Integrated Urgent Care Services covering Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Central East (excl. Cambridge and Peterborough)

Tender description

NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board, NHS Essex Integrated Care Board and NHS Central East Integrated Care Board (together, the “Relevant Authorities”) are collaboratively considering the future commissioning of Integrated Urgent Care Services across their respective geographical footprints, excluding Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.<br/><br/>The emerging scope includes NHS 111, Clinical Assessment Services, GP Out of Hours services and Urgent Care Coordination Hub arrangements. The ambition is to support more integrated and equitable access to urgent care, enabling patients to tell their story once, receive a trusted clinical assessment and be directed to the right care, closer to home where appropriate, while reducing avoidable pressure on emergency services.<br/><br/>The current planning assumption is that any future contractual arrangements would commence on 1 October 2028, following an indicative six-month mobilisation period, subject to governance approval, any future provider selection process and successful mobilisation.<br/><br/>This notice is being issued to support a programme of pre-procurement market engagement. The Relevant Authorities are seeking information and evidence from the market to inform future commissioning, service design and procurement decisions.<br/><br/>This is a planning notice for market engagement, not a call for competition, and does not invite tenders or commit the Relevant Authorities to a particular procurement route, service model, lotting structure or contract award. Final governance, delegation and contracting arrangements also remain to be agreed. Lot 1: NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board, NHS Essex Integrated Care Board and NHS Central East Integrated Care Board (together, the “Relevant Authorities”) are collaboratively restarting the development of proposals for the future commissioning of Collaborative Integrated Urgent Care Services across their respective geographical footprints, excluding Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. This reflects the evolution of the previous two-ICB proposition into a tri-ICB programme and presents an opportunity to consider a more consistent, resilient and integrated regional approach to urgent care delivery. Each Relevant Authority will remain accountable for its own statutory decisions, with final governance, delegation and contracting arrangements to be agreed.<br/><br/>The Relevant Authorities anticipate that any future provider selection process for services within scope would be undertaken in accordance with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (“PSR”). The current working assumption is that any future procurement would utilise the Competitive Process under the PSR, although this remains subject to market engagement, development of the procurement strategy, governance and approval.<br/><br/>The opportunity under consideration relates to the future delivery of Collaborative Integrated Urgent Care Services. The emerging scope includes, but may not be limited to:<br/>• NHS 111 services;<br/>• Clinical Assessment Services;<br/>• GP Out of Hours services; and<br/>• Urgent Care Coordination Hub arrangements, including local variants currently operating across the participating systems (also known as “Urgent Care Coordination Hub”, “Urgent Community Care Hub” and “Unscheduled Care Coordination Hub”).<br/><br/>The Relevant Authorities are exploring a transformation programme rather than a straightforward replacement of existing arrangements. The ambition is to enable patients to tell their story once, receive a trusted clinical assessment and be navigated to the right care, closer to home where appropriate. The programme also aims to improve patient access and experience, support safer and more integrated pathways, strengthen operational resilience, reduce avoidable pressure on emergency services, enable digital interoperability and innovation, and deliver sustainable whole-life value for local populations.<br/><br/>The emerging model will consider equity of access across different geographies and population groups, including digital access, language needs and reasonable adjustments, particularly for people experiencing poorer access or outcomes.<br/><br/>The starting proposition is a more integrated urgent care pathway across the participating footprints, whilst retaining local variation where justified by population need, geography or service requirements. However, no final decisions have been made regarding the future service scope, geographic configuration, lotting arrangements, provider model, contractual structure, payment mechanism, contract term, mobilisation approach or detailed service specification. These matters remain under development and will be informed by governance, clinical and service design work, and evidence obtained through market engagement.<br/><br/>The Relevant Authorities currently anticipate a service commencement date of 1 October 2028, subject to governance approval, completion of any future provider selection process, applicable review requirements and successful mobilisation. The current planning assumption is an indicative six-month mobilisation period, subject to market evidence and the eventual service scope, provider model and workforce, digital and estates requirements.<br/><br/>Indicative annual and total contract values, contract term and extension options, workforce requirements, annual activity levels and population coverage are to be confirmed. All information is indicative only and remains subject to further development, governance approval and procurement outcomes.