Suffolk Neurodevelopmental Children and Young People's Assessment

{
  "awards": [
    {
      "id": "085945-2025-1",
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      ],
      "status": "active",
      "suppliers": [
        {
          "id": "GB-COH-03091598",
          "name": "Carehome Selection Limited trading as Xyla (part of Acacium Group)"
        }
      ],
      "title": "Suffolk Neurodevelopmental Children and Young People\u0027s Assessment"
    }
  ],
  "bids": {
    "statistics": [
      {
        "id": "1",
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        "value": 3
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  "buyer": {
    "id": "GB-FTS-142735",
    "name": "NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK NHS FOUNDATION TRUST"
  },
  "contracts": [
    {
      "awardID": "085945-2025-1",
      "dateSigned": "2025-12-19T00:00:00Z",
      "id": "085945-2025-1",
      "status": "active",
      "title": "Suffolk Neurodevelopmental Children and Young People\u0027s Assessment",
      "value": {
        "amount": 700000,
        "currency": "GBP"
      }
    }
  ],
  "date": "2025-12-23T15:54:59Z",
  "description": "This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding 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 award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to the relevant authority by 9th January 2026. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.\nAny written representation should be directed to: jo.zenzer@nsft.nhs.uk copying in contractsteam@nsft.nhs.uk\nDetails of the award decision-makers.\nSarah Hedges, Associate Director of Operations \nTerence Mahachi, Associate Director of Nursing\nDecision made: 19/12/2025\nApprover: Elaine Deazley-Morgan, Locality Director of Operations\nApproved: 20/12/2025\nAll Providers who submitted a response and met all of the basic selection criteria (scored with a pass/fail approach) were then part of a scoring exercise, which assessed all providers against the five key criteria set out in the PSR Regulations and statutory guidance:\n\u2022 Quality and Innovation\n\u2022 Value\n\u2022 Integration, Collaboration and Service Sustainability\n\u2022 Improving Access, Reducing Health Inequalities and Facilitating Choice\n\u2022 Social Value\nThese 5 key criteria were each given equal weighting and given a maximum score out of 5 per criteria.  The highest scoring Provider was identified as the Most Suitable Provider.\nXyla achieved the highest overall score and demonstrated strong compliance with the service specification and PSR requirements. Their submission provided clear evidence of:\n\u2022 Operational scalability and capacity to deliver within the required timescales\n\u2022 Cost efficiency and transparent pricing within the commissioning envelope\n\u2022 Integration with NSFT pathways, including established governance and reporting arrangements\n\u2022 Comprehensive processes for safeguarding, quality assurance, and clinical governance\n\u2022 Innovative practices aligned to NICE guidance and neuro-affirmative approaches\nThis decision is made in accordance with the PSR Regulations\nThere are no conflicts of interest.",
  "id": "085945-2025",
  "initiationType": "tender",
  "language": "en",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-05fcd3",
  "parties": [
    {
      "address": {
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "locality": "Norwich",
        "postalCode": "NR21NH",
        "region": "UKH14",
        "streetAddress": "City Hall,"
      },
      "contactPoint": {
        "email": "jo.zenzer@nsft.nhs.uk",
        "name": "Josefina Wyatt"
      },
      "details": {
        "classifications": [
          {
            "description": "Body governed by public law",
            "id": "BODY_PUBLIC",
            "scheme": "TED_CA_TYPE"
          },
          {
            "description": "Health",
            "id": "07",
            "scheme": "COFOG"
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        ],
        "url": "http://www.nsft.nhs.uk"
      },
      "id": "GB-FTS-142735",
      "identifier": {
        "legalName": "NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK NHS FOUNDATION TRUST",
        "noIdentifierRationale": "notOnAnyRegister"
      },
      "name": "NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK NHS FOUNDATION TRUST",
      "roles": [
        "buyer"
      ]
    },
    {
      "address": {
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "locality": "London",
        "postalCode": "EC2A 2AP",
        "region": "UKH14",
        "streetAddress": "Broadgate Quarter 4th Floor, 9 Appold Street"
      },
      "details": {
        "scale": "sme"
      },
      "id": "GB-COH-03091598",
      "identifier": {
        "id": "03091598",
        "legalName": "Carehome Selection Limited trading as Xyla (part of Acacium Group)",
        "scheme": "GB-COH"
      },
      "name": "Carehome Selection Limited trading as Xyla (part of Acacium Group)",
      "roles": [
        "supplier"
      ]
    },
    {
      "address": {
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "locality": "Norwich"
      },
      "id": "GB-FTS-46002",
      "identifier": {
        "legalName": "Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust"
      },
      "name": "Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust",
      "roles": [
        "reviewBody"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "tag": [
    "award",
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  "tender": {
    "classification": {
