Patient Transfers Taxi Tender

Summary

The Department of Health and Social Care responded to a Freedom of Information request regarding the tender process for a patient transfer taxi service from Liverpool airport to hospitals, disclosing all requested documents including tender invitations and correspondence.

Key Facts

• The request covered documents for a taxi service transferring patients from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Merseyside and North West hospitals.
• The Department provided eight appendices including the Expression of Interest, Invitation to Tender, and unsigned agreements.
• The service requires contractors to accommodate up to 14 passengers per vehicle and provide assistance with luggage and mobility.
• The tender process was managed by Procurement Services at the Attorney General's Office.
• The service is required to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, excluding Christmas Day.

Data Disclosed

• 2017-03-06
• 2017-03-30
• 2016-09-07
• 14 persons
• 24 hours
• 365 days
• 06.00
• 21.00
• 91 pages
• DHSC/2016/030
• IM80-067i

Data Tables (41)

Full Response Text

Department of Health and Social Care

Rheynn Slaynt as Kiarail y Theay

Page 1 of 50 FOIA/DHSC/rvsd/01

Chief Executive: Malcolm Couch

Freedom of Information Team Department of Health & Social Care Chief Executive’s Office Crookall House Demesne Road Douglas Isle of Man, IM1 3QA Tel: Email: Website: Date: FOI Reference: (01624) 642621 foi.dhsc@gov.im www.gov.im/dhsc 30 March 2017 IM80-067i

Dear REQUEST UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2015 (“the Act”) Thank you for your request to the Department of Health and Social Care, dated 05 March 2017. Your request You asked for: Question 01: “A copy of all documents including the tender documents issued and correspondence between all the parties with regard to the taxi service from Liverpool airport to Liverpool hospitals.” Response to your request We are pleased to be able to provide a response to your request with answers to your questions: Question 01: A copy of all documents including the tender documents issued and correspondence between all the parties with regard to the taxi service from Liverpool airport to Liverpool hospitals. Please find the Department’s response to Question 01, a copy of all documents pertaining to the above as listed below:  Appendix 01: Expression of Interest – Patient Transfer Service  Appendix 02: Email from Attorney General’s Office to interested parties  Appendix 03: Invitation to Tender for Patient Transfer Service ref DHSC/2016/030  Appendix 04: Notification of Intent  Appendix 05: Agreement for Patient Transfer Service (unsigned)  Appendix 06: Memorandum of Agreement between DHSC and supplier (unsigned)  Appendix 07: Email from Attorney General’s Office. Attaches Appendix 08  Appendix 08: Invitation to Tender – Patient Transfer Service – UK – Q&As

Page 2 of 50 FOIA/DHSC/12 Your right to request a review
If you are unhappy with this response to your Freedom of Information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post to the FOI Co-ordinator, Department of Health & Social Care, Chief Executive’s Officer, Crookall House, Demesne Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 3QA. An electronic version and paper version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website www.gov.im/about-the-government/freedom-of-information/how-to- make-a-freedom-of-information-request/ . Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.
If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on:

1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act; or
2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
   In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision.
   Further information about Freedom of Information requests can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at: www.inforights.im/information-centre/freedom-of-information. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact us. Yours Sincerely

Freedom of Information Team Department of Health and Social Care

Expressions of Interest

Patient Transfer Service

Isle of Man Government invites expressions of interest from suitably experienced and competent organisations who are interested in providing a Patient Transfer service for Isle of Man patients who arrive in the North West to attend hospital appointments.

Predominately, patients will arrive at the Liverpool John Lennon Airport for transfer to Hospitals within the Merseyside area and a small other number of hospitals within the North West.

It is advised that the Contractor be in a position to provide a personal service in appreciation of vulnerable patients who are attending hospital appointments and will be required to assist passengers with their luggage and with getting in and out of the vehicle and in and out of the hospital ward/clinic or accommodation.

