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Provision of a School Counsellor

Wrexham County Borough Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

17 Jul 2026 at 15:57

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

29 Jun 2026 at 14:26

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

29 Jun 2026 at 12:31

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Wrexham County Borough Council commissioned a school-based counselling service for young people attending a pupil referral unit (PRU). The requirement is for a directly employed school counsellor to support young people who are difficult to reach and may struggle to access support services. The service is intended to provide consistent, trusting relationships and continuity for young people already receiving counselling or likely to need it. The work is delivered in the Wrexham area of Wales. It falls within counselling services. The requirement is for 2.5 days of counselling each week, increased from the previous level of two days per week. The council is the buyer and the procurement was suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The procurement is complete and was awarded on 29 June 2026 to FREEDOM FROM WITHIN THERAPY through a below-threshold direct award without competition. The award and contract value is £42,900 excluding VAT, or £51,480 including VAT. The award period runs from 3 August 2026 to 30 July 2028, while the signed contract records a period from 1 September 2026 to 20 July 2028. The contract was signed on 17 July 2026 and is active. There was one lot. The council’s stated rationale was that changing provider could harm young people’s existing counselling relationships and access to support. The award followed a review of the incumbent provider’s service, including formal evaluations.

This requirement demonstrates demand for a specialist school counselling provider able to work directly with young people in a PRU environment, including those considered hard to reach. A credible competitor would need counsellors who can build consistent, trusting relationships, maintain continuity of support and operate within a school-based setting. Experience supporting young people with difficult access to services would be particularly relevant. The buyer’s decision was informed by formal evaluations of the existing service, so providers should be able to evidence service quality, outcomes and previous performance clearly. The requirement’s scale suits an SME-sized provider able to supply regular counsellor capacity of around two and a half days each week and sustain delivery over a multi-year arrangement.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of a School Counsellor

Notice Description

UK 7 - Contract Details Notice Young people attending the PRU are 'hard to reach' and find accessing support services highly challenging unless consistent and trusting relationships are formed. Young people in the PRU require the support of directly employed school based counsellor. Following a review of the services previously provided by Freedom From Within Therapy, that has included formal evaluations, the PRU service wishes to renew the below threshold contract and increase the number of days from 2 days to 2.5 days per week. To engage into a procurement process that may result in another provider delivering school-based counselling, would have a detrimental impact on those young people currently engaged with counselling and those wishing to access the service in the near future where familiarity and relationships have been formed with Freedom From Within Therapy.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06bf08
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/067946-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85312320 - Counselling services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£42,900 Under £100K
Contracts Value
£42,900 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
29 Jun 20262 months ago
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 20 Jul 2028 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Wrexham County Borough 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
WREXHAM
Postcode
LL11 1AR
Postcode Area
Llandudno
Country
Wales
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLL Wales
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLL3 North Wales
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLL34 Flintshire and Wrexham
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Wrexham
Electoral Ward
Grosvenor
Westminster Constituency
Wrexham

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

FREEDOM FROM WITHIN THERAPY

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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