Public procurement notice: Contract Award Notice
Published: 2019-02-05
Buyer: Southend Clinical Commissioning Group
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Open procedure
CPV classification: 80561000 | 85000000 | 85100000: Health services | 85140000: Miscellaneous health services | 85323000
Estimated value: 2950000 GBP
Award criteria: The most economic tender

Technical requirements: The Contracting Authorities, NHS Southend Clinical Commissioning Group, NHS Castle Point and Rochford Clinical Commissioning Group and Southend Brough Council sought suitably qualified provider(s) to deliver a Mental Health Recovery College (Lot 1) and a Wellbeing Café (Lot 2) in South-east Essex, commencing 1.4.2019. The intention was to formally procure 2 new services to run from April 2019 for a period of 5 years plus the option to extend for 2 years. Further to extensive patient/service user, stakeholder and operational team engagement the future service model separates the two elements of service, both recovery focussed, but one element with a  psycho-educational approach (the Recovery College) and the other element being a Wellbeing Café. The procurement was split into 2 Lots (Lot 1 Recovery College and Lot 2 Wellbeing Café.
The Contracting Authorities sought a suitably qualified provider to deliver an open access Wellbeing Café that aims to improve the mental wellbeing of people in South East Essex. The Wellbeing café will be based in Southend in a central and prominent location and provide a point of contact and an unstructured space for anyone with a mental health issue to come and speak to trained and skilled staff about their condition and the impact of any social factors. It will work closely with the Recovery College to ensure that the range of courses offered by the Recovery College are inclusive and influenced by needs of people using the Wellbeing Café. The café must sell food and drink (unlicensed) to the public. The intention being that “high street" environment offers any individual the opportunity to seek mental health support without the stigma of entering a mental health service. There is acknowledgement that a functioning café may not be operational from 1.4.2019 but will be phased in during the contract as agreed with commissioners. There is however an expectation that a walk in space will be offered from 1.4.2019 that can meet the agreed outcomes whilst an open access café is developed. It is envisaged that the café front will be operational within 6 months from the contract start date. As the Wellbeing Café offered from a café front is a new service model, there is no current baseline to draw activity figures from i.e:
These figures will form part of performance monitoring and the performance framework and will be agreed during the implementation phase and at subsequent contract monitoring reviews. The Provider is required to ensure that sufficient staff are employed to meet the expected demand and within the available funding. Discussions have taken place regarding a joined up approach between drug and alcohol, and mental health services, in an open access café/Wellbeing Hub. Supporting people with a dual diagnosis has been an issue, particularly in Southend for many years, so if an opportunity arises during the life of the contract to offer supports in a joined up café, a business case will be considered. Any variation to the scope of the contract via addition of complementary services and or funding will be made via formal contract variation. Bidders were able to choose to bid for one or both of the lots. The services to which this procurement relates fall within Schedule 3 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (the “Regulations"). As such, the procurement of the services was run as a bespoke, single stage process akin to the open procedure, involving a number of evaluation stages which are outlined within the suite of procurement documents. The Contracting Authority does not intend to hold itself bound by any of the Regulations, save those applicable to Schedule 3 services.
The Contracting Authorities sought a suitably qualified provider to deliver a Recovery College (Lot 1) from 1.4.2019 to meet the needs of the population in South East Essex and support to fill the gap between the transition from secondary care to primary care. The aim is revolutionise mental health services in South East Essex and help people to fulfill their potential. The provider will deliver comprehensive, peer-led education and training programmes within mental health services. It will be run like any other college, providing education as a route to Recovery, not as a form of therapy with courses that are co-devised and co-delivered by people with lived experience of mental illness and by mental health professionals. (Perkins, Repper, Rinaldi and Brown) (IMROC). There are a number of people who need support with their recovery which can be achieved through a recovery college approach i.e: courses and workshops to facilitate self-learning and encourage people to take responsibility for their mental health. The offer will aim to enable people to self-manage their own mental health by building up their own “toolkit" and strategies to facilitate their own personal recovery pathway. The overall aims of the Recovery College are:
— to improve the co-ordination of mental health services in south east Essex and their flow into mainstream services,
— to co-produce the Recovery College and its outcomes in partnership with people with living experience of mental health challenges bidders were able to choose to bid for one or both of the Lots. The services to which this procurement relates fall within Schedule 3 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (the “Regulations"). As such, the procurement of the services was run as a bespoke, single stage process akin to the open procedure, involving a number of evaluation stages which are outlined within the suite of procurement documents. The Contracting Authority does not intend to hold itself bound by any of the Regulations, save those applicable to Schedule 3 services.


Winner: Trust Links Ltd
Award value: 2950000
Number of bids: 2