Contract award notice

Results of the procurement procedure

Section I: Contracting entity

I.1) Name and addresses

I.4) Type of the contracting authority

Body governed by public law

I.5) Main activity

Health

Section II: Object

II.1) Scope of the procurement

II.2) Description

Section IV: Procedure

IV.1) Description

Section V: Award of contract

A contract/lot is awarded: Yes

V.2 Award of contract

V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract

04/03/2026

V.2.2) Information about tenders

Number of tenders received: 1

The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No

V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor

V.2.4) Information on value of the contract/lot (excluding VAT)

Total value of the contract/lot: : 168 300.00  GBP

V.2.5) Information about subcontracting

Section VI: Complementary information

VI.3) Additional information

This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract under Direct Award Process C 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 and the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period.

Representations by providers must be submitted to the relevant authority via email to robert.kitt1@nhs.net by midnight (23:59 hrs) on 20/03/2026.

This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.

Decision maker: Deputy Chief Delivery and Strategy Officer, and Director of Strategic Commissioning.

No conflicts of interest were declared.

The service evaluation was reviewed against the 5 key criteria and weighted as follows:

• Quality & Innovation (25%)

• Value (20%)

• Integration, collaboration & service sustainability (25%)

• Improving access, reducing health inequalities and facilitating choice (20%)

• Social value (10%)

In determining the weightings for each of the criteria, our primary focus was on ensuring that the evaluation process reflects the key priorities and objectives of the service. The existing provider was assessed against key criteria which were weighted according to

importance in terms of service delivery and scored satisfactorily against the assessed criteria.

Quality & Innovation:

Performance reports and confirmation from current commissioners show that the provider is delivering a quality service with no significant concerns.

The provider is proactive, with regular meetings with colleagues and referrers in order to ensure the service runs smoothly for users. The provider also works with Sussex wide colleagues in order to work on suicide prevention programmes.

The provider supplies case studies in order to support quality and performance reporting.

Value:

The risk of harm for someone who has lost a loved one to suicide is higher than the general population and timely and effective support is shown to reduce this risk. If this service does not continue there is a risk of presentation to urgent care services, crisis services and other urgent pathways.

The service reduces costs elsewhere as service users are engaged proactively after a bereavement and do not have to be referred through primary care or other means that may require system partners to be involved.

Integration, Collaboration, and Service Sustainability:

The service works closely and in an integrated fashion with colleagues and external agencies including Police, Local Authorities, schools, acute hospitals and MH providers in order to support people who have been bereaved by suicide.

The service has a number of strong working and partnership relationships and is a key member of the RTS (real time surveillance) response that takes place after a suspected suicide. This means that people who have been bereaved by suicide can be proactively identified and offered support in a timely fashion rather than having to seek out support themselves. The service works with Police, acute hospitals, local authorities, primary care, VCSE colleagues in order to provide this response.

The service also works as part of the suicide prevention pathway, working with public health (current commissioners) in order to ensure that local and national trends for suicide are taken into account and learned from in order to provide a responsive service.

The provider works with a number of other providers in the Sussex geography. The service works in partnership with bereavement services in West and Brighton to ensure a response for both adults and children affected by suicide.

The service also works as part of the Sussex RTS group, organisations that are involved when a suicide is reported in order to ensure that loved ones and those affected are offered support in a timely fashion. Colleagues in this group include Police, acute hospitals, MH colleagues, education colleagues.

The service operates across East Sussex and is also able to offer telephone appointments.

The service also operates the single point of access for Sussex, working with providers in West and Brighton in order to ensure that the right provider is identified to work with a person after a suicide. All Sussex providers offer a variety of options for support, with individual, group, telephone offers ensuring that the geography of Sussex is covered. Should this contract not be awarded, there is a significant risk that individuals from East would not be able to find the right support, and that individuals who required the single point of access to identify the right provider would not receive support as quickly in other areas of Sussex.

Commissioners receive a quarterly report on KPIs, including patient numbers, trends, any risks to delivery.

This service is a key part of the Sussex wide response to suicide, aiming to decrease the risk of harm to those affected by suicide by ensuring Sussex wide coverage of services provided for people who have been affected by suicide. The service is also a key partner in the RTS response to a suspected suicide.

It aligns with the Sussex Suicide Prevention programme and is a partner in the development of specifications, working with people with lived experience in order to drive service improvement.

Improving Access, Reducing Health Inequalities, and Facilitating Choice:

The service delivers in person, online, groups and over the telephone in order to ensure that there a variety of means of support, reducing exclusion and health inequalities. Peer groups offer people the opportunity to speak to people with similar experience.

The service works with public health and other partners in order to ensure trends and risks identified by national and local data are shared in order to ensure the correct response for service users. Sussex partners also work with people with lived experience in order to tailor services and ensure they meet the requirements of people living in Sussex who have been affected by suicide.

The service facilitates choice by working with partner providers in order to ensure that a person is supported by the most appropriate provision, this partnership working is key to the Sussex wide response to suicide.

Social Value:

The provider delivers their service in a number of different ways in order to maximise reach and minimise environmental impact. For example, service users can choose telephone appointments rather than travelling to a base, and group offers ensure that a number of people can access support at the same time rather than one support officer travelling to meet a number of individuals.

VI.4) Procedures for review

VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice

09/03/2026