NHS England pauses procurement resulting in extra costs for CCGs

Full story in the HSJ 30 August 2017

Commissioners in two counties have incurred extra costs after NHS England delayed their procurement for an NHS 111 and out of hours GP service.

The pause has affected two clinical commissioning groups in Suffolk and one in Essex, though neither the CCGs nor NHS England would say why the procurement was paused.

The procurement process for the 111 and out of hours GP service was set up jointly by Ipswich and East Suffolk, West Suffolk, and North East Essex CCGs as part of the area’s sustainability and transformation plan.

It started last October with commissioners aiming for the new contract to go live in October 2017. But the process was paused in December at the prequalification questionnaire stage. The procurement was allowed to continue again in late May, and the CCGs issued the invitation to tender a month later.

The six month pause meant the contract’s go live date was pushed back to April 2018, Ipswich and East Suffolk CCG board papers said.