---
title: "NHS England and NHS Improvement South (South West) - Dorset Sexual Assault Referral Centre Services"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-b4acf7c1-c056-454f-a30d-416295b8182c"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-b4acf7c1-c056-454f-a30d-416295b8182c"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-b4acf7c1-c056-454f-a30d-416295b8182c.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-b4acf7c1-c056-454f-a30d-416295b8182c.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NHS SOUTH, CENTRAL AND WEST COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNIT"
published: "2021-02-15"
---

# NHS England and NHS Improvement South (South West) - Dorset Sexual Assault Referral Centre Services

Buyer: NHS SOUTH, CENTRAL AND WEST COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNIT  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-b4acf7c1-c056-454f-a30d-416295b8182c

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## Summary

The NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit is overseeing the procurement process for the "Dorset Sexual Assault Referral Centre Services," aimed at providing comprehensive services to victims of sexual assault. This tender falls under the health and social work services category and is located in the South West of England. The procurement is currently at the Award stage, with the contract set to commence on 1st April 2021 and continue for a period of seven years, concluding on 31st March 2028. The total value of the contract is approximately £3.72 million.

This procurement presents significant opportunities for growth particularly for firms specialising in healthcare services, especially those with capabilities in providing crisis support, forensic examinations, and paediatric care. Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary community social enterprises (VCSEs) would find this tender particularly accessible, as it is designed to support diverse service providers and emphasise collaboration within healthcare frameworks. Businesses looking to engage in this procurement should align their offerings with the contract’s objectives of enhancing service equity and quality for vulnerable populations.

## Notice

NHS England and NHS Improvement South (South West) (NHSE/I), as lead commissioner, and the Dorset Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner as co-commissioner, recommissioned Dorset Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) services. Dorset SARC services aim to increase equity of access and ensure a consistent and high standard of quality care to victims of sexual assault in line with the Strategic Direction for Sexual Assault and Abuse Services (2018). The following outcomes are anticipated during the life of the contract: * Be people-oriented and focused on addressing the needs of service users * Provide consistency of available services offered to different age groups, i.e. adults and paediatrics, and equal access to services * Meet national quality and clinical standards * Provide value and effectiveness of provision * Ensure 24/7 access to crisis support and specialist clinical and forensic care/ advice * Ensure the workforce has the required capabilities and competencies * Operate as part of a coherent Sexual Assault Pathway * Ensure effective collaboration with key partners Key elements of Dorset SARC services include: * Adult provision * Paediatric provision, co-delivered by paediatricians at Poole Hospital Foundation Trust (PHFT) * Forensic Physicians (for complex cases and pre-pubertal children up to their 14th birthday) * Forensic Nurse Examiners (for adults and post-pubertal young people aged 14 years and above) * Crisis Workers * Estates and facilities (in liaison with Dorset Police and the OPCC) Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) services and therapeutic provision fall outside of the scope of this contract. The Dorset SARC provider will be required to work closely with the paediatric department from PHFT, who are commissioned separately by NHSE/I to provide the paediatric workforce for assessment and examinations of children and young people. PHFT also deliver provision of non-recent/historic Child Sexual Abuse Services. Services will be delivered under the national service specification (Spec 30), coupled with the Dorset (local) specification, that are aligned with best practice, current Faculty for Forensic and Legal Medicine (FFLM) guidelines and current Royal Colleges' guidance. Where standards and guidance are reviewed and updated during the life of the contract, SARC services must maintain compliance with any changes and as such the contract may be varied accordingly. The Commissioner contracted the Services using the National NHS Standard Contract. The contract will be for a term of 7 years and will commence from 1st April 2021. The total contract value is PS3,720,206 over the seven years. This procurement was carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioners. Additional information: These services are healthcare services falling within Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ("the Regulations") which are not subject to the full regime of the Regulations, but is instead governed by the "Light Touch Regime" contained within Chapter 3, Section 7 of the Regulations (Regulations 74 to 77).

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/80159d63-7b45-4a7c-94c2-c0a3ca65c44a |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure (above threshold) |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 15 Feb 2021 |
| Submission deadline | 24 Aug 2020 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 30 Nov 2020 |
| Contract period | 31 Mar 2021 - 31 Mar 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £3,721,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £3,720,206 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NHS SOUTH, CENTRAL AND WEST COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNIT |
| Locality | BRISTOL |
| Post town | Bristol |
| Postcode | BS1 3NX |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK5 West of England |
| ITL 3 | TLK51 Bristol, City of |
| Local authority | Bristol, City of |
| Electoral ward | Central |
| Westminster constituency | Bristol Central |
| Delivery location | TLK South West (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | G4S HEALTH SERVICES (UK |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85000000 - Health and social work services

## Release History

- 15 Feb 2021 at 17:03 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/80159d63-7b45-4a7c-94c2-c0a3ca65c44a
- 1 Jul 2020 at 07:44 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/3fa02110-ede4-4df6-ade8-4fac7a9b6efc

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/80159d63-7b45-4a7c-94c2-c0a3ca65c44a
  15th February 2021 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/3fa02110-ede4-4df6-ade8-4fac7a9b6efc
  1st July 2020 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder

## Notice URLs

- https://in-tendhost.co.uk/scwcsu/aspx/Home

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-b4acf7c1-c056-454f-a30d-416295b8182c. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-b4acf7c1-c056-454f-a30d-416295b8182c.json.