Wherever possible and practical, passengers travelling to or from the same destination area should be carried in the same vehicle. The Contractor is required to wait for passengers disembarking from separate flights/ferries when instructed to do so by the Department. The Contractor will be required to accommodate multiple occupancy passenger pickups on a regular basis with up to a maximum number of 14 persons per vehicle.

The Contractor will be required to provide a service 24 hours per day, 365 days per year (with the exception of Christmas Day). The service will generally run between the hours of 06.00 and 21.00.

To register your interest in this enquiry, please write to Will McCann, Procurement Services, Attorney General Chambers, 3rd Floor, St Mary’s Court, Hill Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 1EU or via e-mail to william.mccann@gov.im

Expressions of interest must be received by noon on Wednesday 7th September 2016 2016

Appendix 01

To: Will McCann, Procurement Services, Attorney General’s Chambers, 3rd Floor, St Mary’s Court, Hill Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 1EU

Form of Acknowledgement

1. Please accept this letter as our Expression of Interest to participate in Patient Transfer Service DHSC/2016/030

2. This letter confirms that in consideration for the Attorney General’s Chambers including us within the tender process:

a.
We understand and unreservedly agree that in order to ensure total fairness the tender process must remain confidential until concluded.
b.
We understand and unreservedly agree to keep all information and details relating to this tender, together with any associated documentation strictly confidential and we will not disclose the details of the tender or our proposed tender response with any other party.
c.
We unreservedly agree to direct all correspondence in relation to this process to Procurement Services (Attorney General’s Chambers, 3rd Floor, St Mary’s Court, Hill Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 1EU) only unless directed to do otherwise by an Officer of Procurement Services. Furthermore we unreservedly agree that we will not initiate or participate in correspondence with any other Government Officer (other than an Officer of Procurement Services) or any other party in relation to this process until the contract has been awarded and/or our involvement in the process ends.
d.
We accept that the Attorney General’s Chambers may disclose to the professional advisors of the Attorney General’s Chambers and to persons directly involved in the evaluation submission - details of information provided by all parties interested in bidding for this tender to other parties directly involved in the evaluation of tender submissions. This information may be provided either before or after contract award; and
e.
We acknowledge and accept that the Attorney General’s Chambers operate a publication scheme and may disclose by publication on the Government website or by other means, following contract award - details of:
(i) The names of all tenderers who returned completed tenders. These names will be listed and/or published in alphabetical order;
(ii) The name of the winning tenderer (i.e. the name of the tenderer to whom the contract has been or is to be awarded); and
(iii) The scoring spread across the tenders and not attributed to any individual tenderer.
f.
We are in receipt of a copy of the tender appeals procedure (attached below) and that we understand and unreservedly agree to be bound by this procedure.

We understand that the Attorney General’s Chambers is committed to meeting their legal responsibilities under the Freedom of Information 2015 (the Act). Accordingly, all information submitted during this process may need to be disclosed by the Government in response to a request under the Act. We acknowledge that even where we have indicated that information is commercially sensitive, the Attorney General’s Chambers might be required to disclose it

under the Act if a request is received. We further acknowledge that in providing material marked ‘confidential’ or equivalent during this process will not be taken to mean that the Attorney General’s Chambers accepts any duty of confidence by virtue of that marking. We accept that if a request is received the Attorney General’s Chambers may also be required to disclose details of unsuccessful tenders.

Signature:

Name:

For and on behalf of

Date:

Tender Appeals Procedure

This document sets out the process a tenderer must follow to appeal against a decision or an action of Procurement Services during a tender.

Grounds for Appeal
An appeal can be lodged if the tenderer can clearly and unequivocally demonstrate that they have been harmed during the tender exercise in one or more of the following ways:

Equity – they have not been dealt with in an equal manner when in comparison with the other tenderers.
Fairness – they have not been treated fairly when in comparison with the other tenderers.
Reasonableness – those undertaking the tender on behalf of the Government have acted unreasonably.

When to Appeal
There are two specific points in the tender exercise, when it would be appropriate for a tenderer to lodge an appeal, these are:

Short Listing – if following the evaluation of all pre-qualification questionnaires the tenderer is informed that they have not been short listed and will therefore not be invited to submit a tender.
Tender Award – if following the evaluation of all tenders the tenderer is informed that they have not been identified as a preferred supplier.

