---
title: "NHS Talking Therapies and Psychological Therapies for Severe Mental Health Problems"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06afc1"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06afc1"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06afc1.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06afc1.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NHS ESSEX INTEGRATED CARE BOARD"
published: "2026-06-08"
---

# NHS Talking Therapies and Psychological Therapies for Severe Mental Health Problems

Buyer: NHS ESSEX INTEGRATED CARE BOARD  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06afc1

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## Summary

The NHS Essex Integrated Care Board has completed the procurement process for the "NHS Talking Therapies and Psychological Therapies for Severe Mental Health Problems" contract, classified under the community health services industry. The services will be delivered across Southend and Castle Point and Rochford in the UKH3 region. Awarded without a prior call for competition due to urgent circumstances, this decision ensures the continuity of essential mental health services while the buyer resolves delays in its ongoing procurement process. This contract started on 1st April 2026 and will run until 31st March 2027, with no extension options. The total contract value is £5,904,432, and it was awarded directly to Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.

This tender represents significant opportunities for businesses involved in healthcare service provision, particularly those specialising in mental health. Providers with ready operational capacity, infrastructure, and expertise in delivering complex health interventions may find opportunities for growth through collaboration with public bodies like the NHS. The award highlights the importance of maintaining established care pathways and therapeutic relationships, positioning businesses already embedded in the industry as well-suited to compete in similar urgent procurement scenarios where service continuity is paramount. As the NHS Essex Integrated Care Board aims to establish a longer-term commissioning solution, there may also be potential for future competitive processes once immediate needs are addressed.

## Notice

NHS Essex Integrated Care Board (the Authority) is awarding this contract to the incumbent provider under Regulation 14 of the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) 2023 due to urgent circumstances arising from delays to an ongoing procurement process. A direct award is required to avoid a service gap and ensure continuity of essential mental health services. Further detail on the justification for this urgent award is set out in Section II.2.4.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

NHS Essex Integrated Care Board (the Authority) is awarding this contract for the provision of NHS Talking Therapies and Psychological Therapies for Severe Mental Health Problems, delivering evidence-based interventions via face-to-face, online, and telephone consultations to support individuals experiencing mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression. In accordance with Regulation 14 of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, the Authority has made an urgent award to the incumbent provider due to an immediate and compelling need to maintain continuity of service, and the inability to complete a competitive process within the required timescales without significant risk. The decision to award to the incumbent provider is justified on the following grounds: The ongoing procurement process has been delayed. Further delay to service provision would create a real and unacceptable risk of interruption to essential mental health services, adversely impacting vulnerable service users. The urgency of need means there is insufficient time to recommence or complete a new selection process without jeopardising patient care. * Transitioning to a new provider would necessitate a substantial mobilisation period, including workforce onboarding, governance alignment and clinical integration. This cannot be achieved within the necessary timeframe to avoid a service gap, and therefore no alternative provider could deliver the services safely and effectively at the point required. * The incumbent provider maintains established therapeutic relationships, care pathways and clinical knowledge of current service users. Disruption to these arrangements would present a significant risk to patient safety, service stability and clinical outcomes, particularly for individuals with complex mental health needs. * The current provider has the immediate operational capacity, workforce, infrastructure and clinical expertise to continue delivering the service without interruption. This ensures compliance with the requirement under Regulation 14 to secure services quickly and safely in response to urgency. * The urgent award represents a proportionate response to exceptional circumstances, intended only to maintain continuity of provision while the Authority resolves the delayed procurement process and implements a compliant longer-term commissioning solution. The contract will run for a fixed term of 12 months commencing 1st April 2026 and ending 31st March 2027, with no option to extend. This timeframe enables the newly formed NHS Essex Integrated Care Board to complete the ongoing procurement for an Essex-wide service. The total estimated contract value is PS5,904,432.00.

### Procurement Information

This contract has been awarded without prior publication in accordance with Regulation 14 of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, due to extreme urgency. The urgency arises from delays to an ongoing procurement process, creating a risk of a service gap affecting vulnerable mental health service users. The Authority has determined that it is not possible to complete a competitive process within the required timescales and that no alternative provider could be mobilised safely in time. The award to the incumbent provider ensures continuity of care and mitigates risks to patient safety. Full details of the justification are set out in Section II.2.4.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053790-2026 |
| 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 | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 8 Jun 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 9 Feb 2026 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £5,904,432 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NHS ESSEX INTEGRATED CARE BOARD |
| Locality | CHELMSFORD , ESSEX |
| Post town | Chelmsford |
| Postcode | CM1 1QH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLH East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLH3 Essex |
| ITL 3 | TLH36 Heart of Essex |
| Local authority | Chelmsford |
| Electoral ward | Moulsham and Central |
| Westminster constituency | Chelmsford |
| Delivery location | TLH3 Essex |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | ESSEX PARTNERSHIP UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85323000 - Community health services

## Release History

- 8 Jun 2026 at 12:39 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053790-2026

## Notice URLs

- https://www.essex.icb.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-06afc1. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06afc1.json.