This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

TenderUpdate

20 May 2026 at 08:49

Award

24 Feb 2026 at 15:57

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process for the "On Demand Availability of Drugs for Palliative Care" is spearheaded by NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board. This initiative is classified under the pharmacy services industry category and is primarily being implemented across the Surrey Heartlands region in the United Kingdom. The procurement stage has moved through several stages, including award and contract finalisation, with the project set to run from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2028. The procurement method involved a direct award under the Provider Selection Regime, which is outside the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The contract, valued at £2,244.00, involves the provision of immediate access to palliative care medication and has been awarded following thorough evaluations by NHS Surrey Heartlands' relevant decision-making committees.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses involved in pharmacy services, especially those specialising in palliative care or healthcare service provision. Companies that can offer reliable, location-based access to critical medications will be well-suited to compete or collaborate under similar future frameworks. The directly awarded contract underscores the importance of maintaining integration with local healthcare systems, community pharmacies, and support networks, thereby enhancing service delivery while also supporting business sustainability within the healthcare services sector. Engaging in such projects can bolster a company's reputation, contribute to its growth in the healthcare field, and support the delivery of high-quality care through innovative service models.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

On Demand Availability of Drugs for Palliative Care

Notice Description

The aim of the service is to provide immediate and consistent access to palliative care medication across NHS Surrey Heartlands (and wider, work has been done collaboratively across Surrey) with the ultimate aim of providing the best level of End-of-Life care and reducing inappropriate admissions in the last weeks of a patient's life. To improve access for people to these specialist medicines when they are required by ensuring prompt access and continuity of supply. To support users, carers and clinicians by providing them with up-to-date information and advice, and referral where appropriate.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The purpose of this service is to support patients to live and die in their place of choice and to reduce inappropriate admissions in the last weeks of their life, a locally commissioned service (LCS) has been developed for the on-demand availability of palliative care drugs through a number of selected pharmacy contractors in the area. This service supplies specialist medicines for palliative care, the demand for which may be urgent and/or unpredictable via several pharmacy contractors. The pharmacy contractor will stock a locally agreed range of specialist medicines and will make a commitment to ensure that users of this service have prompt access to these medicines during their hours of opening. These drugs have been agreed by the service providers and are considered to cover most "urgent" requests. The pharmacy will provide information and advice to the user, carer and clinician in line with locally agreed palliative care guidelines. They may also refer to specialist centres, support groups or other health and social care professionals where appropriate. The palliative care drugs list and details of pharmacies will be circulated to all primary care prescribers, including the out of hours service, District Nurses, Palliative Care Nurses, Community Pharmacies, Hospital Pharmacists and Palliative Care Consultants so that all the appropriate health care professional are aware of what is reasonable to expect to be available. "Palliative care" pharmacies will be used mainly in an emergency situation, where the drugs cannot be obtained by the local Community Pharmacy within an appropriate timescale. The Commissioner intends to award a contract to an existing provider following direct award process C. The contract duration is 24-months, from 01/04/2026 - 31/03/2028. The lifetime value of the contract is PS2,244.00. This procurement has been carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioners.

Procurement Information

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 and the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award. The standstill period begins on the day after the publication of this notice. Representations by providers must be made to the relevant authority by midnight on 09/03/2026. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-065b5e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/046019-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services


CPV Codes

85149000 - Pharmacy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£2,244 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
20 May 20263 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NHS SURREY HEARTLANDS INTEGRATED CARE BOARD
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
WOKING
Postcode
GU21 5BH
Postcode Area
Guildford
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ25 West Surrey
Delivery Location
TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex

Local Authority
Woking
Electoral Ward
Canalside
Westminster Constituency
Woking

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Horton Pharmacy

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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.

Loading OCDS record...