--- title: "Provision of an independent Freedom to Speak Up Guardian Service" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-02aeda" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-02aeda" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02aeda.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02aeda.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "NHS HIGHLAND" published: "2021-05-10" --- # Provision of an independent Freedom to Speak Up Guardian Service Buyer: NHS HIGHLAND Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-02aeda [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-02aeda) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02aeda.json) ## Summary NHS Highland has successfully completed the procurement process for the "Provision of an Independent Freedom to Speak Up Guardian Service" within the health services industry in the UK. This critical tender, which aimed to establish a guardian service for NHS staff, was initiated without prior publication of a call for competition, reflecting its unique need for an experienced provider. The contract was signed on 6th March 2020, with a total value of £351,400. The service was to be delivered across the NHS Highland area, with an urgent deadline for establishment due to recommendations from the Sturrock review. This contract presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in staff development and support services, particularly those with experience in providing similar whistleblowing channels in the healthcare sector. Companies positioned to offer unique solutions, especially those familiar with NHS operations and culture, are well-suited to compete in future tenders of this nature. The emphasis on building trust and affecting organisational culture creates a niche for businesses with proven track records in confidential advisory services and stakeholder engagement. ## Notice Guardian service for NHS Highland staff ### Lot Information Lot 1 NHS Highland have a critical and urgent need to establish a Guardian / Speak up service by July 2020, as recommended in the Sturrock review, to provide an independent channel for colleague concerns to be raised where other channels have not worked or cannot be used. This is also aligned to how we wil implement the revised National Whistleblowing standards in Highland in July 2020. NHS Highland do not have the capacity, time or skills to set up an internal speak up service, and the culture issues experienced mean that an externally hosted service is critical at this time to built trust of the service. We have reviewed the market and the only established provider of this service that we have identified with appropriate and relevant NHS specific experience is The Guardian Service. The Guardian Service have extensive experience in setting up and running this service across many years and we have testimony from other NHS trusts in England and Wales who already work with them. Their approach of working in partnership with the organisation and key stakeholders is essential to the service working effectively and learning from the issues which are raised. Options: NHS Highland might increase the number of Guardians provided to staff as part of this service dependent on the uptake of the service by staff, something which is currently unknown. ### Procurement Information This procurement is unique in that the provider is offering a technical solution, based on it's specific positioning and experience, the likes of which is not available elsewhere in exactly the form that we desire to employ. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/010089-2021 | | Notice type | Award 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 | | All stages | Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 10 May 2021 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 6 Mar 2020 | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | £351,400 | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Complete | | Lots status | Cancelled | | Awards status | Active | | Contracts status | Active | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | NHS HIGHLAND | | Locality | INVERNESS | | Post town | Inverness | | Postcode | IV2 3BW | | Country | Scotland | | ITL 1 | TLM Scotland | | ITL 2 | TLM2 Highlands and Islands | | ITL 3 | TLM20 Highlands and Islands | | Local authority | Highland | | Electoral ward | Inverness South | | Westminster constituency | Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire | | Delivery location | TLM6 Highlands and Islands | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 1 | | Supplier names | THE GUARDIAN SERVICE | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 79633000 - Staff development services ## Release History - 10 May 2021 at 10:15 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/010089-2021 ## Notice URLs - http://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk - https://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:117566-2020:TEXT:EN:HTML - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA00302 - https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/the-courts/court-locations/inverness-sheriff-court-and-justice-of-the-peace-court ## 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-h6vhtk-02aeda. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02aeda.json.