---
title: "Children and Young People's Autism and ADHD Assessment Waiting List Initiative"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-050057"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-050057"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050057.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050057.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NHS NORTH EAST AND NORTH CUMBRIA INTEGRATED CARE BOARD"
published: "2025-04-28"
---

# Children and Young People's Autism and ADHD Assessment Waiting List Initiative

Buyer: NHS NORTH EAST AND NORTH CUMBRIA INTEGRATED CARE BOARD  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-050057

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## Summary

The procurement process titled "Children and Young People's Autism and ADHD Assessment Waiting List Initiative" is being managed by the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board. It falls under the health services industry category, classified with the CPV code 85100000. This initiative addresses the urgent need for autism and ADHD assessments due to increased demand and unforeseen recruitment challenges. Located within the NENC ICB regional footprint, including Sunderland and Cheltenham, the contract has been awarded under the Provider Selection Regime Regulations 2023 without a prior call for competition. While the contract came into effect on 25 March 2025 and will conclude by 24 March 2026, future modifications to increase activity and value are possible to meet ongoing service demands.

This tender opens up significant business opportunities, particularly for entities with expertise in health services focusing on autism and ADHD assessments. The nature of the urgent award, combined with the potential for future contract modifications, presents a growth opportunity for experienced healthcare providers. Companies adept at managing increased service demands and capable of working alongside NHS partners would be well-suited to compete in this space, particularly in offering assessments, diagnoses, and follow-up care services. The OWL Centre, a large-scale health service provider based in Cheltenham, is already involved, suggesting that organisations with established reputations and capabilities in this sector may have a competitive edge.

## Notice

This contract has been awarded under the urgent circumstances provision of the Provider Selection Regime (PSR). This contract has been awarded under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and Procurement Regulations 2024 do not apply to this award. The recent increased unanticipated demand for this service provision has coincided with unforeseeable challenges in relation to recruitment and retention of workforce, as well as a greater request for diagnosis to be sought to support access to education and social provision. This increase has seen demand outstrip capacity across the NENC ICB regional footprint, resulting in the need to work with other non-NHS partners and providers of Autism and ADHD Assessment Services to address the long waits which exist in some localities. Therefore, in line with Regulation 14 of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, The Owl Centre will work with the existing NHS commissioned Autism and ADHD Assessment and Diagnosis Services (and ICB commissioners) to identify the cohort of children and young people who will be offered the following; (i)advice & support, (ii)assessment and diagnosis for Autism and or ADHD management interventions (including Psychological Education for post ADHD diagnosis) (iii)medication - initiation, titration, stabilisation, treatment and care in order to address the current waiting list. Regulation 14 has been applied because the urgency was not foreseeable by and not attributable to the relevant authority. Regulation 14 has been applied because delaying the award of the contract would be likely to pose a risk to patient or public safety. Details of individual making decisions: Chief Delivery Officer NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board There were no conflicts of interest identified This award may include future modifications to increase activity and value.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

