Strategic Estate Partner – new ambulance hub facilities

Description

East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (the “Trust”) is about to embark on an ambitious project to enter into a long-term arrangement with a Strategic Estate Partner (“SEP”) to design, build and finance new ambulance hub facilities at a number of sites. The Trust intends to enter into development agreements for lease with the SEP in respect of the Trust’s site in Ipswich and a site to be identified by the SEP in Cambridge, under which the SEP would construct the required facilities before granting leases to the Trust on practical completion. At the same time, the Trust intends to enter into a strategic partnering agreement with the SEP pursuant to which the SEP would bring forward business cases, to develop new facilities in a number of other locations across the East. In each case the Trust anticipates that the SEP would obtain finance to acquire and develop the relevant sites on the basis of costs being rentalised under leases to the Trust over a 20-30 year period. The purpose of this notice is to announce a pre-market engagement exercise to consult with prospective bidders about this opportunity, discuss current thinking and ensure the Trust is in the best possible position to launch a formal procurement process later this year. Lot 1: This notice marks the commencement of a pre-market engagement exercise to conduct consultations with developers with expertise in successfully delivering similar projects and to obtain general feedback on the Trust’s proposed approach to its forthcoming procurement exercise. A pre-market engagement document has been produced by the Trust (a copy of which is available for download at https://eoecph.bravosolution.co.uk/eastamb/) which explains the potential scope of the opportunity in further detail. The appointment of a SEP, contrasted to individual site-by-site procurements, is the Trust’s response to the market’s appetite for large scale projects and, in turn, allows it to benefit from cohesive cross-body team structures and economies of scale. At the heart of the partnership should be innovation, a journey towards net zero carbon emissions and a collaborative approach to deliver outstanding ambulance hubs across the East to scale up the operational power of one of the nation’s most vital emergency services In terms of the activities which will take place over the next few weeks, the Trust’s pre-market engagement exercise will consist of a combination of: (i) a webinar (to take place Thursday, 20 October @ 11:00-12:00 GMT, places can be reserved by registering here: https://teams.microsoft.com/registration/PBcXWq93d0mZPeH4ulnvXw,UBvj9N6fyE6YthpXJp6gSA,Ep1YRXV3vUCof_40H-moFQ,elZ1Jk5mXUWK0hvRzWr5YQ,cc2Dr7_1OUeRkhcU4G_ATg,FKo7np45KEW17UNNy3Pl2w?mode=read&tenantId=5a17173c-77af-4977-993d-e1f8ba59ef5f The Trust will explain more about its ambitions for the SEP); (ii) considering responses to a short questionnaire (accessible via Bravo https://eoecph.bravosolution.co.uk/eastamb/ – deadline for responses: Friday, 28 October @ 17:00 GMT; and (iii) potentially 'one to one' consultations with selected developers who respond to the questionnaire and whose response would benefit from some further clarification (scheduled to take place w/c 7 November 2022). Further information on the activities to be conducted during the pre-market engagement exercise and our current thinking on the procurement process more generally can be found in the pre-market engagement document referred to above. The formal procurement process is timetabled to commence later this year and the pre-market engagement exercise will enable the Trust to engage with prospective bidders as it finalises its model for a number of initial sites which are earmarked for development and other future projects. Transparency in this process will be key. The Trust appreciates much of the work to be conducted by the SEP will be done at risk and will look to streamline the procurement with a shortlist of exceptional bidders as designs and tenders develop. Once in the formal process, in addition to submitting design proposals for the initial developments in Ipswich and Cambridge (“the initial locations”), bidders will be asked to propose potential sites for the development in Cambridge, considering proximity to nearby hospitals and operational efficacy. Bidders will also be asked how they would identify sites and bring forward business cases (under the strategic partnership agreement) for later developments in the following locations: Colchester; Kempston; Basildon; Harlow; Watford; Kings Lynn; Huntingdon; Luton; and Stevenage (and, potentially, additional locations) (“the subsequent locations”) Key Objectives: (i) to offer innovative and cost-effective business cases for the initial locations and, subject to business cases being accepted by the Trust, the subsequent locations; (ii) to provide high-quality site locations, to be assessed using the Trust’s proximity and layout criteria; (iii) to construct exceptional facilities to be rentalised over a 20-30 year (approx.) period; and (iv) to work in a genuine partnership to achieve the goals of the Trust both present and future. Please see additional information field below (II.2.14) Additional information: This pre-market engagement exercise is key to the Trust enhancing its processes and providing a final offering to engage key stakeholders in the market. The Trust welcomes interest from bidders of all guises. You need to register on Bravo (our e-tendering portal) if you have not already to express an interest. Please register here: https://eoecph.bravosolution.co.uk/eastamb/ Click Register.