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The Provision of British Sign Language (BSL) NHS Talking Therapies

Hertfordshire County Council

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

TenderUpdate

07 Aug 2026 at 12:53

Tender Notice
Award

23 Jul 2026 at 12:58

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Hertfordshire County Council procured specialist NHS Talking Therapies delivered directly in British Sign Language for Deaf service users. The service covers assessment, Step 2 and Step 3 interventions, Counselling for Depression, cognitive behavioural therapy, eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing, interpersonal psychotherapy, couples therapy, reporting and governance. It is a health service delivered for service users in Hertfordshire. The requirement is a new service and is intended to provide access to talking therapies in BSL rather than relying on interpretation. The commissioning responsibility sits with Hertfordshire County Council, a local authority based in Hertford. The selected provider is SignHealth, an SME based in London, indicating that delivery is not limited to suppliers located within the county.

The procurement has reached the awarded stage under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, using a most suitable provider process without a prior call for competition. SignHealth was formally awarded the contract on 7 August 2026, following an eight-working-day standstill period, and the contract was signed on 24 June 2026. The estimated contract period starts on 10 August 2026 and runs for one year, with an option to extend for a further year to 9 August 2028, subject to funding and satisfactory performance. The estimated lifetime value is £68,026.56 excluding VAT, including the extension. Evaluation was based entirely on quality against five key criteria; cost carried no weighting. Three bids were recorded.

This procurement demonstrates demand for a specialist provider able to deliver NHS Talking Therapies directly in British Sign Language to Deaf service users. A credible competitor would need qualified clinical capability across assessment, Step 2 and Step 3 interventions, Counselling for Depression, CBT, EMDR, IPT and couples therapy, together with the ability to serve the full range of required therapies rather than a single modality. Experience of working with Deaf communities and delivering accessible mental health services would be central. Suppliers would also need robust reporting, clinical governance and operational capacity to support a dedicated service. The outcome shows that the council placed all evaluation weight on quality, and that a specialist SME can compete successfully through the Provider Selection Regime route.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

The Provision of British Sign Language (BSL) NHS Talking Therapies

Notice Description

The provision of specialist NHS Talking Therapies services delivered directly in British Sign Language (BSL) for Deaf service users, including assessment, Step 2 and Step 3 interventions, Counselling for Depression (CfD), CBT, EMDR, IPT, Couples Therapy and associated reporting and governance requirements.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The provision of specialist NHS Talking Therapies services delivered directly in British Sign Language (BSL) for Deaf service users, including assessment, Step 2 and Step 3 interventions, Counselling for Depression (CfD), CBT, EMDR, IPT, Couples Therapy and associated reporting and governance requirements. This is an intention to award a contract under the most suitable provider process. The approximate lifetime value of the contract is PS68,026.56. This is a new service. The contract start date is 6th August 2026 for a year with an option to extend for a further year until 5th August 2028. The approximate life time value of this contract is stated in II.1.7 above and includes the value of any possible extensions.

Options: There is the option to extend the contract for one (1) year subject to available funding and satisfactory performance at the discretion of the Council.

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 or the Procurement Regulations 2024 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations must be made to decision makers by 5th August 2026. The contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice services as an intention to award under the PSR.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d1d6
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/075281-2026
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
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85100000 - Health services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£68,026 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
7 Aug 20262 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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Hertfordshire County 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
HERTFORD
Postcode
SG13 8DQ
Postcode Area
Stevenage
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH26 North and East Hertfordshire
Delivery Location
TLH23 Hertfordshire CC
Local Authority
East Hertfordshire
Electoral Ward
Hertford Castle
Westminster Constituency
Hertford and Stortford

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

SignHealth

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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