthetic if re-quired.<br/>• Have information governance processes that permit sharing clinical and imaging data across organisations involved with providing a cancer surveillance service, and collection of clinical outcome and monitoring data.<br/>• Engage positively with associated patient support groups.<br/>• Ensure clear communication with Genetics Services and patients, to support patients to make decisions on where to access screening.<br/>• Work collaboratively with other organisations e.g. within imaging networks, to provide scanning and reporting capacity and expertise to meet the needs of their population including transition between paediatric and adult services.<br/>• Operate Quality Assessment processes according to CQC standards<br/>• Screening will be in addition to breast screening undertaken through the National VHRS Programme<br/>• Provide facilities will be in line with NHS guidance on Facilities for diagnostic imaging and interventional radiology.<br/>• Support continued educational initiatives for non-genetics healthcare professionals to improve expertise and understanding of cancer predisposition syndromes.<br/>• Liaise with partners across cancer alliances to support early diagnosis innovation opportunities<br/>• Ensure screening frequency will be in accordance with surveillance protocols.<br/><br/>The approximate total lifetime value of all 10 contracts over the full 5 year contract term is circa £1,387,430.<br/><br/>The services are intended to commence on 1 July 2026, with an initial contract period to 30 June 2029, and an option to extend for up to a further two years, resulting in a maximum contract term of five years.<br/><br/>The intention to to award contracts to the following providers:<br/>Lot 1 - London<br/>Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust<br/>London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust<br/>The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust<br/>Lot 2 – East of England<br/>Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust<br/>Lot 3 - South East<br/>University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust<br/>Lot 4 – South West<br/>Royal Devon University Hospitals Trust<br/>Lot 5 – Midlands<br/>Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Primary<br/>Lot 6 - North East and Yorkshire<br/>Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust<br/>Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust<br/>Lot 7 - North West<br/>Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) Additional information: This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of these contracts is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Procurement Act Regulations 2023 do not apply to this award. The standstill period begins on the day after the publication of this notice. <br/><br/>Representations by providers must be made to the relevant authority by Friday 29 May 2026. These contracts have not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR. Representations should be sent to jessica.gaucher-thompson@nhs.net.<br/><br/>The award decision‑makers were NHS England’s National Commissioning Group (NCG). <br/><br/>The award decision was based on the outcome of a pass/fail evaluation against the published procurement requirements.<br/><br/>All key award criteria were assessed on a pass/fail basis and were considered of equal importance.<br/><br/>The providers selected for award successfully met all pass/fail requirements and were therefore assessed as compliant with the mandatory criteria.