Request for Information for The Provision of a Patient Experience and Engagement Support Service on behalf of NHS Leeds North, Leeds South and East and Leeds West Clinical Commissioning Groups

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to support NHS Leeds North, Leeds South and East and Leeds West Clinical Commissioning Groups (the CCGs) to form a view of the best way to procure the services described below and this is not an Invitation to Tender.

NHS SBS are acting on behalf of the CCGs and are seeking information from Providers which will be used to help determine the commissioning approach for the provision of an Involvement, Engagement and Patient Experience Function.

The CCGs are working closely together across Leeds and have an existing in-house Engagement Team.

The CCGs are looking for an Independent Involvement, Engagement and Patient Experience Engagement Function who can supplement their engagement requirements, and must ensure that the statutory duty is underpinned by robust engagement which informs service delivery including the commissioning and de-commissioning of Services.

The CCGs are looking for an expert resource and advisory function to complement the engagement work undertaken.

This will include the Provision of an Asset-Based Engagement (ABE) approach to ensure the needs of the less often heard and hard to reach groups from each of the nine protected characteristics are taken into account.

For the purpose of this RFI, the Affordability Threshold is estimated to be circa £114,000 per annum and it is envisaged that the Contract will be for a duration of 3 years with the option to extend for up to a further 2 years.

Your RFI response will help the CCGs to further refine the Service Specification as well as inform the potential benefits of competition to improve services with regards to meeting the needs of service users, improving quality, value for money and better integration without destabilising service provision.

You are therefore encouraged to respond to all questions as fully as you can to evidence the relative benefits of a potential competitive process.

Following receipt of the RFI documentation and the finalisation of the CCGs commissioning approach, it is the CCGs expectation that the procurement documentation will be issued within the next 6 months.

This RFI has also been advertised in OJEU.