Nursery Milk Reimbursement Unit (NMRU)

Concepts

• nursery milk reimbursement unit
• miscellaneous health services
• newcastle upon tyne
• nursery milk scheme
• nursey milk reimbursement unit
• nmru
• reimbursement service
• 268m portions of milk worth
• cost of providing milk
• milk agent

Location

United Kingdom:

Description

The Buyer requires a supplier to provide a service to facilitate the provision of a registration, validation and reimbursement service to Childcare Settings who provide milk to children in their care and wish to claim payment for this milk under the Welfare Food Regulations 1996. This service is provided by the Buyer, on behalf of the Buyer’s Sponsor, the Department of Health and Social Care in England and on behalf of the Welsh Government.

Total Quantity or Scope

The broad scope of the contract includes the provision of a registration, validation and reimbursement service to Childcare Settings who provide milk to children in their care and wish to claim payment for this milk under the Welfare Food Regulations 1996. The Nursery Milk Scheme (NMS) is a statutory, universal, scheme aimed at children under five who attend an eligible day-care institution for at least two hours a day. Eligible day-care institutions include childminders, nurseries run by the voluntary sector, the private sector and Local Authorities, and reception classes in schools. Eligible institutions are referred to as ‘Childcare Settings’ under the NMS. Children receive 189ml (1/3 pint) of milk each day. Registered Childcare Settings can claim back the cost of providing milk to eligible children via the Nursey Milk Reimbursement Unit (NMRU), through the Welfare Food Scheme Regulations 1996, either themselves directly or via the use of a ‘Milk Agent’.Around 45,000 settings are currently registered with the NMS and approximately 268m portions of milk worth in the region of £50m are reimbursed annually via the NMRU, through around 450,000 claims per year. The current service operates in England and Wales only; separate arrangements are in place in Scotland and Northern Ireland. This procurement also includes the requirement for the delivery of a robust fraud prevention and detection strategy, to reduce the instances of fraud, abuse and error and any associated overpayments within the Scheme, as well as the provision of a contact centre to manage queries from Childcare Settings, Milk Agents and Local Authorities. The Scheme is supported by a website and an online claiming portal and system, and suppliers can elect to use the existing system or to develop their own to meet the Buyer’s requirements. It is anticipated that the Buyer will award the Contract by January 2022 with the contract Start Date being 01st August 2022. The Contract Term is an initial period of 3 years which excludes transition and implementation up to 31st July 2022 with the option to extend for a further 12 months up to 31st July 2026; such option to be exercised at the discretion of the Buyer. Suppliers who are not already registered on the NHSBSA e-sourcing portal must go to https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome and click Register then follow the instructions. Once registered Suppliers will be able to view and access the full invitation to tender documentation using reference C43089. Additional information: Pre Tender Market Engagement was conducted for this service - Find a Tender Service Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/006028-2021?origin=SearchResults&a... Pre-Tender Market Engagement report can be downloaded from the document pack which supports this ITT, available on the NHSBSA e-sourcing portal.

CPV Codes

• 85140000 - Miscellaneous health services
• 85100000 - Health services
• 48217000 - Transaction-processing software package
• 48812000 - Financial information systems
• 72253000 - Helpdesk and support services
• 79512000 - Call centre
• 72314000 - Data collection and collation services
• 79420000 - Management-related services
• 98300000 - Miscellaneous services

Indicators

• This is a recurring contract.
• Renewals are not available.

Other Information

The Buyer is seeking to maintain the effectiveness of the existing service with minimal disruption to current users, with a focus on the prevention and detection of fraud within the system and to ensure compliance by Childcare Settings, Milk Agents and Local Authorities within the rules of the Scheme.Suppliers not already registered on the NHSBSA e-sourcing portal must go to https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome and click Register then follow the instructions. Once registered Suppliers will be able to view and access the full ITT documentation ** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. **