Module Samples www.contractsadvance.co.uk AQP Modules Module Samples ContractsAdvance September 2013
Contents Module 1 Understanding the existing local AQP service framework 1 Module 2 Step-by-Step guide to the Submission document 3 Module 3 We ve received an accreditation letter, what happens next? The CCG has asked us to have an initial meeting. What should we expect? The CCG want us to provide a Mobilisation plan. What should this cover? You ve said that the CCG will want to know about our capacity. Why is this given there are no guaranteed volumes in AQP? 5 5 5 6 Module 4 Creating a Business Development Strategy 7 2
AQP Module 1: Understanding the Local Market Understanding the existing local AQP service framework As part of your strategic planning in relation to AQP, you will want to understand what has happened in your local area previously. There are a number of ways of piecing together this information, as it is unlikely that it is all held in one place. Supply2Health National Directory of Providers Within the AQP Resource Centre on the Supply2Health website is the National Directory of Providers of AQP Services. The original intention of this part of the Resource Centre was that it would contain a full listing of which providers had been accredited by which PCTs (and subsequently CCGs) for which services. Therefore you should have been able to search by an area, or by a provider to understand how the AQP market worked for the services that you are looking to provide. In practice though the information is only partially complete, but it is a good place to start to look for information, and is being updated regularly. More generally within Supply2Health, it is also worth doing a search of archived AQP processes for PCTs/services of interest as this will tell you which services were subject to AQP in 2012/13 in your chosen area. Supply2Health AQP service map Where the National Directory of Providers is incomplete, there is still the potential to gain further insight from the AQP Resource Centre. If you choose Map of Services from the left-hand menu, it shows you a map of England. You can then select the service area which you are interested in, and the map will display which PCTs had elected to offer the service through AQP in 2012/13. Although the Primary Care Trusts have now been replaced by Clinical Commissioning Groups, the PCTs were still in existence when the first decisions were made on which services would be chosen for AQP, and when the contracts were subsequently awarded. Hence in many cases, a search of the Board Papers from the PCT last year will show who gained AQP accreditation in which services. 1 Understanding the existing local AQP service framework
AQP Module 1: Understanding the Local Market PCT Board minutes The easiest way to access PCT Board minutes is as follows: 1. Perform a Google search for the relevant PCT 2. Navigate to their website 3. Board Reports are usually found under the About Us tab. Board papers from previous meetings should be available as these are public documents. In future years, this element of the search will be replaced by a search of the CCG Board Papers, again the papers are under the About Us tab, and then in the Governing Body section. Direct CCG engagement If a desktop search doesn t provide you with the information you re looking for, then the best course of action would be to engage directly with commissioners at the CCG. For some organisations, understanding how the CCGs work, and who might be the best people to speak to can appear daunting. Each CCG is likely to be organised slightly differently, some organised by geography, others by service area, but if you ask to speak to the commissioner responsible for your chosen service, you should be able to understand both previous patterns of AQP commissioning, and their future intentions for AQP. This is an area where 7House has significant experience in helping organisations to understand their marketplace and to formulate business development strategy. If you would like to discuss this aspect of AQP with us, then please give our team a call. 2 Understanding the existing local AQP service framework
AQP Module 2: AQP Bid Management Step-by-Step guide to the Submission document The next major section of this Module takes you section by section through the AQP submission document. However before we get into the detail, it s helpful to understand the structure of the document itself. When you open up your draft AQP application, you will see a form, which has 8 tabs, the first of which is Offer detail. Above each of the tabs you will see a red pencil. Once you have completed a section and confirmed that it is complete, the red pencil will turn to green. Each section must have a green pencil before your document is ready for submission. However, please note that a complete set of green pencils means that you have correctly entered information into the right places; it does not mean that your answers will be approved for accreditation. In the following sections we describe what might be regarded as a standard AQP accreditation document. Please be aware that individual CCGs can (and do) vary questions from those shown here, but preparing responses to the questions listed below will stand you in good stead for an AQP application. 3 Step-by-Step guide to the Submission document
