Freedom of Information Request: 0113 2019/20

I would like to know when the contract for the service described in this Guardian article was tendered and subsequently awarded to Babylon Health. In particular:

•  Was a request for information notice sent out prior to the issuing of the tender?

•  What date was the first public notice of the tender posted?

•  Where was the tender subsequently advertised?

•  How many companies passed the pre-qualification process?

• When was the contract awarded?

• How long is the contract for?

• What evaluation mechanism is the trust proposing to use to ascertain whether the contract is delivering value for money? 

• If the contract was deemed to be below the European threshold for open tenders what market assessment was carried out and what companies were scrutinised to ensure the trust was achieving value for money?

• If the trust decided that no other provider could deliver the service I would like to see any documents outlining how that conclusion was arrived at and what market research was carried out.

• If the service is being provided for free I would like to see any documents outlining how over providers were offered the same opportunity    

We do not hold any of the requested information, as no such contract has been awarded. As the article states, the Trust is in discussions with Babylon with regards to a potential collaboration to explore whether Babylon’s primary care focussed technology can be adapted for use in the secondary care sector.   Contractual arrangements are, of course, part of those discussions.  If the proposed arrangements, or any part of them, fall within the scope of the Procurement Regulations, appropriate procedures will be followed.