How to Appeal
Appeals must be submitted in writing to: The Head of Procurement, Attorney General’s Chambers, 3rd Floor, St. Mary’s Court, Hill Street, Douglas, IM1 1EU. The letter of appeal must be received before the end of the TEN day standstill period that follows the outcome of the evaluation process.

The appeal letter will be shared with the relevant department leading the tender exercise unless you specifically request otherwise.
The Appeal Process
The Head of Procurement will acknowledge receipt of the appeal formally in writing. The appeal will then be considered by the Director of the Government’s Audit Advisory Division. In the event that the Director of the Audit Advisory Division is either unavailable or if they declare a conflict of interest in the matter, the appeal will be considered by Treasury’s Financial Controller.

The appellant will normally be informed by the Attorney General’s Chambers of the outcome of the appeal in writing no later than ten working days after the receipt of the appeal. The appellant will only be informed of the appeal outcome and will not be provided with an explanation of the reasoning for the decision.

If the tenderer is not satisfied with the outcome of the appeal they should seek independent legal advice for formal appeal through the Isle of Man Courts.

Neil Davidson, Head of Procurement, Attorney General’s Chambers - Issued January 2016 1 From: McCann, William (AGC) Sent: 29 September 2016 11:20 To: McCann, William (AGC) Subject: Invitation to Tender: UK Patient Transfer Service Attachments: ITT.docx; Enclosure 1 Notification of Intent.docx; Enclosure 2 Draft Agreement.doc; Enclosure 2a DPA Memorandum of Agreement.doc; Standard PQQ.pdf Importance: High Categories: Egress Switch: Unencrypted Good Morning,

Further to your organisations expression of interest in the above titled tender, I’m pleased to advise that this email contains the documentation that comprises the Invitation to Tender pack for your completion.

In order of attachment, please find enclosed the following documents:

 Invitation to Tender (ITT)  Enclosure 1 Notification of Intent  Enclosure 2 Draft Agreement  Enclosure 2a DPA Memorandum of Agreement
 Standard PQQ

Should any of the documentation be missing please inform me immediately. Only the documents highlighted in bold require completion as part of this process; the non-bolded documents are for information.   Key Information:

Clarification Questions - Should you wish to seek further information or clarification regarding any element of the documentation provided, submit your request as indicated within section 2.5 of the ITT. Please note that requests will not be accepted after noon on Thursday 13th October 2016.

Closing Date for return of Submission – Should you wish to respond to this ITT, your completed response must be returned by noon Friday 28th October 2016 in accordance with section 2.7 & 2.8 of the ITT.   Best regards   Will McCann  Senior Procurement Officer  Procurement Services, Attorney General’s Chambers,   3rd Floor, St Mary’s Court, Hill Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 1EU    Tel: 01624 686544  Email: william.mccann@gov.im  Website: http://www.gov.im/procurement     Appendix 02 Commercial in Confidence Reference: DHSC/2016/030

Date: September 2016 Page 1 of 32

Invitation to Tender for

Patient Transfer Service

DHSC/2016/030

COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

©2016 The Attorney General’s Chambers (an Office of the Isle of Man Government)

The copyright to these documents belongs to The Attorney General’s Chambers (an Office of the Isle of Man Government)
and they may not be copied, reproduced, transmitted
or stored on any electronic device or medium in any form
in part or whole without the written permission of
The Attorney General’s Chambers Appendix 03 Commercial in Confidence Reference: DHSC/2016/030

Date: September 2016 Page 2 of 32

Table of Contents

It is the responsibility of the Tenderer to ensure that they are in receipt of all information detailed within this table of contents. Should a Tenderer find that this is not the case, they should contact Procurement Services immediately, via the contact details outlined in section 2.3 of this ITT.

Documents Comprising This Tender

Section 1 – General Instructions to Tenderers
Section 2 – Specific Instructions to Tenderers
Section 3

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