---
title: "The Provision of a Mental Health Crisis Text Support Service on behalf of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06df9f"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06df9f"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06df9f.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06df9f.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "NHS CHESHIRE AND MERSEYSIDE INTEGRATED CARE BOARD"
published: "2026-08-10"
---

# The Provision of a Mental Health Crisis Text Support Service on behalf of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board

Buyer: NHS CHESHIRE AND MERSEYSIDE INTEGRATED CARE BOARD  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06df9f

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## Summary

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board is planning a procurement process for the provision of a Mental Health Crisis Text Support Service, targeted towards individuals across Cheshire and Merseyside. This service falls under the health services industry category, and aims to deliver text-based support available 24/7 throughout the year. The procurement is currently in the planning stage, with the future notice date set for 1st September 2026. The contract is designed to last for two years with an optional one-year extension, under a budget of up to £900,000. The initiative aligns with NHS England guidance on urgent mental health care and seeks to facilitate seamless integration with NHS 111 and local crisis response pathways to enhance accessibility and support for diverse urban and rural communities.

This procurement initiative represents a substantial opportunity for businesses specialising in mental health services, particularly those capable of offering innovative, inclusive, and tech-driven solutions. Companies with expertise in integrating communication platforms with healthcare services, or those experienced in reaching underserved populations, would be well-suited to compete. Successful engagement in this project could provide significant growth potential through collaboration with the NHS, offering scope for valuable insights and long-term partnerships within the health sector. The procurement process, governed by the Provider Selection Regime, encourages feedback from potential providers on service delivery, operational requirements, and innovation opportunities, thus enabling businesses to contribute actively to the shaping of effective and responsive mental health support solutions.

## Notice

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside is seeking to engage with the market regarding the provision of an all-age, 24-hour, 7 days a week/ 365 days a year Mental Health Crisis Text Service across Cheshire and Merseyside. The service will provide immediate, accessible and inclusive text-based support for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis and will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The service is intended to be fully integrated with NHS 111 (Mental Health Option) and local crisis response pathways, ensuring seamless access to urgent mental health support and onward referral where required. The service has been developed in line with NHS England guidance on urgent and emergency mental health care and supports the objectives of the NHS Long Term Plan, the Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan, and national suicide prevention priorities. It aims to improve access to crisis support for people who may experience barriers to traditional services, including those affected by stigma, communication difficulties, disability, sensory needs, or geographical isolation across the region's diverse urban and rural communities. This notice is intended to inform the market of the Authority's future procurement intentions and support engagement with potential providers. The term of the contract is 2 years plus a potential 1 year extension. The total contract value over the 2 years plus the potential 1 year extension will be a maximum total contract value calculated as PS900,000

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The Authority is seeking to engage with the market in advance of a potential procurement for the provision of an all-age Mental Health Crisis Text Service across Cheshire and Merseyside, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The service will provide immediate text-based support for individuals experiencing mental health distress or crisis, including assessment, de-escalation, safety planning, signposting and referral into appropriate local crisis and urgent mental health services. The service must be accessible, inclusive and responsive to the needs of diverse populations, including individuals who may face barriers to accessing traditional telephone or face-to-face support. The service will be required to integrate effectively with NHS 111 (Mental Health Option), local crisis pathways and other relevant health and care services across Cheshire and Merseyside, supporting timely access to urgent mental health care and helping to reduce avoidable presentations to emergency and acute services. Through this market engagement exercise, the Authority is seeking feedback from potential providers on service delivery models, operational requirements, integration considerations, affordability, capacity and capability, and any opportunities for innovation. Information gathered will help inform the development of the service specification and procurement strategy. All market engagement documentation and supporting materials will be made available via SAP Ariba. Interested organisations wishing to participate in this market engagement exercise should register their interest through SAP Ariba (link provided below), where they will be able to access the relevant documentation, submit responses and receive any updates or clarifications issued by the Authority. https://portal.us.bn.cloud.ariba.com/dashboard/public/appext/comsapsbncdiscoveryui#/RfxEvent/preview/1110021195?anId=ANONYMOUS Please use the "Respond" button and follow the instructions provided to either log in or create an account. Once this has been completed, you will be able to access and download the MEQ documents. This procurement requirement falls within the scope of the Provider Selection Regime (PSR), as introduced under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. Accordingly, any subsequent procurement process will be conducted in accordance with the applicable PSR regulations and guidance. This market engagement exercise is being undertaken to inform the commissioning approach, understand market capability and capacity, and gather information from potential providers prior to making any procurement decision.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/075524-2026 |
| Notice type | Planning Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 10 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 31 Aug 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £900,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planned |
| Lots status | Planned |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NHS CHESHIRE AND MERSEYSIDE INTEGRATED CARE BOARD |
| Locality | LIVERPOOL |
| Post town | Liverpool |
| Postcode | L3 4BL |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD7 Merseyside |
| ITL 3 | TLD72 Liverpool |
| Local authority | Liverpool |
| Electoral ward | Festival Gardens |
| Westminster constituency | Liverpool Riverside |
| Delivery location | TLD6 Cheshire, TLD7 Merseyside |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85100000 - Health services

## Release History

- 10 Aug 2026 at 07:51 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/075524-2026

## Notice URLs

- https://portal.us.bn.cloud.ariba.com/dashboard/public/appext/comsapsbncdiscoveryui#/RfxEvent/preview/1110021195?anId=ANONYMOUS
- https://www.cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk/about/nhs-cheshire-and-merseyside/

## 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-06df9f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06df9f.json.