NHS England is looking to hire a new delivery partner, on a contract worth up to £600m, to support its major hospital rebuilding programme.
In an announcement today, the New Hospital Programme said it wanted to increase capabilities to deliver the government pledge to build 40 “new hospitals” by 2030.
The contract notice added the partner will provide expertise to increase participation from suppliers, support the development of a standardised approach and “unlock efficiencies and accelerate delivery” of the programme.
The contract will initially run for six and a half years, with the option to extend for a further four until 2035.
NHP said the contract value would be between £500m and £600m over six years. The contract notice listed a £307m value for the first two years.
NHP senior responsible officer Natalie Forrest said the delivery partner would be “critical” to the programme’s success, adding: “This is an exciting opportunity to build on the expert technical capability required to deliver such an important programme.”
Engineering consultancy Mott McDonald has been serving as interim programme delivery partner.
The National Audit Office said in a report in the summer the NHP relied on a delivery partner model as it needed significant external support. It also warned that reliance on consultancies on a long-term programme carried risks, including a lack of continuity.
HSJ reported earlier this year NHP chiefs had estimated a spend of £900m on external consultancies until the end of the decade.
Source: HSJ
Date: 4 December