Laundry & Linen Services

Framework agreement buyers guide

861-12 (Feb 12)

contents
1. Introduction 2. Background 3. Framework overview 4. Benefits of using the framework 5. Accessing and using the framework 6. Guidance to undertake a further competition 7. Sustainable solutions 8. Legislative Compliance Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Additional assistance 03 04 05 09 10 12 14 16 17 19 20 22

1 Introduction
This guide to the Laundry & Linen Services framework agreement contains commercially confidential information that must be used only for the purpose of official business and may be shared only with eligible parties. If you currently have a contract for any of the services covered by this framework you should ascertain whether better value for money could be obtained by using the framework. An investment analysis and business case may be needed in order to support a decision to switch suppliers. This guide is designed to help users of the framework: Identify participating suppliers. Access and make the most of the benefits and savings available. Know who to contact for help and clarification. It will also help advise potential customers on how to work with suppliers through the framework. This document is for guidance only. It is not a contractual document. It does not form part of the framework agreement or any resulting calloff contracts, and it is not to be construed as being part of these documents.

Contract reference number: RM849 Period of contract: 24 May 2011 to 23 May 2013 + up to 24 month extension option (2 x 12 months blocks)
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2 Background
This framework has historically been provided by the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA). The new Government Procurement Service framework has been revised and its scope extended to include requirements from other wider public sector bodies. It aims to provide cost-effective and quality controlled laundry & linen outsourced services and is a key project supporting the Department of Healths objective of enhancing the safety and quality of services for users and patients. The aim of the new Laundry & Linen Services framework agreement is the supply of a quality service, delivered to NHS Laundry Standards (under review), to organisations throughout England. The framework is primarily for NHS Trusts in England although it does allow other NHS Trusts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to access it. It is also available for central government departments and other wider public sector organisations to access should their requirements change in the future towards an outsourced service, e.g. HM Prisons.

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2 Framework overview
The framework for the provision of Laundry & Linen Services provides access to suppliers in the following four lots: Lot 1: Wash and return Lot 2: Linen hire Lot 3: Hire of CE marked reusable barrier theatre textiles Lot 4: Mop hire There are 13 suppliers in total across the framework: Number of suppliers Lot 1: Wash and return 13 Additionally: Appendix A lists each service provider, which lots(s) they have been awarded and their region(s) of work (for information only). Appendix B outlines the scope of work listed within each lot. Supplier contact details can be found on the framework page for each lot once you have logged on. A list of 51 core linen articles form part of the framework. These articles, which account for in excess of 95% of a Trusts requirements, are priced in the framework. Service enhancements/variations, as detailed in the specification have been included where possible, examples of which are indicated in the table on page 6. Some of these options incur an on-cost which will be advised by the category team.

Lot 2: Linen hire

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Lot 3: Hire of CE marked reusable barrier theatre textiles Lot 4: Mop hire

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Service enhancements/variations:
receipt at laundry)

Saturday service

Turnaround time of 72 hours for curtains (from

Sunday service

Pack to ward: onsite

Supplier Central Laundry Clean Linen Services Ltd East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust Express Linen Services Ltd Grosvenor Contract London Ltd Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust Synergy Health PLC The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust The Sunlight Service Group Ltd
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Wash & return only

Wash & return only

Linen hire only Linen hire only Wash & return only

Linen hire only

Pack to ward: offsite

Sewing room

48 hours turnaround

Laundry Standards Historically HSG95(18) has been the standard that NHS Laundries have had to meet. This is currently undergoing an update by the Department of Health with consultation and involvement of the trade bodies and suppliers. Suppliers have been asked to price their service to meet the Essential Quality Requirement contained in the new CFPP01-04 (formerly HTM01-04) with a view to moving to the Best Practice level of service over the life of the framework. The Department of Health consider this framework to be the vehicle to implement this policy.

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Price Increase Mechanism Details of Price breakdown and indices to be included. Percentages have been agreed with the suppliers as to their cost breakdowns in preparation for any requests for price increases on the anniversary of the framework being let. These are slightly different depending on the supplier and the service provided. Private Sector Suppliers
Cost Element of the Core Linen Item Charge
Labour Cost Energy Cost

NHS Organisations
Cost Element of the Core Linen Item Charge
Labour Cost Energy Cost

Percentage of Core Linen Item Charge affected by a change in the Applicable Index
60% (A) 11% (B)

Applicable Index

National Minimum Wage Department of Energy and Climate Change Energy Prices POKI Index

Percentage of Core Linen Item Charge affected by a change in the Applicable Index
45% (A) 12% (B)

Linen Replacement Cost

9% (C)

Applicable Index

Other Costs (including profit)

20% (D)