This contract has been awarded under the urgent circumstances provision of the Provider Selection Regime (PSR). This contract has been awarded under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and Procurement Regulations 2024 do not apply to this award. The recent increased unanticipated demand for this service provision has coincided with unforeseeable challenges in relation to recruitment and retention of workforce, as well as a greater request for diagnosis to be sought to support access to education and social provision. This increase has seen demand outstrip capacity across the NENC ICB regional footprint, resulting in the need to work with other non-NHS partners and providers of Autism and ADHD Assessment Services to address the long waits which exist in some localities. Therefore, in line with Regulation 14 of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, The Owl Centre will work with the existing NHS commissioned Autism and ADHD Assessment and Diagnosis Services (and ICB commissioners) to identify the cohort of children and young people who will be offered the following; (i)advice & support, (ii)assessment and diagnosis for Autism and or ADHD management interventions (including Psychological Education for post ADHD diagnosis) (iii)medication - initiation, titration, stabilisation, treatment and care in order to address the current waiting list. Regulation 14 has been applied because the urgency was not foreseeable by and not attributable to the relevant authority. Regulation 14 has been applied because delaying the award of the contract would be likely to pose a risk to patient or public safety. Details of individual making decisions: Chief Delivery Officer NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board There were no conflicts of interest identified The contract start date is 25 March 2025 for 12 months with a contract end date of 24 March 2026 The award or modification needs be made urgently. * The reason for the urgency was not foreseeable by and is not attributable to the relevant authority. * Delaying the award to conduct a full application of the Regime would be likely to pose a significant unknown risk to patient or public safety due to lengths of waits for assessment. Urgent award is required due to increased demand and increased waiting times for both Autism and ADHD assessments for children and young people, post- pandemic. This is a waiting list initiative using non-recurrent funding and will not continue following 12 months. This award may include future modifications to increase activity and value. Additional information: This contract has been awarded under the urgent circumstances provision of the Provider Selection Regime (PSR). This contract has been awarded under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and Procurement Regulations 2024 do not apply to this award. The recent increased unanticipated demand for this service provision has coincided with unforeseeable challenges in relation to recruitment and retention of workforce, as well as a greater request for diagnosis to be sought to support access to education and social provision. This increase has seen demand outstrip capacity across the NENC ICB regional footprint, resulting in the need to work with other non-NHS partners and providers of Autism and ADHD Assessment Services to address the long waits which exist in some localities. Therefore, in line with Regulation 14 of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, The OWL Centre will work with the existing NHS commissioned Autism and ADHD Assessment and Diagnosis Services (and ICB commissioners) to identify the cohort of children and young people who will be offered the following; (i)advice & support, (ii)assessment and diagnosis for Autism and or ADHD management interventions (including Psychological Education for post ADHD diagnosis) (iii)medication - initiation, titration, stabilisation, treatment and care in order to address the current waiting list. Regulation 14 has been applied because the urgency was not foreseeable by and not attributable to the relevant authority. Regulation 14 has been applied because delaying the award of the contract would be likely to pose a risk to patient or public safety. Details of individual making decisions: Chief Delivery Officer NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board There were no conflicts of interest identified. This award may include future modifications to increase activity and value.

### Procurement Information

This contract has been awarded under the urgent circumstances provision of the Provider Selection Regime (PSR). This contract has been awarded under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and Procurement Regulations 2024 do not apply to this award. The recent increased unanticipated demand for this service provision has coincided with unforeseeable challenges in relation to recruitment and retention of workforce, as well as a greater request for diagnosis to be sought to support access to education and social provision. This increase has seen demand outstrip capacity across the NENC ICB regional footprint, resulting in the need to work with other non-NHS partners and providers of Autism and ADHD Assessment Services to address the long waits which exist in some localities. Therefore, in line with Regulation 14 of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, The OWL Centre will work with the existing NHS commissioned Autism and ADHD Assessment and Diagnosis Services (and ICB commissioners) to identify the cohort of children and young people who will be offered the following; (i)advice & support, (ii)assessment and diagnosis for Autism and or ADHD management interventions (including Psychological Education for post ADHD diagnosis) (iii)medication - initiation, titration, stabilisation, treatment and care in order to address the current waiting list. Regulation 14 has been applied because the urgency was not foreseeable by and not attributable to the relevant authority. Regulation 14 has been applied because delaying the award of the contract would be likely to pose a risk to patient or public safety. Details of individual making decisions: Chief Delivery Officer NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board There were no conflicts of interest identified This award may include future modifications to increase activity and value.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017204-2025 |
| 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 | Large |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 28 Apr 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 25 Mar 2025 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £300,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NHS NORTH EAST AND NORTH CUMBRIA INTEGRATED CARE BOARD |
| Locality | SUNDERLAND |
| Post town | Sunderland |
| Postcode | SR5 3XB |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear |
| ITL 3 | TLC44 Sunderland |
| Local authority | Sunderland |
| Electoral ward | Castle |
| Westminster constituency | Washington and Gateshead South |
| Delivery location | TLC North East (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | THE OWL CENTRE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85100000 - Health services

## Release History

- 28 Apr 2025 at 09:05 - TenderUpdate - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017204-2025
- 10 Apr 2025 at 09:24 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014199-2025

## Notice URLs

- https://northeastnorthcumbria.nhs.uk

## 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-050057. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050057.json.