ASC0290 - Integrated Sexual Health Services

Leicester City Council (‘the ‘Authority’) invites Tenders for the provision of Integrated Sexual Health Services (ISHS).

A Tenderer Information Session is being held on 15th May 2023 commencing at 10.30 a.m. and with prior request Tenderers can also undertake a visit to the mandated premises on the afternoon of 15th May 2023. Further details in respect of both of these and how to book for these sessions is contained within the Invitation to Tender documentation.

Further details in respect of this tender opportunity is contained within the Invitation to Tender documentation.

The ISHS will aim to achieve the following for the local population in support of national and local strategies for Sexual Health and HIV:

• Maximise the sexual health of individuals and their sexual partners
• Reduce inequalities in sexual health
• Improve access to integrated sexual health services
• Reduce rates of STIs and HIV
• Reduce unintended conceptions and repeat terminations of pregnancy
• Reduce teenage conceptions
• Improve delivery of the national Chlamydia screening programme
• Reduce the prevalence of undiagnosed HIV infection and late diagnosis of people with HIV
• Develop increasingly user-focused sexual health services
• Work in partnership with communities and voluntary sector organisations to reduce inequalities in sexual health and care
• Create more coordinated and sustainable sexual health services
• Ensure maximum effectiveness and the best use of finite resources
• Reduce out of area activity for contraception, STI, HIV and other sexual health services
• Improve the sexual health of the local population, especially those at risk of poor sexual health.

Leicester is a large urban area with an ethnically diverse population and growing young population. Leicester also has areas of significant deprivation, with 11% of the population living in one of the top 5 most deprived areas nationally.

The Integrated Sexual Health Services for Leicester will provide:

• Open access integrated sexual health services
• Both contraception and GUM in one consultation (wherever possible and required)
• Levels 1-3 (all levels of sexual health including complex care including the provision of PrEP) at one hub
• Sessional clinics in specific geographical areas providing all-age levels 1/2 care (this maybe provided as a subcontract by primary care clinicians).
• Sessional young people’s service
• Outreach and health promotion for vulnerable, targeted and high-risk groups
• Clinical Outreach which will include work in male saunas, female sex worker locations, and domiciliary work and C-card
• Psychosexual Counselling service
• Training and education, including the training of postgraduate clinicians in the specialities of GUM and CSRH.
• Increased emphasis on the provision of self-managed care including online STI testing, treatment (as appropriate) contraception and EHC, pick up facilities for self-sampling STI test kits, condoms STI testing and pregnancy tests, telephone consultations
• Sexual health improvement and HIV prevention specific to MSM, including outreach.
• Publicity, public education and information (for sexual health and other lifestyle services)
• RSE
• Vulnerable and Diverse communities’ work
• HIV treatment & Care
• Sexual Health Improvement & HIV prevention

The services which are excluded from the procurement of this service are:

• Community Based services (Pharmacy EHC provision) across Leicester.
• Community based services (GP provided intrauterine devices or systems (IUD/S) and subdermal implants (SDI) across Leicester.

The proposed Contract will be for an initial period of 4 years to commence on 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2028 (initial term) with an option to extend, subject to satisfactory performance outcomes and agreement by the Authority, for two further periods of one year to 31st March 2030, taking the contract term to a maximum of 6 years.

The proposed service is based on current and known funding allocations. These could alter through the life of the contract in light of changes in future local and central government funding. The contract value assigned to this service is £3,255,100 per annum excluding VAT (£13,020,400 excluding VAT for the initial period of the contract 4 years, and £19,530,600 excluding VAT for the 6 years if the contract is extended by two further periods of one year.

It is the Authority’s preliminary view that TUPE is likely to apply in respect of this Contract. The Authority expects the successful Service Provider if not already part of the relevant NHS Pension Scheme to be prepared to apply for a Directions Order/Determination in respect of NHS employees entitled to maintain access to an NHS pension.

Further details in respect of this tender opportunity is contained within the Invitation to Tender documentation.

The Authority is conducting this procurement under the Light Touch Regime for Social and Other Specific Services, as set out in the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (PCR), at Section 7 (Regulations 74 to 77) and Schedule 3. The procurement process will not be conducted under the Public Contract Regulations 2015; however, it will be similar to that of an Open procedure. The Process will, unlike an Open Procedure, include the flexibility, as allowed under the Light Touch Regime with various evaluation stages as detailed in this Invitation to Tender documentation.