---
title: "Sunderland Integrated Sexual Health Service (PSR Direct Award Process C - Notice of Intention to make an award of a contact to the existing provider)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06f403"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06f403"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f403.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f403.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Sunderland City Council"
published: "2026-09-07"
---

# Sunderland Integrated Sexual Health Service (PSR Direct Award Process C - Notice of Intention to make an award of a contact to the existing provider)

Buyer: Sunderland City Council  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06f403

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## Summary

Sunderland City Council procured an integrated sexual health service for the City of Sunderland. The service covers open access contraception, sexual health promotion and prevention, and the diagnosis and management of sexually transmitted infections. It is intended to provide evidence-based care adapted to local population needs, with straightforward access to interventions and contraceptive services through a single service, usually delivered by one health professional. The provider is also expected to work with the Council to manage service users’ needs appropriately. Delivery is across the boundaries of the City of Sunderland, using accessible locations and extended opening hours. This is a community health service, suited to organisations with experience delivering integrated sexual health and contraceptive care in a local population setting.

The procurement has reached award and contract stage. Sunderland City Council used the Provider Selection Regime’s Direct Award Process C, an award procedure without prior publication of a competition, to select South Tyneside & Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust as the existing provider. The award was recorded on 7 September 2026 and the contract was signed that day. The contract value is £17,848,012, covering an initial five-year period from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2031, with the Council holding an option to extend for up to a further 24 months. Evaluation considered improving access and reducing health inequalities (35%), quality and innovation (25%), integration, collaboration and sustainability (25%), value for money (10%), and social value (5%). The selected provider scored 88%.

This award demonstrates sustained local demand for a comprehensive sexual health service combining contraception, prevention, testing, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections. A credible future competitor would need to show strong clinical capability across these services, experience of delivering integrated pathways, and the capacity to provide open access care through accessible venues and extended opening hours. The evaluation places particular importance on improving access, reducing health inequalities and facilitating patient choice, so providers would need evidence of reaching underserved groups and adapting delivery to local needs. Quality and innovation, partnership working, service sustainability, value for money and social value also carry weight. Organisations with established NHS, council and community-health collaboration, robust evidence-based practice and sufficient operational capacity would be best placed to compete when this requirement returns.

## Notice

A contact for the provision of the Sunderland Integrated Sexual Health Services ("the Service") including enabling open access, cost effective and high quality provision of contraception and prevention, diagnosis and management of sexually transmitted infections. This will be provided according to evidence based guidance and adapted to the needs of the local populations. The Service aims to improve sexual health by providing easy routes of access to interventions and ensuring sexual health and contraceptive needs can be met through a single service, usually by one health professional. The Service will offer extended opening hours and be provided in accessible locations.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The Authority intends to award a contract for the Service to the existing provider pursuant to Direct Award Process C under Regulation 9 of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 ("PSR"). This is a notice under Regulation 9 (3) of the Authority's intention to award the contract for the Service as described below to the existing provider. The contract is for the provision of the Sunderland Integrated Sexual Health Service ('Service') which will enable open access, cost effective and high quality provision of contraception and prevention, diagnosis and management of sexually transmitted infections. This will be provided according to evidence based guidance and adapted to the needs of the local populations. The Service aims to improve sexual health by providing easy routes of access to interventions and ensuring sexual health and contraceptive needs can be met through a single service, usually by one health professional. The Service will offer extended opening hours and be provided in accessible locations. The Provider will work with the Council to create and develop a service which manages Service Users' needs appropriately at all times . Additional information: This is a notice under Regulation 9 (3) of the PSR of the Authority's intention to award the contract for the Service to the existing provider pursuant to Direct Award Process C. The award of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this proposed award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made in writing in accordance with Regulation 12 (3) of the PSR to the Authority before midnight on Thursday, 17th September 2026 via email: issy.langley@sunderland.gov.uk

Options: There is an option to extend the contract for a further period of up to a maximum of 24 months, which is at the sole discretion of the Council.

### Procurement Information

As above, this is a notice of the Authority's intention to award the proposed contract for the Service to the existing provider pursuant to Regulation 9 (3) of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, Direct Award Process C. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this proposed contract award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084644-2026 |
| 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 | 7 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £17,848,012 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Sunderland City Council |
| Locality | SUNDERLAND |
| Postcode area | Sunderland |
| Postcode | SR1 3AA |
| 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 | Millfield |
| Westminster constituency | Sunderland Central |
| Delivery location | TLC23 Sunderland |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85323000 - Community health services

## Release History

- 7 Sep 2026 at 19:02 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084644-2026

## Notice URLs

- https://www.sunderland.gov.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-06f403. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f403.json.