This is a Contract Award Notice (Intention to Award) communicating NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board 's intention to award a public contract for provision of this 'NHS Talking Therapies (NHS TT) and Psychological Therapies for Severe Mental Health Problems (PT SMHP) services (the Service). The process will be conducted in accordance with Regulation 11 of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. The proposed contract term is from 01st April 2027 – 31st March 2030, with the option to extend for a maximum of 24 months, until 31st March 2032.

This form has incorrectly identified that the number of tenders received from SMEs, number of tenders from EU states and non-EU states are '1' respectively. These should read as '0'. This is an intention to award notice for a contract that is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 23. The provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations to the Authority must be made using the contact details contained herein by midnight on 14th October 2026. The contract will be formally awarded upon standstill conclusion. On 19th March 2026 the ICB Board (the Decision Makers) approved the commencement of a competitive process, delegating the authority for the contract award decision to the TT PTSMHP Procurement Project Board. An assessment process was undertaken against the published award criteria, and in consideration of the five Key Criteria, to award the Proposed Contract based on the Authority’s requirements. The total technical score achievable was 90% and the total commercial score achievable was 10%. The five Key Criteria were linked to multiple tender questions which were all weighted according to priority, as indicated below: 2.1 Delivery Model 12.00% (out of 100) 10.80% - (out of 90), 2.2 Service Delivery 12.00% (out of 100) 10.80% - (out of 90), 2.3 Delivery, Improvement and Integration 10.00% (out of 100%) 9.90% - (out of 90), 2.4 Data, Performance & Quality Assurance (1) 8.00% (out of 100%) 7.20% - (out of 90%), 2.5 Data, Performance & Quality Assurance (2) 8.00% (out of 100%) 7.20% - (out of 90%), 2.6 Workforce & Capacity Planning 8.00% (out of 100%) 7.20% - (out of 90%), 2.7 Mobilisation & Implementation 10.00% (out of 100%) 9.90% - (out of 90%_, 2.8 Access, Inclusion & Health Inequalities 8.00% (out of 100%) 7.20% - (out of 90%) 2.9 Innovation & Digital Transformation 8.00% (out of 100%) 7.20% - (out of 90%), 2.10 Social Value MAC 7.1 5.00% (out of 100%) 4.50% - (out of 90%), 2.11 Social Value MAC 8.1 5.00% (out of 100%) 4.50% - (out of 90%), 2.12 Value for Money & Financial Sustainability 6.00% (out of 100%) 5.40% - (out of 90%) The chosen provider submitted a compliant Tender Response, which passed all aspects of the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (basic selection criteria) achieving the highest Weighted Technical Score (71.10%) for their Technical (Quality) Response, significantly exceeding the 45% Minimum Quality Pass Threshold. They scored the second highest Commercial Score (9.91%) for their Commercial (Price) Response. The chosen provider achieved a Total Weighted Score of 81.01%, ranking 1st place and achieving the highest overall Total Score (quality & price) out of 4 compliant bidders. The Authority complied strictly with its legal duty to take appropriate measures to effectively prevent, identify and remedy conflicts of interest in the conduct of procurement procedures so as to avoid any distortion of competition and to ensure equal treatment of all economic operators. Amongst members of the Board and Executive Committee, No conflicts declared. Decisions made at Board and Executive Committee levels were made by non-conflicted members. The ICB followed its COI Policy. Any conflicted individuals recused themselves from any decision regarding this matter at the Board and did not receive any documentation regarding this case. Only no/low risk potential COI were identified among the TT PTSMHP Project Group and / or Evaluation Panel. 36 non-conflict COI returns were made by project group / evaluators, with 14 instances of potential noted across 14 individuals. The Authority has recorded and implemented effective mitigations accordingly in each instance, full details of which cannot be detailed here due to the character restrictions within this Notice, but are available to any organisation/party by request from [email protected]

The Authority has undertaken a competitive process under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (the Regulations) and intends to award the Proposed Contract for a new NHS Talking Therapies (NHS TT) and Psychological Therapies for Severe Mental Health Problems (PT SMHP) services (the Service) to the Preferred Bidder identified through the process, Vita Health Group. Approximate lifetime value of the contract: At the point of publication of the PIN, the Authority proposed that the aggregate contract value is £94,118,443 pound sterling for the 3-year contract term (01st April 2027 – 31st March 2030). The financial envelope which acted as an affordability cap for the purposes of the procurement was based on the initial 3-year contract term. The maximum total contract value over the 5-year period (where optional extension provision is enacted) is £156,223,810 pound sterling. The Proposed Contract for the first three years has been awarded at £93,177,260. The Proposed Contract to be entered into by the Authority and the Preferred Bidder will be based on the NHS Standard Contract 2026/27 (full-length) and all subsequent variations thereof from time to time during the contract term. Services: NHS Talking Therapies (formally known as IAPT): The new service will provide a single integrated NHS Talking Therapies which should be accessible, person-centred, and integrated within the wider health system. This will support improvement in service provision, reduce health inequalities, improve patient experience, communication and waiting times for patients. Flexible provider, Partnership working, consistent service delivery across Essex. The aims of the delivery of the Service include: Improve Mental Health & Wellbeing, Ensure Equitable Access, Support Early Intervention & Prevention, Promote Patient Choice & Personalisation, Enhance Recovery & Long-Term Resilience, Integrate with Wider Health & Social Care Services, Deliver NICE-approved, evidence-based psychological therapies for people with depression and anxiety disorders using an integrated but stepped approach to care, appropriate to the needs of those people accessing the service. The new PT-SMHP service will ensure that individuals with severe mental health conditions receive timely, effective, and person-centred psychological interventions. By focusing on accessibility, integration, and recovery, the service can enhance quality of life, support long-term stability, and reduce demand on crisis and inpatient care. Flexible provider, Partnership working, consistent service delivery across Essex. To provide better quality care and improved outcomes through the delivery of NICE-recommended psychological therapies for people with severe mental health problems; to increase and ensure timely access to evidence-based psychological therapies, as recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), in order to improve outcomes for people with a diagnosis of psychosis, complex emotional needs/‘personality disorder’, bipolar disorder or eating disorder; to promote recovery, stability, and independence - Support patients in developing coping mechanisms, resilience, and skills for independent living and self-management of their condition. Additional information: This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) Contract Notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award. See Additional information VI.3 Options: The proposed contract term is from 01st April 2027 – 31st March 2030, with the option to extend for a maximum of 24 months, until 31st March 2032.

Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)

Open procedure

Lot 1: Bids: 4 Lot 1: Sme bids: 1 Lot 1: Foreign bids from eu: 1 Lot 1: Foreign bids from non eu: 1 Lot 1: Electronic bids: 4 Lowest valid bid value: 94118443 GBP Highest valid bid value: 156223810 GBP