The Provide Vasectomy contract was transferred into the management of Essex ICB when it became a statutory body on 1st April 2026 having been transferred over from SNEE ICB. The current contract ends on 31/10/2026. The commissioner is currently undertaking a review of vasectomy services across Essex to align services from 1/4/2027. This gives a 5-month gap from the end of the contract to the new financial year. Due to this and the transfer over from SNEE ICB it is not feasible to undertake a full procurement for this amount of time. Maintaining current contractual arrangements is therefore necessary to safeguard service stability and patient access whilst the commissioning review concludes. The commissioner is not aware of any alternative provider capable of mobilising and delivering the service safely and effectively within the available timeframe. Undertaking a competitive process for a five-month interim arrangement would be unlikely to deliver additional benefits to patients or the wider system and could jeopardise continuity of care. The relevant authority determined that Direct Award Process C applies because Provide Enterprises is the existing provider, the existing contract is due to end, the proposed contracting arrangements are not changing considerably, and the provider is satisfying the existing contract and is likely to satisfy the proposed contract to a sufficient standard.

The Provide Vasectomy contract was transferred into the management of Essex ICB when it became a statutory body on 1st April 2026 having been transferred over from SNEE ICB. The current contract ends on 31/10/2026. The commissioner is currently undertaking a review of vasectomy services across Essex to align services from 1/4/2027. This gives a 5-month gap from the end of the contract to the new financial year. Due to this and the transfer over from SNEE ICB it is not feasible to undertake a full procurement for this amount of time. Maintaining current contractual arrangements is therefore necessary to safeguard service stability and patient access whilst the commissioning review concludes. The commissioner is not aware of any alternative provider capable of mobilising and delivering the service safely and effectively within the available timeframe. Undertaking a competitive process for a five-month interim arrangement would be unlikely to deliver additional benefits to patients or the wider system and could jeopardise continuity of care. The incumbent provider is currently satisfying the existing contract and is likely to satisfy the requirements of this proposed short term contract. The indicative value of the contract for the 5 month period based on past activity is £69461 The provider is an existing provider, who is currently satisfying the requirements of the existing contract. The provider has been assessed against the criteria specified for this DAP C process: The weighting have been determined in that the current provider has consistently delivered the service in accordance with contractual quality requirements and no significant concerns have been identified through contract monitoring arrangements. A weighting of 20% is considered proportionate as quality is a key requirement of the service, whilst recognising that the remaining key criteria are of broadly equal importance when considering continuity of provision for this short-term arrangement. Quality & Innovation 20%. Value 20%. Integration, Collaboration & Service Sustainability 20%, Access Health Inequalities and Choice 20%; Social Value 20%. Key criteria were specified, and assessment against each criterion was assessed based on the current service delivery model and performance. and the supplier meets all the requirements specified to the satisfaction of the ICB, and it is expected that they will satisfy the requirements of the new contract. NHS Essex Integrated Care Board (the Authority) determined that Direct Award Process C applies because Provide Enterprises is the existing provider, the existing contract is due to end, the proposed contracting arrangements are not changing considerably, and the provider is satisfying the existing contract and is likely to satisfy the proposed contract to a sufficient standard.