NHS Talking Therapies and Psychological Therapies for Severe Mental Health Problems Services for NHS Essex ICB

The NHS Essex Integrated Care Board seeks a single legal entity to deliver an integrated NHS Talking Therapies programme and a corresponding Psychological Therapies service for Severe Mental Health Problems across the county. The contract will commence on 1 April 2027 and run until 31 March 2030, with an optional extension of up to 24 months. The services are intended to provide person‑centred, accessible care at all stages of the patient journey, improving waiting times, reducing health inequalities, and enhancing patient experience through partnership working with wider health and social‑care services. The provider will be responsible for delivering NICE‑recommended, evidence‑based therapies for common anxiety and depression disorders under the Talking Therapies framework and for offering timely, effective interventions for individuals with psychosis, complex emotional needs, bipolar disorder or eating disorders through a stepped, integrated model.

In addition to achieving high quality and equitable access, the selected provider must ensure consistent service delivery across Essex, support early intervention and recovery, and promote self‑management and independence among service users. The contract will be governed by the NHS Standard Contract 2026/27, and the provider may be required to accommodate future modifications as outlined in Regulation 13. The deliverables shall meet NICE guidance and be consistent with the requirements detailed in the Service Specification. The provider must deliver NICE‑approved, evidence‑based psychological therapies in compliance with the NHS Standard Contract 2026/27.

This is a Contract Notice communicating NHS Essex Integrated Care Board’s (herein referred to as 'the Authority') commencement of a competitive process 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.

The aggregate contract value is £94,118,443 pound sterling for the 3-year contract term (01st April 2027 – 31st March 2030). This figure acts as the maximum financial envelope for the procurement.

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 to be entered into by the Authority and the Preferred Bidder(s) for the Services 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.

The award criteria, including Basic Selection and Key Criteria are outlined within the procurement documentation. The service requirements and details are outlined in the Document 3 - Service Specification included in the procurement pack. All relevant information can be obtained for free via the e-procurement portal at https://atamis-1928.my.site.com/ under Contract Reference: C443109

If you require assistance / supplier support, please see the Portal Helpdesk: https://suppliersupport.atamis.co.uk/hc/en-gb/sections/4612344115359

Ocid: ocds-h6vhtk-067205
Contract location: UKH3
Communication: https://atamis-1928.my.site.com/s/Welcome
Conditions for opening of tenders: 2026-06-17T12:00:00+01:00

Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted: En
This is a recurrent procurement: No
Submission address and any special instructions: https://atamis-1928.my.site.com/s/Welcome

Lot number: 1
Description: 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.

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.

The scope of the requirement associated with this process has been developed by the Authority. The full details of the scope of the services are set out within Doc 3. Service Specification.

The ICB is seeking to award a single contract to a single legal entity to deliver all or most of this TT & PTSMHP service directly.

The Authority may wish to expand the Services during the lifetime of the contract (Contract modifications) in accordance with Regulation 13. To this end, Bidders should be aware that after the award of contract, there is a possibility that the successful Bidder may be offered a variation(s) to the contract in accordance with Regulation 13 and the provisions within the Contract. Details of potential modifications can be found in the Process documentation. The Authority has allowed for, as per regulations, a figure of £203,000,000, as advertised in the Find a Tender Service (FTS), to allow for any and all potential modifications that may occur during the life of the contract. The Authority is not bound to utilise any modifications during the life of the contract.

Disclaimer: The Authority shall not be responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by respondents to this procurement in preparing and/or submitting such responses.

All procurement documentation is available at https://atamis-1928.my.site.com/ under Contract Reference: C443109. 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.
Lot value (estimated)
156.223.810,00 GBP excluding VAT

This contract is subject to renewal: No
Information about options. Options: Yes
Variants will be accepted: not allowed