AQP Module 2: AQP Bid Management Section 1: Offer Details The first part of the Offer details form will be pre-completed, and provides reference information on the AQP opportunity. 1.1 If appropriate please indicate which of the following service lines apply to this application For some AQP opportunities, there may be more than one CCG covered, or more than one service area to which AQP applies. If there are options showing in this question, then select which ones you are intending to apply for. 1.2 Please confirm that you will abide by the Pricing Model defined by the local commissioner in the offer documentation for this service You will recall in Module 1 that we highlighted that prices for AQP services are set by the CCG and are not open to negotiation. Hence this question is a tick box asking you to confirm that you accept their pricing structure. You will note that unless you tick each of the boxes in Section 1 and then check Offer Details Complete at the bottom of the form, you will not be allowed to start to complete the remaining sections of the admission document. 1.3 Please confirm that you have read, understood and are in agreement with the Terms and Conditions of the NHS Standard Contract. We explained earlier how to access the contract documentation for your AQP opportunity, and the NHS Standard Contract is usually one of those documents. A further copy can be obtained by clicking on the link in question 1.3 which will take you to the current NHS Standard Contract https://www.gov.uk/ government/news/nhs-standard-contract-2012-13-bilateral-published Whilst this is a weighty tome, you will want to read this through as it will form the basis of your contract with the CCG, and you will be expected to accept NHS Standard Terms and Conditions. Once again you are asked to signify your agreement by checking the box, and this is non negotiable. 1.4 Please confirm consent for the Contracting Authority to obtain a credit check This is standard practice and part of the CCG s due diligence on prospective service providers. Again this is a check box answer. 1.5 Please confirm that your organisation has or complies with all of the applicable policies and legislation as outlined in the specification In an ideal world you would review the list of policies as stipulated in the contract documentation, and check them off against your own set of policies and procedures. However it is possible that there are areas which you may need to develop further policies, and this should flag for you at an early stage where there is work to be done. 4 Step-by-Step guide to the Submission document
AQP Module 3: AQP Mobilisation We ve received an accreditation letter, what happens next? Congratulations! Having received your accreditation letter, you now enter the phase of finalising your contract and mobilisation of your AQP services. Up to this stage you may have had limited contact with the CCG, as the majority of the process was carried out online, but from now on you will be dealing directly with your commissioners. You should expect a call or correspondence from the commissioners quite quickly after the accreditation letter, but it is helpful in building the new relationship to give them a call, and to introduce yourself and your organisation. The CCG has asked us to have an initial meeting. What should we expect? From our experience, there are a number of key themes which commissioners will want to cover at the first pre-contract meeting. These include: General introductions and information sharing about your organisation and the CCG Your plans for mobilisation Locations in which you plan to deliver your service What volumes of service you are capable of delivering Agreement of the process involved to get to contract signature. The CCG want us to provide a Mobilisation plan. What should this cover? The CCG will want you to be able to evidence that you have thought through, and planned for each of the elements of service provision, and that you will be able to deliver this promptly and efficiently. As this may well be the first time that the CCG have seen your organisation in action be realistic, 5 We ve received an accreditation letter, what happens next?
AQP Module 3: AQP Mobilisation and make sure that each of the milestones in your plan are deliverable within the timescales you ve identified. Whilst there is no set format for a mobilisation plan, CCGs will expect to see an Excel or Word table, showing actions, by section, with responsibilities and due dates. If there are actions which you need the CCG to take in order to mobilise your service e.g. to send out a communication to GPs, then make sure that this is clear within the mobilisation plan, and flag these at the pre-contract meeting. Your mobilisation plan should normally cover the following areas: Process to achieve contract sign-off Staffing issues (including recruitment and training) Stakeholder engagement (GP, other referrers, other providers) Patient engagement (How are you planning to let patients know what is available, and how will you listen to their feedback on an ongoing basis) Premises issues IM&T implementation Marketing and Communications. This is one area where the 7House team can add value by working through your mobilisation plan with you prior to your pre-contract meeting with the CCG. Thus ensuring that you re fully prepared and have anticipated any questions. To discuss this further, please contact the 7House team on +44 (0) 1225 731 430. You ve said that the CCG will want to know about our capacity. Why is this given there are no guaranteed volumes in AQP? As part of their commissioning process the CCG will have estimated the overall volume of service that they need to provide for their population. They will want to ensure that all of the accredited providers have, between them, sufficient capacity to meet the needs of their population. They will also want to gauge what level of volume you are hoping to attract, as one of the important factors for them will be in managing demand for the service, and ensuring they don t end up with a larger bill than they had anticipated. 6 You ve said that the CCG will want to know about our capacity. Why is this given there are no guaranteed volumes in AQP?
