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Smokefree Sefton - Stop Smoking Service

Sefton Council

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

14 Sep 2026 at 19:14

Award Notice
Tender

09 Jun 2026 at 16:10

Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Sefton Council appointed a provider for Smokefree Sefton, a comprehensive stop smoking service delivered across Sefton. The service is intended to help people quit tobacco use and prevent people from taking up smoking. It is a community and public health service, covering stop smoking support for individuals rather than the supply of products or construction works. Sefton Council is the buying organisation, with delivery in the Sefton area. The procurement was conducted under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. The relevant service categories are health services and community health services. This opportunity is therefore most relevant to organisations experienced in delivering structured tobacco cessation services, public health interventions and community-based support at council level.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to ABL Health Limited, which is recorded as the active supplier. The contract was signed on 14 September 2026 and has an awarded value of £4,931,268. The service starts on 1 April 2027 for four years, with options for a further four years, followed by two years and then one year, subject to satisfactory performance and value for money. This was an open procedure under the Provider Selection Regime competitive process. Six bids were received, including four from SMEs. Evaluation was based on quality at 75%, social value at 10% and presentation or interview at 15%; price carried no weighting because the contract has a fixed price. The tender submission deadline was 7 July 2026, and representations were due by midnight on 24 September 2026.

For a supplier assessing future work with Sefton Council, this procurement demonstrates demand for a substantial, long-term stop smoking service delivered across a local authority area. A credible competitor would need a proven ability to help people stop using tobacco, prevent smoking uptake and provide community health services at scale. The evaluation shows that service quality is decisive, with social value and the ability to present the proposed approach also forming part of the assessment, while price is fixed rather than competitively scored. Relevant organisations are likely to be public health or healthcare providers able to evidence satisfactory performance, deliver measurable value for money and explain their service model clearly to a panel with public health expertise.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Smokefree Sefton - Stop Smoking Service

Notice Description

Sefton Council is appointing a provider to provide Stop Smoking Services in Sefton. This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice in line with the Competitive Process. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (PSR). For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to decision makers by midnight on Thursday 24th September 2026. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.

Lot Information

Lot 1

This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice in line with the Competitive Process. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (PSR). For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to decision makers by midnight on Thursday 24th September 2026. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR. The Council has conducted this procurement in accordance with The Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (Regulation 11, Competitive Process). Sefton Council's tendering portal, The Chest (www.the-chest.org.uk) has been used for this tender process. The reference number for this tender on the portal is DN817096. Description of the relevant health care services: CPV Code: 85323000 - Community health services / 85100000 - Health services Sefton Council is looking to appoint a Provider to deliver a comprehensive Stop Smoking Service that supports individuals to quit tobacco use and prevents the uptake of smoking. The service will run for a period of 4 years from the 1st of April 2027, with the option to extend for a further 4 years (plus 2 years, followed by plus 1 year), subject to evidence of satisfactory ongoing performance and value for money. The estimated lifetime value of the contract including extensions is PS4,931,268 and a breakdown per year is provided in section 12, pages 37 and 38 of the service specification. The Council has a fixed budget for this contract. Tender evaluation will be carried out on the basis of quality, social value and presentation / interview. Award decision-makers: The Cabinet Members of Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council Reasons for selecting the chosen provider: Basic selection criteria were applied to the tenders on a pass / fail basis with the successful provider achieving a pass. The award criteria were split into the following sections: * Quality questions 75% * Social value 10% * Price 0% - Fixed price contract * Presentation and interview 15% The assessment of the remaining tender response in relation to the award criteria was undertaken by a panel of members with expertise in public health and overseen by the Council's procurement department. The successful provider achieved an overall score of 67%. No conflicts of Interest were declared Additional information: This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice in line with the Competitive Process. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (PSR). For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to decision makers by midnight on Thursday 24th September 2026. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.

Renewal: The service will run for a period of 4 years from the 1st of April 2027, with the option to extend for a further 4 years (plus 2 years, followed by plus 1 year), subject to evidence of satisfactory ongoing performance and value for money.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b11b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/087080-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

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

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85100000 - Health services

85323000 - Community health services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£4,931,268 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£4,931,268 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£4,931,268 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
14 Sep 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
7 Jul 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Re-procurement will start approximately 9 - 12 months before the end of the contract.

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Sefton 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
BOOTLE
Postcode
L20 3NJ
Postcode Area
Liverpool
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD7 Merseyside
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD73 Sefton
Delivery Location
TLD73 Sefton
Local Authority
Sefton
Electoral Ward
Derby
Westminster Constituency
Bootle

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

ABL Health Ltd

Further Information

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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