--- title: "School Counselling Service - Primary Schools" ocid: "ocds-r6ebe6-0000828008" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000828008" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000828008.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000828008.json" source: "Public Contracts Scotland" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "WEST LOTHIAN COUNCIL" published: "2026-03-30" --- # School Counselling Service - Primary Schools Buyer: WEST LOTHIAN COUNCIL Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-r6ebe6-0000828008 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000828008) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000828008.json) ## Summary West Lothian Council, located at the West Lothian Civic Centre in Livingston, is in the tender stage for appointing an external service provider for the School Counselling Service targeting primary schools. This service falls under the general public services category and aims to support children transitioning to secondary education across 69 primary schools in the UKM78 region. The tender uses an open procedure, allowing for electronic submissions until the deadline on 30th April 2026, with the service anticipated to commence on 1st August 2026. The contract, valued at £464,000, may be extended by up to two years, at the Council's discretion, contributing to enhancing the mental health and well-being of young students. The procurement prioritises quality over price, with an award criteria of 80% quality and 20% price. This tender presents vibrant opportunities for businesses specialising in mental health services, particularly those adept in providing counselling for young people. Registered organisations within the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy or Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland are well-suited to compete, showcasing their capacity for sustained quality interventions. Successful providers could leverage this opportunity to build a robust partnership with local educational institutions and contribute to community benefits, which form part of the award criteria. Furthermore, enhancing school staff capabilities through development programmes can position providers as pivotal educational partners, offering substantial long-term business growth and community impact. The requirement for experience and robust financial stability ensures that reputable businesses with a proven track record will find this an attractive proposition for strategic engagement and expansion in the public sector. ## Notice West Lothian Council is seeking to appoint a fully qualified and experienced external service provider to provide Counselling Services to West Lothian Primary schools ### Lot Information Lot 1 West Lothian Council is seeking to appoint a fully qualified and experienced external service provider to achieve the vision of an integrated and flexible service which would meet the need for building resilient children and young people (aged 10 years and up) in the upper primary age range (P6&7) across all 69 primary school settings in the authority. It is envisaged that access to the service should be easy for schools and should feel seamless for children and young people and their families as part of the ongoing assessment and intervention planning process. A focus on building resilience, especially in relation to the transition to secondary school will be a key element of the work. It is expected that the provider will work closely with colleagues in secondary schools to support transition specifically where this would be in the best interests of the child. The provider would also be in a position to offer some specific transition intervention for particularly vulnerable P7 pupils in the summer term of each academic year. This would be closely aligned with the authority Cluster Assessment and Support for Transition (CAST) process. The ability to support young people over summer holiday periods where this is desirable will be a key element of the contract. In addition, the provider should consider how to support the local authority in building capacity in schools to support the mental health and wellbeing of young people through staff development and curriculum design. It is also expected that the provider will work closely with the Educational Psychology Service to maintain a quality evaluation framework as a key element of the contract. This will enable West Lothian Council to gather and report on council wide evaluation information and to meet the reporting requirements set by Scottish Government.. The council may wish to utilise the 24 month available extension in any combination e.g. 2 periods of 12 months. Renewal: The contract may be extended for a period not exceeding a further 24 months in total at the sole discretion of the council. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Public Contracts Scotland | | Latest notice | https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR552814 | | Notice type | OJEU - F2 - Contract Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 30 Mar 2026 | | Submission deadline | 30 Apr 2026 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Aug 2026 - 31 Jul 2028 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £464,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Active | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | WEST LOTHIAN COUNCIL | | Locality | LIVINGSTON | | Post town | Edinburgh | | Postcode | EH54 6FF | | Country | Scotland | | ITL 1 | TLM Scotland | | ITL 2 | TLM1 East Central Scotland | | ITL 3 | TLM14 West Lothian | | Local authority | West Lothian | | Electoral ward | Livingston South | | Westminster constituency | Livingston | | Delivery location | TLM78 West Lothian | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 80 - Education and training services - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 80100000 - Primary education services - 85312300 - Guidance and counselling services - 85312320 - Counselling services ## Release History - 30 Mar 2026 at 00:00 - Tender - OJEU - F2 - Contract Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR552814 ## Documents - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR552814 School Counselling Service - Primary Schools - West Lothian Council is seeking to appoint a fully qualified and experienced external service provider to provide Counselling Services to West Lothian Primary schools ## Notice URLs - http:// - http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343 - http://www.westlothian.gov.uk - https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000828008 - https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-procurement/ - https://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk - https://www.westlothian.gov.uk/article/34902/Community-Benefits-in-Procurement ## 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-r6ebe6-0000828008. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000828008.json.