The Workforce Alliance has now published its tender documents for framework RM6333 for international healthcare professional recruitment and associated services. The following document provides a short overview for this bid to aid bid/no bid decisions. It also provides details on our pricing and services.
Critical Timescales
- ITT Issued – 15th August 2022
- Deadline for Receipt of Clarification Questions – 12pm, 21st September 2022
- Deadline for Receipt of Tenders – 12pm, 30th September 2022
- Evaluation Period – September 2022-January 2023
- Notification of Intention to Award – February 2023
- Framework Agreement Commences – 19th March 2023
The Framework & Lots
This will be a multi-supplier framework with 5 lots:
- Lot 1 – International Nursing & Midwifery
- Lot 2 – International Doctors and Dentists
- Lot 3 – International AHPs including Social Workers
- Lot 4 – International OSCE Training Support Services
- Lot 5 – International Candidate Pastoral Care
Completing/Submitting a Tender
You must log into the portal at https://commercialsolutions.bravosolution.co.uk/ where you will be required to register and follow all instructions.
Tender documents can be downloaded once you have logged into the portal.
Management Fee
A management fee of 3% of total qualifying expenditure invoiced by the provider in each calendar month will be charged by the Authority as part of the framework agreement.
Criteria
Code of Practice/NHS Employers List of Agencies and Quality Standards
You must comply with the Code of Practice for International Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals. You must either confirm that you are included on the NHS Employers list of agencies in relation to this or that you are working towards this and you will be added to the list by the framework commencement date.
You also need to hold The NHS Employers Code of Practice for International Recruitment accreditation which must be in place by the Framework Award date.
Furthermore, if you do not have the following ISO accreditations, you will need to upload the following policies/procedures:
- Quality Management.
- Environmental Management.
- Business Continuity.
- Information Security.
Insurances
You must have the following insurances in place prior to the framework commencement date:
- Employers Liability – £5 million
- Public Liability – £5 million
- Professional Indemnity – £5 million
You will be asked to provide value in-date certificates prior to the framework commencement.
Track Record
You must be able to provide evidence of at least one relevant project for each lot that you’re bidding for (or provide a full explanation as to why this is not possible). You will ideally provide 3 contract examples which should include evidence from projects delivered since 1st July 2019. This information will include name and contract details (start/end dates, value, workers offered/starting, details of services, resources used to perform the contract aligned to the Authority’s requirements and evidence to support the example used (e.g. reference, invoice, email confirmation by customer).
Financial Criteria
Bidders will be required to pass an assessment of financial stability as part of the Selection Questionnaire. This will include calculations relating to gearing, profit margin, liquidity ration and return on total assets. Details of how this will be evaluated and scored are on pages 24-25 of the ITT.
To pass the financial standing assessment, you must:
- Achieve a score of greater than zero (0) on each of the 4 criteria, AND
- Achieve a total score across two fiscal years of at least twelve (12) points, OR
- Provide a solid explanation of reasons for failure which will be considered at the Authority’s discretion to determine whether you pass or fail this stage.
We recommend that you complete and review this section to ensure you qualify before you complete the rest of the tender.
Evaluation & Scoring
- Stage 1 Selection Questionnaire – Pass/Fail
- Stage 2 Technical/Quality Questions – 70% Weighting
- Stage 2 Commercials – 30% Weighting
Further information on evaluation and scoring and documents to be completed/uploaded can be obtained by emailing fiona.brunton@bruntonconsultancy.co.uk to request this information.
Brunton Bid Writing Services
Full Outsource Service
To outsource the full bid where we complete all of the questions on your behalf and upload all of the required documentation to the portal ready for your review and submission. Please note that we do not provide advice on where to pitch your pricing or offer legal advice.
- Bidding for 1 Lot – £8,250 + vat.
- Costs for each Additional Lot – Additional £1,650 + vat.
Consultancy & Review Service
The C&R service includes:
- A full review of all of the documentation relating to the bid (so we know the documents inside out and will be well positioned to give advice).
- An initial “consultation call” with the agency’s key stakeholders to go through the bid requirements to ensure that the bid writer(s) understand how to approach each question and know what documents need to be uploaded to the portal.
- Ongoing review of the “clarification” questions and answers as they are published.
- Unlimited telephone and email support throughout the bid period (until the submission deadline).
- Review of the answers to the technical questions in the response templates in Stage 2 Annex 7 (maximum of 2 reviews). We will provide the review using track changes and the comments function in Microsoft Word. It is then your bid writer’s responsibility to follow our guidance and make the amendments to your answers. Please note we will not rewrite your answers as part of this service.
- Assistance with understanding the pricing evaluation and how to complete the pricing schedule (please note that we are unable to advise you on where to pitch your pricing – this is a commercial decision for your business).
- A full review of the portal (once you have uploaded your bid) to ensure it is complete and compliant and that all attachments have been uploaded correctly.
- Bidding for 1 Lot – £4,950 + vat.
- Costs for each Additional Lot – Additional £1,275 + vat.
Policy Templates Only
We can provide the following policy templates as a standalone service at £95 + vat each:
- Quality Management – download at: https://www.bruntonbidwriting.co.uk/downloads/quality-policy/
- Environmental Management – download at: https://www.bruntonbidwriting.co.uk/downloads/environmental-policy/
- Business Continuity – download at: https://www.bruntonbidwriting.co.uk/downloads/business-continuity-policy/
- Information Security – download at: https://www.bruntonbidwriting.co.uk/downloads/information-security-policy/