Occupational Health Services (Medicals) - Preliminary Market Engagement - Information for Suppliers and Market Engagement for Appointment Management

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) outsource Occupational Health Medical Services (Health Screening & Surveillance, Medical Examinations, Management Referrals and Professional Medical Advice and Representation).

The current contract is due to expire on 31st October 2027, with no formal extensions available. We are currently developing the specification and procurement documentation for a replacement contract. We intend to commence the procurement process in November 2026.

The future contract will have an initial four year term, with the option to extend up to a maximum term of ten years. A framework agreement will not be used for this procurement. We will be running a Competitive Flexible Procedure with the following stages (subject to change):

Stage 1 - Procurement Specific Questionnaire (to include conditions of participation) - Pass or Fail (suppliers who pass will be invited to tender)

Stage 2 - Invitation to Tender

Stage 3 - Demonstration - Appointment Booking/Management System and Processes

Stage 4 - Preferred Supplier (discussions and due diligence checks prior to award of the contract)

The purpose of this advert is to both update the market on the above information and to invite suppliers to talk to us and show us their appointment booking/management system/processes.

We have recently carried out a staff survey and there is a clear desire for colleagues to be able to easily book, view and reschedule their own appointments. We are also hoping to reduce the administrative burden on our internal People Services Department (Health and Wellbeing and Recruitment Teams), whilst providing them with appointment scheduling information for their oversight/monitoring role (for all appointment types).

There can be challenges presented due to the amount of our firefighters being on-call (808 on-call firefighters and 530 wholetime). On-call firefighters usually have primary employment outside of our organisation. This can present limitations with their availability because of the notice that they need to provide to their primary employer and any other commitments they may have. They therefore need plenty of notice for appointments, can be difficult to get hold of and require appointment options that work for them.

We are keen to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of appointment booking and management, including embracing any available technology to support this. We want to expand our knowledge in this area and therefore invite suppliers to discuss and/or show us the following:

a) Your method to allow staff to self-book, view and amend/reschedule their own appointments (if you have a self-book tool/app, we would be interested to see how this works, particularly for medicals where staff may be required to visit more than one clinician as part of their medical) or your approach to efficiently and effectively book, view and amend/reschedule appointments;