RPIX Index

Total
National Minimum Wage Department of Energy and Climate Change Energy Prices POKI Index

100%

East Lancashire (Wash & Return only)

Cost Element of the Core Linen Item Charge
Labour Cost Energy Cost

Linen Replacement Cost Other Costs (including profit)

9% (C)

Percentage of Core Linen Item Charge affected by a change in the Applicable Index
60% (A) 11% (B)

Applicable Index

34% (D)

RPIX Index

National Minimum Wage Department of Energy and Climate Change Energy Prices POKI Index

Total

100%

Linen Replacement Cost Other Costs (including profit)

0% (C)

29% (D)

RPIX Index

Total

100%

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4 The benefits of using the framework

Saves time and money. Fully EU compliant framework. Consistent terms & conditions of contract. Standardises KPIs. Simplifies the process and removes the cost to Trusts in procuring the services and providers. Robust and flexible framework offering. Range of regional and national supplier offerings. Compliant service for the NHS to HSG95(18) to be upgraded to the new HTM01-04 (CFPP0104) when published. Requirement for further competition (mini competition). Opportunity for further savings through further competition. Compliance with recent EU legislation i.e. EU Procurement Law, MDD.

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5 Accessing and using the framework

The framework can be accessed by: NHS bodies. NHS Trusts (including PFI healthcare buildings and facilities). Strategic health authorities. NHS collaborative procurement organisations. County councils and local authorities. Central government departments. Customers should contact the category team to confirm that they can use the framework, if they are unsure. How to access the framework The framework can be accessed via the Government Procurement Services website. Protection for users with one set of terms and conditions of contract The framework is subject to specific terms and conditions. Award criteria Call-off contracts must be awarded on the basis of the award criteria contained in the framework itself. These are: Criteria Risk of failure (extent of contingency planning) (Customers may vary by up to +/- 10%) Quality of linen hire items (Customers may vary by up to + 10% /- 5%) Price (Customers may vary by up to +/- 10%) Percentage 15

80

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Using further competitions It is recognised that customer requirements can vary considerably; therefore the use of further competition is an excellent tool to allow you to set out your own requirements and re-open the competition to the suppliers within that particular lot. By doing this you can provide more detailed information regarding your particular requirements. This level of detail will enable the suppliers to tender for a specific set of requirements. The guiding principle of further competitions is to allow customers to re-open competitions between the framework suppliers where they need to specify their requirements more precisely than is provided for under the overall terms of the framework agreement. These specific requirements can include delivery and collection points, additional items not included in the core items, staffing and management arrangements for a total linen management requirement, transportation arrangements and costs and bespoke requirements for lot 3, where such opportunities are not provided for in the framework itself. The new terms must not substantially change those laid down in the framework. Please see the Guidance to undertake a further competition section which starts on page 12 for additional information.

Pricing and costs The framework provides pricing information for a list of 51 core items across lots 1, 2 and 4. Specifications The framework utilises an output based specification with reference to the existing HSG95(18) guidance with a view to moving to the new HTM01-04 (CFPP0104) once published.

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6 Guidance to undertake a further competition

There are a number of options available to you when issuing further competition documents. The Government Procurement Service online Capacity Assessment and Invitation to Quote tools are available on the website. You will need to be registered on our website and logged in to use these tools. Alternatively, you can use your own standard tender process. As a minimum, documentation should include a brief outlining: The information requested from the suppliers in response to the further competition. An explanation of the way in which bids will be marked. Details of the evaluation criteria that will be used to assess the bids. Details of the tender procedure and return date. Service information outlining the services that are to be included within the contract on a site by site basis. Confirmation/clarification for suppliers regarding operational and quality issue. The following highlights the main issues, although these are not definitive as it may vary at a local level: Operational Issues Has the supplier sufficient capacity to undertake the work? Does the supplier have the capability to meet local turnaround times? What are the suppliers local contingency plans in the event of plant failure? Ease of motorway and arterial road access between plant and Trust premises. Confirmation that the supplier is able to meet contract start up date. Supplier to provide an implementation plan reflecting local requirements. Quality Issues Service to comply with local control of infection procedures. Provision of samples (linen hire and total linen management only). Tailor framework KPIs in specification to local requirements. Trust to undertake site visits.

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Contract period The individual agreement between you and the supplier will form a standalone contract. You and the supplier must agree the length of the contract, which may extend beyond the expiry date of the framework agreement. Hold interviews (if required) Clarification interviews can be held with the participating suppliers so that they are able to answer any questions you have and explain certain elements of their bid further. Make award decision Following the application of the weightings to the evaluation, a list of the participating contractors should be compiled ranked by the score achieved. The contract should be awarded to the supplier that ranks first within the evaluation following the application of the pre-published evaluation criteria and associated weightings. Contract award Following completion of the evaluation exercise and identification of the successful supplier communications should be issued to all participating suppliers notifying them of the outcome. Opportunity should be given for each supplier to obtain further debrief information on the reasons why they have been unsuccessful within the evaluation exercise. The customer will issue its order/contract to the successful supplier. This must quote the framework number.