AQP Module 4: Market Development Creating a Business Development Strategy In the first three Modules you have learnt how to understand your local market, to produce a compelling bid, and to mobilise your contract ensuring maximum revenue streams. This was all discussed within the context of Any Qualified Provider. In Module 4, we give you a toolkit, based on exactly the same principles which can be used with any potential commissioner, to help you to create a Business Development Strategy for your organisation. In this section we will consider: Qualifying your opportunity Pre-bid stakeholder engagement Bid writing Account development. Qualifying your opportunity In Module 1 we described the process of which CCG your service is located within. The resource we suggested was at www.alliescomputing.com/clinical-commissioning-group-ccg-lookup/ which allows you to enter a postcode, and then produces the name of the relevant Clinical Commissioning Group. A similar look-up service is located on the NHS Choices website at http://www.nhs.uk/service-search/ Clinical%20Commissioning%20Group/LocationSearch/1. If you are looking to broaden the geographical area which your services cover, you may also wish to select neighbouring postcodes, to produce a list of local CCGs who may also become potential targets. For Local Authorities, the Government resource which helps you to identify Local Authorities is located at http://local.direct.gov.uk/ldgredirect/start.do?mode=1 CCGs and Local Authorities are the main public sector commissioners of healthcare, but you may also want to consider other types of organisation/individuals who may look to commission services directly. These include: Major employers Sporting organisations Individuals with direct payments. How do we find out what opportunities might be coming up over the coming months? One of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks in the bid management process is identifying appropriate opportunities that provide organisations with sufficient time to prepare. The majority of tender notification tools offer contracts that are 2-4 weeks from the end date. This short deadline negatively impacts the quality of the bid and prevents businesses from engaging in serious pre-bid discussions. 7 Creating a Business Development Strategy
AQP Module 4: Market Development At 7House, we have developed a tool Contracts Advance, which has been specifically designed to overcome these problems and provide businesses with effective timely information to succeed in the bid process. For more information take a look at the website www.contractsadvance.co.uk The aim of this tool is to give you specific information on contracts and frameworks which are at least 6 months from their renewal date. This will then allow you to undertake pre-bid stakeholder engagement with the relevant commissioners, which from our experience is an important part of being successful with your bid. That s ok for renewals of existing contracts, but what about brand new tenders? In Module 1 we explained how to Understand your local commissioning intentions. You may want to revisit the work you did in Module 1, but now looking on a broader basis at not just which AQP services your commissioner is intending to develop, but also their other priority areas for commissioning in the coming year. Once again, we d strongly suggest that you engage directly with commissioners to understand their aspirations, and ensure you can both influence their thinking and prepare your organisation for future tender exercises. Pre-bid stakeholder engagement Once relevant contracts/frameworks have been identified, organisations can use the extended time period to put a pre-bid strategy in place. Pre-bid discussions are a crucial component of the bid process and should be used by organisations to have important questions answered. You can use this period to evaluate the scope of work and clarify the expectations of the commissioner and weigh this information against the timeline constraints and the capabilities of your organisation to fulfill the contract. The pre-bid engagement stage should also allow you to: Influence the bid specification as it is being devised Offer insight and value to the proposal Evaluate whether it is worth forging ahead with a bid Ask questions, discover client expectations and clarify any unclear issue. You will recall that in Module 1 we explained how to engage directly with CCGs. Exactly the same principles apply if you are now looking at local authority commissioners, or other potential targets. 8 Creating a Business Development Strategy