<br/><br/>This notice begins a fresh, phased programme of market engagement intended to obtain proportionate, comparable and auditable evidence regarding, amongst other matters:<br/>• market appetite, capability and capacity;<br/>• service and geographic configuration;<br/>• lotting, delivery, partnership, consortium and subcontracting models;<br/>• competition, market accessibility and opportunities for smaller or specialist providers;<br/>• market sustainability, supply-chain resilience and the management of provider dependency;<br/>• innovation, digital interoperability and appropriate data access;<br/>• workforce, commercial viability and mobilisation requirements;<br/>• service continuity, transition, handover, provider failure and exit arrangements;<br/>• barriers to participation; and<br/>• the activity, demand, workforce, finance, estates, digital and pathway information providers would require to assess deliverability and develop robust proposals.<br/><br/>The Relevant Authorities intend to use this evidence to inform the future service model, procurement strategy, contract structure, lotting arrangements, implementation timetable, mobilisation requirements and future procurement documentation. The evidence will also inform how future flexibility, service continuity, supply-chain resilience and effective transition and exit arrangements should be addressed under different provider and contract models. A clear audit trail will be maintained to demonstrate how market engagement findings have influenced subsequent decision-making.<br/><br/>This Notice launches Phase 1 of the planned engagement, and an update or corrigendum is expected in early February 2027 before the more detailed Phase 2 engagement.<br/><br/>This is a planning notice for market engagement, not a call for competition. It does not invite tenders or binding commercial proposals and does not commit the Relevant Authorities to a particular procurement route, lotting structure, service configuration, contractual model, commercial approach or contract award. Participation in the market engagement process will not confer any advantage in a future provider selection process, and non-participation will not prevent a provider from participating in any subsequent process. Information that is material to any future procurement will be shared with the wider market in an appropriate and transparent manner.<br/><br/>The Relevant Authorities intend to issue a Request for Information and hold an open provider webinar as part of Stage 1 engagement. Dates, response instructions and registration details will be confirmed when available. Updates will be issued by corrigendum to this notice and through the Atamis messaging facility to providers that have registered and expressed an interest in the opportunity.<br/><br/>4th November 2026 is the recommended registration date for effective participation in Phase 1. Providers are responsible for monitoring the notice and the Atamis opportunity for updates.<br/><br/>Following governance consideration and further service development, Phase 2 is expected to test a more defined proposition, including detailed service, commercial, workforce, digital, contractual and mobilisation requirements before any future Competitive Process is launched.<br/><br/>Market engagement activities may also include consistent one-to-one provider sessions and written clarification arrangements. Information shared that is material to any future procurement will be made available fairly to the wider market, while provider-specific commercially sensitive information will be handled appropriately.<br/><br/>How to participate:<br/>1. Register on the Atamis eProcurement Portal using https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome<br/>2. Locate opportunity reference (C483008) and express an interest.<br/>3. Keep an eye on the message facility and download and review the RFI and supporting market engagement material, when you receive a notification that this has become available.<br/>4. Submit responses and questions only through the route and by the deadlines stated in the opportunity.<br/>5. Registration for any market engagement events will need to be done separately by each participating individual, using the relevant link that will be published via the message facility in the portal, where applicable.<br/><br/>Fair engagement and important conditions:<br/>• Participation is voluntary and does not form part of the evaluation of any future tender.<br/>• Participation does not guarantee inclusion, selection, shortlisting or contract award.<br/>• Non-participation will not prevent participation in a later competitive process.<br/>• Providers should not submit tender responses, detailed final solutions or binding offers in response to any market engagement activity published by the Relevant Authorities.<br/>• Providers are responsible for their own costs of participating.<br/>• The Relevant Authorities expressly reserve the right to change, pause or discontinue the engagement or procurement programme and may amend indicative scope or dates.<br/>• Actual, potential and perceived conflicts of interest will be identified and managed throughout the programme.<br/>• Common information and material clarifications will be shared consistently through published notices from time to time and/or via the message facility in the portal.<br/><br/>Please see further information at VI.3) Additional information. Additional information: Please see VI.3) Additional information