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International Recruitment and Clinical Training of Fragile Professions

NHS England

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

08 Sep 2026 at 16:00

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

08 Sep 2026 at 15:42

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Planning

27 Aug 2026 at 16:50

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

NHS England has procured services for the international recruitment and clinical training of medical personnel in fragile professions. The requirement is an integrated workforce pathway covering workforce attraction, international recruitment, education, training, assessment, mobilisation, pastoral support and retention interventions. It is intended to provide a single accountable service model rather than separate specialist activities. The work is categorised as services for the supply of medical personnel (CPV 79625000). The two selected providers are BAPIO Training Academy Ltd, an SME based in Bedford, and Apollo Education UK Limited, a large organisation based in Crewe. The procurement is relevant to providers able to combine international healthcare recruitment with clinical education, workforce support and end-to-end delivery at NHS scale.

The procurement is complete and two awards were made through a direct award for technical reasons under Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 and Schedule 5, paragraph 6. BAPIO Training Academy Ltd was awarded £2,000,000 excluding VAT (£2,400,000 including VAT), with an award date of 25 August 2026. Apollo Education UK Limited was awarded £3,000,000 excluding VAT (£3,600,000 including VAT), also on 25 August 2026. Both contracts are scheduled to run from 21 September 2026 to 30 April 2027, with a 12-month extension option and a maximum end date of 30 April 2028. A contract signature milestone was scheduled for 18 September 2026. The procurement was above threshold and treated as one completed lot suitable for SMEs.

This award demonstrates demand from NHS England for suppliers that can deliver a complete international healthcare workforce pathway under one accountable service model. Businesses seeking comparable future work would need credible capability across international recruitment, workforce attraction, clinical training, education, assessment and mobilisation, alongside pastoral support and retention activity. The requirement favours organisations able to coordinate these interdependent services rather than provide only one specialist element. Evidence of delivery at the required scale and pace, including practical experience supporting NHS workforce programmes, would strengthen a supplier’s position. Providers should also be able to manage the full journey from attracting and recruiting overseas personnel through preparation, support and longer-term retention, with sufficient operational capacity to integrate all components.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

International Recruitment and Clinical Training of Fragile Professions

Notice Description

NHS England is intending to award two contracts for International Recruitment and Clinical Training of Fragile Professions. The two contracts will be: BAPIO Training Academy: Maximum value of PS2,000,000 Apollo Education UK: Maximum value of PS3,000,000 The intention is that the contracts will run for an initial term until 30/04/2027. There will be an option to extend both agreements by a period of 12 months however the maximum value of the agreements will remain at the values set out above.

Procurement Information

NHS England is intending to award two contracts to Apollo Education UK and BAPIO Training Academy for International Recruitment and Training of Fragile Professions. This direct award is made in accordance with Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 and Schedule 5 paragraph 6 Due to an absence of competition for technical reasons Through Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) delivery, NHS England has gained direct experience of the services available within the market and the differing delivery approaches adopted by providers. This experience has demonstrated that whilst a number of organisations offer elements of international recruitment or workforce support, providers typically specialise in discrete aspects of the workforce pathway rather than delivering a fully integrated end-to-end solution. The assessment of NHS England is that this requirement extends beyond recruitment activity and includes workforce attraction, training, education, assessment, mobilisation, pastoral support and retention interventions. Based on delivery experience gained through the CDC programme, it is NHS England's view that at this moment in time only these two providers are capable of delivering all of these interdependent components through a single accountable service model at the scale and pace required.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ee06
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085059-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large, SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

79625000 - Supply services of medical personnel

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£5,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£5,000,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 Sep 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Sep 2026Expired
Award Date
25 Aug 20262 months ago
Contract Period
21 Sep 2026 - 30 Apr 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NHS England
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SE1 8UG
Postcode Area
South East London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI4 Inner London - East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI45 Lambeth
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Lambeth
Electoral Ward
Waterloo & South Bank
Westminster Constituency
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

BAPIO Training Academy Ltd

Apollo Education UK Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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