The Government’s plan to build 48 hospitals by 2030 took a step forward this week with the launch of a Prior Information Notice (PIN), which will kickstart a supply chain engagement process.
Launched by the Department of Health and Social Care, the PIN signals the commencement of the New Hospital Programme (NHP) market engagement programme and invites any interested parties across the whole supplier base to register to participate in future market engagement activities.
It does not relate to a specific contract or proposed procurement, but aims to inform suppliers that NHP wishes to commence market engagement and consultation, including inviting responses to an online questionnaire.
The document said the department wants to hear from suppliers across the sector on issues including procurement, the use of modern methods of construction (MMC), and approaches to achieving net-zero carbon emissions.
The programme, part of the Government’s Health Infrastructure Plan, is set to deliver 40 new facilities by the end of the decade, as well as overseeing eight others that had received funding prior to the announcement of the programme.
The programmatic approach will facilitate continual improvement and adapt in response to lessons learned from earlier schemes
An initial £3.7billion has been committed for the first four years of the project.
And the PIN repeats the department’s ongoing commitment to using standardised designs in order to facilitate increased use of MMC.
It states: “New standards will be developed to help standardise the design of new hospitals and make use of modular construction methods to speed up the build.
“The programmatic approach will facilitate continual improvement and adapt in response to lessons learned from earlier schemes.
“A package of support is being provided by the central team to all NHS trusts in the New Hospital Programme, including business-case training and close working to support the scheme development and streamline approvals.”
Among the projects listed as part of the scheme are former Carillion PFI projects at the Royal Liverpool Hospital and the Midland Metropolitan Hospital, which were originally scheduled to complete in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
