Off Centre 16-25 Talking Therapies

Location

City of London and London Brough of Hackney

Description

Provision of counselling, psychotherapy, psychosocial support and mental health interventions for young people aged 16-25 living, working or studying in the London Borough of Hackney and the City of London. The service includes targeted provision for LGBTQ+ young people and African and Caribbean Heritage young people and forms part of the City and Hackney CAMHS Alliance.

Total Quantity or Scope

The service provides counselling, psychotherapy, art psychotherapy, psychosocial support, advice and information, and targeted support for vulnerable young people aged 16-25. The service supports early intervention, improved mental health outcomes, transition between child and adult services and reduction of health inequalities.

Award Detail

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 85121270 - Psychiatrist or psychologist services

Indicators

• Award on basis of price and quality.

Legal Justification

This contract has been awarded in accordance with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (PSR), specifically under the Direct Award Process C. The PSR permits awarding authorities to make a direct award without prior publication of a call for competition where the existing provider is satisfying the requirements of the contract and is likely to continue to do so, and where the authority is satisfied that this represents the most appropriate approach having regard to the key criteria. The incumbent provider has been assessed against the PSR key criteria, exclusion criteria and basic selection criteria. The assessment demonstrated that the provider is delivering the current service to a satisfactory standard and is likely to continue to meet the requirements of the proposed contract. In particular, the provider has shown strong performance in relation to quality and innovation, value for money, integration and collaboration, improving access and reducing health inequalities, and social value. Given the importance of service continuity, the need to maintain established clinical pathways, and the risks associated with service disruption for vulnerable young people, the awarding authority has concluded that a direct award is justified and proportionate. As this procurement falls under the PSR, the requirements of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, including publication in the Official Journal of the European Union or Find a Tender service for competition, do not apply.

Other Information

This is a Direct Award C under the Provider Selection Regime due to the existing provider demonstrating strong performance against the key criteria, including quality, innovation, value, integration and collaboration, improving access, reducing inequalities, and social value. The service is considered essential for continuity of care and delivery of early intervention mental health support for young people. The lifetime value of the contract is £1,291,327 and no extension options are applicable. This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award 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. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period, which will run for 8 days commencing on Monday 15 June 2026 and ending at 23:59pm at Wednesday 24 June 2026. Representations by providers must be made to the relevant authority by Wednesday 24 June 2026. This contract has not yet been formally awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR. The contract may be awarded from Thursday 25 June 2026. Written representations should be submitted to: hub.psrepresentation@nhs.net Decision makers: Head of MHLDA Commissioning; System Programme Director, MHLDA; ICB Clinical Lead. The proposal was approved by the MHLDA Commissioning Group on 17 March 2026 and subsequently approved by the Investment Review Group on 2 April 2026. The procurement route and contract award recommendation were endorsed by the Procurement Group on 5 June 2026. No actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest were identified in relation to this procurement decision. Assessment criteria (scored 0-4 and weighted as follows): Quality and Innovation: 20% Value for Money: 25% Integration, Collaboration and Service Sustainability: 20% Improving Access, Reducing Health Inequalities and Facilitating Choice: 25% Social Value: 10% The provider has been assessed against the PSR key criteria, exclusion criteria and basic selection criteria and has successfully met all requirements. The assessment concluded that the provider is currently delivering the service to a satisfactory standard and is likely to continue satisfying the requirements of the proposed contract.