Tender

School Counselling Service - Primary Schools

WEST LOTHIAN COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

30 Mar 2026 at 14:28

Summary of the contracting process

West Lothian Council is currently in the tender stage for a contract titled "School Counselling Service - Primary Schools" aimed at providing counselling services to primary schools across the West Lothian area. This procurement opportunity falls under the services category with a classification of counselling services. The tender process is conducted electronically through the PCS-Tender platform, with a deadline for submissions on 30th April 2026 at noon. These services aim to integrate counselling within the school environment to build resilience among children and ease transitions to secondary education. The contract is active and involves community benefits, which will make up a part of the award criteria. The procurement method being utilised is an open procedure, and the contract is set to start on 1st August 2026 and end on 31st July 2028, with an option to extend for a further 24 months at the sole discretion of the council.

This tender presents a significant opportunity for businesses specialising in counselling and child support services. Services must be provided by those registered with recognised professional bodies such as the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) or the Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA). The contract value is estimated at £464,000, providing substantial engagement for qualified service providers able to enhance educational resilience and transition support services. Businesses with expertise in educational psychology could also leverage this contract to collaborate on developing school staff capabilities and designing curricula to promote mental health and wellbeing. Companies able to deliver quality and price competitiveness, especially those involved with educational consultancy, would find ample opportunity to grow through participation in this contract, aiding the community and contributing positively to the cluster assessment and support for transition processes within West Lothian Council schools.

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Notice Title

School Counselling Service - Primary Schools

Notice Description

West Lothian Council is seeking to appoint a fully qualified and experienced external service provider to provide Counselling Services to West Lothian Primary schools

Lot Information

Lot 1

West Lothian Council is seeking to appoint a fully qualified and experienced external service provider to achieve the vision of an integrated and flexible service which would meet the need for building resilient children and young people (aged 10 years and up) in the upper primary age range (P6&7) across all 69 primary school settings in the authority. It is envisaged that access to the service should be easy for schools and should feel seamless for children and young people and their families as part of the ongoing assessment and intervention planning process. A focus on building resilience, especially in relation to the transition to secondary school will be a key element of the work. It is expected that the provider will work closely with colleagues in secondary schools to support transition specifically where this would be in the best interests of the child. The provider would also be in a position to offer some specific transition intervention for particularly vulnerable P7 pupils in the summer term of each academic year. This would be closely aligned with the authority Cluster Assessment and Support for Transition (CAST) process. The ability to support young people over summer holiday periods where this is desirable will be a key element of the contract. In addition, the provider should consider how to support the local authority in building capacity in schools to support the mental health and wellbeing of young people through staff development and curriculum design. It is also expected that the provider will work closely with the Educational Psychology Service to maintain a quality evaluation framework as a key element of the contract. This will enable West Lothian Council to gather and report on council wide evaluation information and to meet the reporting requirements set by Scottish Government. Additional information: The council may wish to utilise the 24 month available extension in any combination e.g. 2 periods of 12 months.

Renewal: The contract may be extended for a period not exceeding a further 24 months in total at the sole discretion of the council.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-067811
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029211-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

85 - Health and social work services


CPV Codes

80100000 - Primary education services

85312300 - Guidance and counselling services

85312320 - Counselling services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£464,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Mar 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
30 Apr 20264 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Jul 2026 - 31 Jul 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
WEST LOTHIAN COUNCIL
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LIVINGSTON
Postcode
EH54 6FF
Post Town
Edinburgh
Country
Scotland

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM1 East Central Scotland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM14 West Lothian
Delivery Location
TLM78 West Lothian

Local Authority
West Lothian
Electoral Ward
Livingston South
Westminster Constituency
Livingston

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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