Contract management As a customer you will effectively manage the supplier in the delivery and performance of the services they have been selected to undertake. Regular review meetings should take place to discuss performance (KPIs) and ensure that the services are being delivered to an acceptable standard. If issues cannot be resolved to your satisfaction then please inform the Government Procurement Service Category Management team (see section 9). We will then pursue your issue with the supplier and aim to provide you with a satisfactory outcome.

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7 Sustainable solutions
Sustainability is an important issue across the public sector. Contracting Bodies need assurance that services will be provided sustainably. The procuring for health and sustainability 2012: sustainable procurement action plan sets out how, in the next five years, the health and social care sector in England will use sustainable procurement, not only of equipment and supplies, but also buildings, facilities and services, to achieve improved health and well-being for the people, the environment and the economy. The NHS launched its carbon reduction strategy in January 2009 outlining the actions across the NHS to reduce the 18 million tonnes of CO generated across its operations. The NHS supply chain accounts for 60% of this total, with a number of specific actions identified to address carbon reduction through the procurement process. In relation to laundry services and linen provision a number of significant sustainable development aspects have been identified. For this framework, sustainable service provision is defined as provision where the supplier monitors, manages and continuously improves their performance with regards to nine key elements, listed below. A Sustainable Service Delivery Plan (SSDP), setting out how the supplier will manage the sustainability of service provision will be drafted,
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agreed and incorporated into the framework and subsequent call-off contracts. Government Procurement Service will manage adherence to the SSDP as part of ongoing framework management. The SSDP will have three components: 1. Explain how, in delivering the services to contracting bodies, the supplier will monitor, manage and continuously improve its performance with regards to the following nine elements: Energy efficiency. Energy security of supply. Water efficiency. Direct and indirect Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions to the atmosphere, including transport emissions. Waste minimisation. Use of cleaning products complying with Government Buying Standard (GBS) specifications. Provision of linen products complying with the Government Buying Standard (GBS) specifications for textiles. Basic skills of the workforce. Provision of linen products manufactured in accordance with International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions on labour standards.

2. Set out any specific milestones and targets that the supplier will meet in improving its performance with regards to the nine elements above. 3. Set out the suppliers plans to provide Management Information (MI) to Government Procurement Service and to contracting bodies on the sustainability of service provision, relating to the nine elements above. MI should include: Energy use per tonne of laundry processed. Energy use per 1000 items of laundry processed. Water use per tonne of laundry processed. Water use per 1000 items of laundry processed. Greenhouse Gas emissions (expressed in CO equivalent) per tonne of laundry processed. Greenhouse Gas emissions (expressed in CO equivalent) per thousand items of laundry processed. Proportion of cleaning products used that comply with Government Buying Standard (GBS) specification. Where relevant, the proportion of linen supplied that complies with the Government Buying Standard (GBS) specification for textiles. Suppliers will be required to report the MI required by the SSDP to Government Procurement Service on a monthly basis throughout the term.

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8 Legislative compliance
The scope of the framework is governed by a range of legislation, regulations and guidance. All participating suppliers were required to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of associated legislation for each category. Some of the key legislation and regulations are detailed below: COSHH - Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/2677_as amended). HSWA - Health and Safety at work Act (1974). MDD93/42/EEC - Medical Devices Directive (including provision of CE mark). EN13795 - European Committee for Standardization (CEN): standard concerning surgical drapes, gowns and clean air suits, made from woven or nonwoven material, used as medical devices for patients, clinical staff and equipment, defining the performance requirements and the corresponding test methods. HTM87 - Textiles and furniture (firecode).

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Appendix A
Table 1: Supplier by lot

Lot 1:
Wash and return Supplier Central Laundry Clean Linen Services Ltd East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust Express Linen Services Ltd Grosvenor Contract London Ltd Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust Synergy Health PLC The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust The Sunlight Service Group Ltd

Lot 2:
Linen hire

Lot 3:

Lot 4:

Hire of CE Mop hire marked reusable barrier theatre textiles

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18 London North East North West East Midlands

South West

South Central

Area/Region

West Midlands

East of England

Wales

Scotland

Yorkshire and the Humber

South East Coast

Table 2: Suppliers preferences by region/area (for information only)

Northern Ireland

Clean Linen

Central Laundry

East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

Synergy Health PLC

Express Linen Services Ltd Grosvenor Contract London Ltd Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust

The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

The Sunlight Service Group Ltd

Appendix B
The scope of each lot is as follows: Lot 1: Wash and return In this lot, all articles of linen are owned by the contracting body and, unless agreed otherwise, any subsequent replenishment of stock, due to loss or condemnation, will be the responsibility of the contracting body. Suppliers will be responsible for the collection of dirty articles from a storage area/collection points designated by the contracting body, the subsequent laundering of those articles and, finally, the delivery of clean articles to a separate designated area/delivery points. There may be some ancillary services which could include: Scrub suit locker service. Curtain hire including the option of hanging and removal for laundering. Dry cleaning. The ancillary services will be determined at the further competition stage and negotiated locally. Lot 2: Linen hire This is a similar service to wash and return, with the exception that the supplier owns the linen stock and is also responsible for maintaining adequate linen stock in the system to meet the contracting bodys needs. The ancillary services may include: Total linen management (a fully managed linen service which includes linen hire as well as the inclusion of a ward top-up service offered by the supplier). Scrub suit locker service. Curtain hire including the option of hanging and removal for laundering. Dry cleaning. The ancillary services will be determined at the further competition stage and negotiated locally. Lot 3: Hire of CE marked reusable barrier theatre textiles. This lot consists of the provision of a laundry and finishing service for theatre textiles (gowns, drapes and clean air suits) that meet the requirements of the European directive for the decontamination of Medical Devices Directive 93/42/EEC (including the requirement to CE mark). Items provided must comply with EN 13795. This lot may also include a theatre top up service (optional) which will be negotiated locally and included in any further competition. Lot 4: Mop hire This lot has a selection of mops (core items 54 to 56 inclusive) including traditional and microfibre for hire. It is the suppliers responsibility for maintaining adequate stock in the system to meet the contracting bodys needs.

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Appendix C
The table below provides a list of the 52 core items available: New Item Code LLS1 LLS2 LLS3 LLS4 LLS5 LLS6 LLS7 LLS8 LLS9 LLS10 LLS11 LLS12 LLS13 LLS14 LLS15 LLS16 LLS17 LLS18 LLS19 LLS20 LLS21 LLS22 LLS23 Wash and return Linen hire

Category Blankets Blankets Blankets Sheets Sheets Sheets Sheets Sheets Sheets Sheets Towels Towels Towels Patient Clothing Patient Clothing Patient Clothing Patient Clothing Patient Clothing Theatre Wear Theatre Wear Theatre Wear Theatre Wear Theatre Wear

Item Large Cot Knee Bed Cot Pillowcases Canvasses stretcher Draw Counterpanes Counterpanes - cot White - bath White - hand Baby For towels white bath sheets see LLS57 Dressing gowns - adult Nightdresses - adult (various) Nightshirts - adult Pyjama jackets - adult Pyjama trousers - adult Scrub suit trousers Scrub suit tops Surgeons gowns Flats & drapes Dresses

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New Item Code LLS24 LLS25 LLS26 LLS27 LLS28 LLS29 LLS30 LLS31 LLS32 LLS33 LLS34 LLS35 LLS36 LLS38 LLS40 LLS41 LLS43 LLS44 LLS48 LLS49 LLS50 LLS51 LLS52 LLS53 LLS54 LLS55 LLS56 LLS57

Category Uniforms Uniforms Uniforms Uniforms Uniforms Uniforms Gowns Gowns Gowns Gowns Gowns Bags Bags Other Items Other Items Other Items Other Items Other Items Other Items Other Items Other Items Sheets Other Items Other Items Other Items Other Items Other Items Towels

Item Nurses White coat Cooks jacket Cooks trousers Boiler suit Other Patient Operation - adult Ray-Blue Children Baby Plastic Polyester Slings/pat slides/bed pads Patient clothing - small items Nappies Wrap - baby Covers - duvet Curtains - small Curtains - medium Curtains - large Fitted sheets Thermal covers - lightweight Thermal covers - heavyweight Mops - kentucky Mops - socket Mops - microfibre White - bath sheet

Wash and return

Linen hire

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10 Additional assistance
For general enquiries please contact the customer service desk on 0345 410 2222 or email info@gps.gsi.gov.uk Feedback Should you experience any problems with the services provided by any of the suppliers under this framework and wish to register a complaint, in the first instance, please direct your concerns to the supplier with whom the complaint relates. In the event that a resolution has not been provided to your satisfaction, the issue should be escalated to the Government Procurement Service Contract Manager(s) via the customer service desk.

Liverpool 9th Floor Capital Building Old Hall Street Liverpool L3 9PP

Norwich Rosebery Court St Andrews Business Park Norwich NR7 0HS

861-12 (Feb 12)