Planning

VCSE Structure & Strategy to NHS BRISTOL, NORTH SOMERSET AND SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE (BNSSG) INTEGRATED CARE BOARD (ICB)

NHS BRISTOL, NORTH SOMERSET AND SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE INTEGRATED CARE BOARD

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

27 Oct 2025 at 08:25

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (BNSSG ICB) is in the planning stage of commissioning services focused on Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Structure & Strategy. This procurement aims to enhance the VCSE sector's collaboration within the BNSSG Integrated Care System, fostering innovation and improved care models. The contract, estimated at £360,000 over three years, is set to commence in April 2026. Interested parties are encouraged to register and engage with a market engagement questionnaire by 24 November 2025. The procurement process, supported by NHS South Central and West CSU, is particularly relevant to the health and social work services sector in the UK, which seeks qualified and capable organisations to participate.

This procurement offers substantial opportunities for businesses within the VCSE sector that specialise in strategic planning, innovation, and community-based service models. Entities that can effectively interface with the NHS and support strategic health objectives will find this tender particularly conducive to growth. The tender is suitable for both small and medium-sized enterprises and VCSE organisations. As BNSSG integrates services with the broader Gloucestershire region, there’s potential for firms to expand their footprint within a dynamically evolving healthcare landscape. Given the emphasis on collaboration and strategic development, businesses adept at partnership development and community engagement are ideally positioned to capitalise on this opportunity.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

VCSE Structure & Strategy to NHS BRISTOL, NORTH SOMERSET AND SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE (BNSSG) INTEGRATED CARE BOARD (ICB)

Notice Description

1) This notice is placed as a Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (PMEN) to inform the market of Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Integrated Care Board's (ICB) (the Commissioner) intention to commission Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Structure & Strategy services. The Commissioner would like to understand the level of provider and partner interest in delivering these services. 2) The Commissioner is seeking to secure a Provider that has the capability and capacity to deliver VCSE Structure & Strategy services. The purpose of the VCSE Structure & Strategy services is to provide structure within the VCSE sector so that it can be an equal partner in the BNSSG Integrated Care System (ICS). The objectives of the service are: a. Provide VCSE structure / interface with VCSE sector and ICS - through culture, planning, decision-making, new models and innovation / improvement. b. Support co-design and implementation of strategic commissioning and strategic developments, including the BNSSG VCSE Vision, Healthier Together 2040 and neighbourhood health. 3) The Commissioner's intention is to source a single contract with a single contracting entity, for a service that will cover the entire BNSSG area. 4) The service will be for three years and will start in the early part of the 26/27 FY. 5) The following should be noted: a. The VCSE sector in BNSSG is estimated to number 8,000 independent, diverse VCSE organisations, 80% of which are micro and small (with annual turnover up to PS100,000, employing up to 5 people). b. The BNSSG VCSE Vision and its goals (culture, planning, decision-making, new models and innovation / improvement) provide the framework for the VCSE Structure & Strategy service. c. Activities similar to those to be commissioned are currently provided through a grant-funding arrangement between BNSSG ICB and the BNSSG VCSE Alliance. The VCSE Alliance is a collaboration between the ICB and the VCSE sector, which aims to i. Encourage and enable the VCSE sector to work in a coordinated way to inform policy, strategy and decision-making. ii. Provide the NHS and health and social care colleagues with a simple route of contact, engagement, and links to community. iii. Better position the VCSE sector to contribute to the design and delivery of integrated care. 6) Work is progressing to create the new ICB from the NHS BNSSG ICB and the NHS Gloucestershire ICB. The detail of the new ICB will become clear over time and it is possible that the VCSE Structure & Strategy service will need to include Gloucestershire as well as BNSSG. 7) It is not possible to state that TUPE will or will not apply at this stage, as the requirements of the VCSE Structure & Strategy service will develop after this notice and market engagement. 8) Following this exercise, the BNSSG ICB intends to hold pre-market engagement for another service: the "VCSE Support & Deliver service". In summary, the purpose (provisional) of the VCSE Support & Deliver service is to have a mature VCSE provider market in the form of a framework, that can deliver wellbeing / health outcomes through health and care services / activities in BNSSG. The objectives (provisional) of the service are: a. Enable and support VCSE collaborations / partnerships to deliver in neighbourhoods and communities. b. Test and provide approaches to targeted capacity building / market development support for priority VCSE organisations / communities. c. Provide services that support wellbeing / health programmes to reach diverse and mature VCSE market and VCSE organisations to make innovative proposals for delivery. 9) Early estimate envelope of c. PS120k per annum, for a term of 3-years, totalling PS360k. These figures are provided as a means for providers to ascertain scale and are highly liable to change before any formal procurement process is undertaken. 10) The Commissioner is seeking for all interested parties to register their interest and provide responses to a supplementary market engagement questionnaire. Access detail have been included in the "Engagement" section of this notice. The Commissioner encourages all interested parties to engage with this process, be it potential prime providers, interested subcontractors or even parties who do not wish to bid but believe they may be impacted by this service. This exercise is being carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner.

Planning Information

Interested providers will be able to view this opportunity via the live opportunities list on the 'Health Family' e-procurement system, Atamis. Click on 'View our Live Opportunities' from the home page, available on the following link: https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome. Once you have found the opportunity (via the search function, using the title or reference number), to gain full access to the relevant information and market engagement questionnaire, you will need to click on 'Register interest' - this will take you to the log-in page. If you are not already registered on the system, you will need to do so before gaining full access to the documentation and to be able to submit your expression of interest / market engagement questionnaire using the placeholder provider within Atamis. This notice is an information gathering exercise rather than a call for competition in its own right, and therefore publication or response does not commit the Authority or respondents to a future procurement, nor provide any process exemptions or preferential treatment to any parties expressing an interest. The Contracting Authority is looking to establish what interest there might be in providing such a service from suitably qualified, capable and competent organisations. The Contracting Authority will not be liable for costs incurred by any interested party in participating in this exercise. Interested parties should note that a response to this notice does not guarantee an automatic invitation to any subsequent formal procurement, which the commissioners will consider in due course.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05d3d3
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/068390-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85000000 - Health and social work services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£288,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 Oct 20253 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
31 Mar 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NHS BRISTOL, NORTH SOMERSET AND SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE INTEGRATED CARE BOARD
Additional Buyers

NHS SOUTH CENTRAL AND WEST CSU

Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
helena.fuller1@nhs.net, scwcsu.procurement@nhs.net
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
BRISTOL
Postcode
BS1 6AG
Post Town
Bristol
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ35 South Hampshire
Delivery Location
TLK1 Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath area
Local Authority
Eastleigh
Electoral Ward
Eastleigh Central
Westminster Constituency
Eastleigh

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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