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Children & Young People Pathfinder - Supported Systems

NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

27 Aug 2026 at 17:55

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board commissioned a South West regional programme to develop child sexual abuse systems and pathways for children and young people. The services cover needs assessments, service mapping, workforce development, governance and pathway improvement, with trauma-informed and CPS-compliant practice. They aim to improve coordination, accessibility and consistency across health, justice, safeguarding and voluntary-sector services. Children, young people and families are involved through co-production. The work builds on existing activity in Swindon and Wiltshire and Dorset and extends systems development through sequential needs assessments in Devon and Cornwall and Gloucestershire. Delivery is across the South West of England. The procurement is classified as research and development design and execution, although its practical focus is specialist service and systems transformation.

This procurement is complete and was awarded through a direct award for a single lot. Bluestar Pre-Trial Support CiC Ltd was selected as supplier. The award value is £250,000 excluding VAT, or £300,000 including VAT. The award is above the relevant threshold. The awarded service period runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027, with contract signature scheduled for 28 September 2026. The authority’s stated basis was absence of competition for technical reasons, under Schedule 5, paragraph 6 of the Procurement Act 2023. It cited Bluestar’s existing South West assessments, stakeholder relationships, specialist child sexual abuse systems expertise and nationally recognised pre-trial therapy knowledge. The lot was considered suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community or social enterprises.

This award shows demand from NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board for specialist child sexual abuse systems transformation across multiple agencies and locations. Credible future competitors would need experience of needs assessment, service mapping, system gap analysis, pathway redesign, governance strengthening and workforce development, alongside the ability to support trauma-informed and CPS-compliant practice. The buyer valued continuity with existing regional work, established relationships with health, justice, safeguarding and voluntary-sector partners, and knowledge that could be applied across an expanding geographic area. Suppliers would therefore need strong multi-agency engagement and co-production capability, practical implementation expertise and evidence of improving coordination and consistency. Experience of pre-trial therapy guidance, training or accreditation would also strengthen a supplier’s position when this requirement returns.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Children & Young People Pathfinder - Supported Systems

Notice Description

The commissioned activity relates to the development of child sexual abuse (CSA) systems and pathways across the South West region, building on work already undertaken to strengthen local responses to children and young people affected by CSA. The project responds to the recognised need for improved coordination, accessibility and consistency of services across health, justice, safeguarding and voluntary sector systems. Current arrangements vary across the region, creating challenges in service accessibility, workforce confidence, governance arrangements and multi-agency working. The organisation undertaking this work is the Bluestar Project (a Community Interest Company, in partnership with The Green House charity). The project aims to improve coordination, accessibility and consistency of responses to children and young people affected by CSA across health, justice, safeguarding and voluntary sector services. The work will include needs assessments, service mapping, workforce development, governance and pathway improvement, and the promotion of trauma-informed, CPS-compliant practice. Children, young people and families will be involved through co-production activities. Bluestar will build on existing work in Swindon & Wiltshire and Dorset and undertake further systems development activity, including sequential needs assessments in Devon & Cornwall and Gloucestershire, to identify service gaps and opportunities for improvement. At the heart of this programme is a simple aim: to support sustainable, system-wide change so that every child who experiences sexual abuse can access a timely, compassionate, and coordinated response. Achieving this requires more than new services - it demands equipping the children's workforce across all agencies with the skills, confidence, and structures to act together, and embedding a culture of listening, believing, and responding. By laying these foundations, the programme enables to move beyond fragmented provision towards lasting, joined-up systems of care. The Bluestar Project also led national development of pre-trial therapy guidance, training and accreditation, working alongside the police and CPS. This has been rolled out nationally.

Procurement Information

Please note, the justification for this direct award is solely: 'Single supplier - technical reasons' as opposed to 'Extreme and unavoidable urgency'. A setting within FTS forces this box to be selected. The Contracting Authority considers that the grounds for direct award under Schedule 5, paragraph 6 of the Procurement Act 2023 are met, as there is an absence of competition for technical reasons and there are no reasonable alternative suppliers capable of delivering the required services. The requirement is for the continuation and expansion of a highly specialised programme of system transformation, needs assessment, pathway development, governance strengthening, workforce training and implementation support across the South West region. The Bluestar Project has already undertaken this work within Swindon & Wiltshire and Dorset, delivering comprehensive CSA needs assessments, system gap analyses, stakeholder engagement, presentation of findings, and workforce development programmes. The proposed programme directly builds upon this existing work, methodologies, relationships, intelligence, and learning and by extending the geographical scope of the work, will create greater equity across the region. Appointment of an alternative supplier would require duplication of work already completed, loss of continuity, and the recreation of established stakeholder networks and system knowledge. Bluestar possess specialist expertise that is integral to the objectives of the programme. This expertise underpins the programme's objective of strengthening trauma-informed, CPS-compliant pathways and supporting consistent multi-agency responses to children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse. The Authority considers that the combination of: (i) Bluestar's existing ownership of the regional assessments and system development work already delivered within the South West; (ii) its established relationships with local partners and stakeholders; (iii) its specialist expertise in CSA systems transformation; and (iv) its nationally recognised knowledge of pre-trial therapy and associated workforce development, means that only The Bluestar Project is capable of delivering the specific requirements of the contract. There are no reasonable alternative suppliers able to provide an equivalent service without significant duplication, delay, loss of continuity and risk to the successful delivery of the programme's intended outcomes.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ee15
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081977-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73300000 - Design and execution of research and development

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£250,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 Aug 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Oct 2026 - 30 Sep 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
YEOVIL
Postcode
BA22 8HR
Postcode Area
Bath
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK6 North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK62 Somerset
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Somerset
Electoral Ward
Brympton
Westminster Constituency
Yeovil

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Bluestar Pre-Trial Support CiC Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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