      "description": "Health and social work services",
      "id": "85000000",
      "scheme": "CPV"
    },
    "coveredBy": [
      "GPA"
    ],
    "description": "This will be an NHS Standard Contract Sub-contract for the provision of Neurodevelopmental Assessments (ADHD and Autism) to Children and Young People in Suffolk. Demand for ADHD and Autism assessments have risen rapidly over the past 20 years. Investment in ADHD and Autism assessment capacity has not kept pace with this growth; demand now far exceeds available capacity. The global prevalence of attention deficit\nhyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children is estimated to be around 5% and Autism in England is estimated to be approximately 1-1.8% of the population.\nThe Contractor will:\n\u2022 Assess and diagnose ADHD and/or Autism\n\u2022 identify differential needs and recommend appropriate support, including self-help tools and by accessing both services and universal provision \nThrough a multidisciplinary diagnostic and needs-led assessment process which is compliant with NICE Guidance and DSM-V or ICD-11 criteria.\nADHD Diagnostic Assessment\nA diagnosis of ADHD must only be made by a specialist psychiatrist, paediatrician or\nother appropriately qualified healthcare professional with training and expertise in the\ndiagnosis of ADHD\nAutism Diagnostic Assessment\nThe Contractor will complete a full NICE-complaint needs-led diagnostic assessment for\nthose with suspected Autism\nWhen appropriate, joint ADHD and Autism assessments will be offered.",
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-05fcd3",
    "items": [
      {
        "deliveryAddresses": [
          {
            "region": "UKH14"
          }
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        "id": "1",
        "relatedLot": "1"
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    ],
    "legalBasis": {
      "id": "32014L0024",
      "scheme": "CELEX"
    },
    "lots": [
      {
        "awardCriteria": {
          "criteria": [
            {
              "description": "pass/fail",
              "name": "Most Suitable Provider Process: Basic Criteria",
              "type": "quality"
            },
            {
              "description": "x5 categories equal weighting",
              "name": "Most Suitable Provider Process: Key Criteria",
              "type": "quality"
            },
            {
              "description": "20%",
              "type": "price"
            }
          ]
        },
        "description": "NSFT has been commissioned to provide a CYP assessment, diagnostic and treatment service for ADHD and assessment and diagnostic for Autism. SNEE ICB has tasked NSFT with addressing the longest waits for assessment for both ADHD and Autism. The\nlongest waits are between 3-4 years with the average over 2 years. This procurement aims by working with an external contractor to complete assessments, to reduce the wait for both ADHD and Autism assessment to under 2 years.\nThe aims and objectives of the service are to provide:\n\u2022 A comprehensive and seamless needs-led assessment and diagnostic service that meets the needs of children and young people who may be neurodivergent and live with ADHD and/or Autism.\n\u2022 A multidisciplinary needs-led model of assessment, which utilises a range of assessment methods and is adapted to the social, communication, intellectual needs of the children and young people being assessed\n\u2022 A partnership approach to the assessment and treatment of ADHD and dual diagnosis with Autism:\no NSFT supporting confirmation of diagnosis of ADHD through a shared MDT\no With a smooth handover from contractor to NSFT services for treatment of ADHD, where clinically indicated, following a positive confirmation of diagnosis.\n\u2022 A joint assessment and joint diagnosis route, where clinically indicated, for CYP who have waited the longest.\n\u2022 Pre-assessment information and support to manage realistic expectations for CYP and families of the service offer\n\u2022 Children, Young People and Families and referrer and/or GP post assessment feedback and report which:\no Provides an evidence-based diagnostic outcome\no Identifies differential (for those not meeting full diagnostic criteria) and ongoing needs for the child or young person\no Offers guidance and recommendations for how any needs can be met and appropriate signposting and warm handover to support services\n\u2022 A service aligned to NICE, NHS England and Department of Health and Social Care guidance and\n\u2022 A CQC registered and complaint service\n\u2022 A diagnostic conversion rate aligned to the national average\n\u2022 Excellent and responsive compassionate customer care and support to children, young people and their families, sending appropriate information and offering timely responses to queries they may have.\n\u2022 Timely, accessible and inclusive assessment with additional adaptations for children, young people and families from diverse communities, including those with/from:\no Learning disabilities\no Physical disability\no Hidden physical or neurological health conditions\no Lived experience of mental health difficulties and illness\no LGBTQIA+ community\no BAME communities\n\u2022 For face-to-face assessments, in a setting that is within 60 minutes of the children or young person\u0027s place of residence, and which considers and appropriately meets their accessibility needs\nThe service will adopt a biopsychosocial model to assess ADHD and/or Autism through a holistic needs-led approach.\nNSFT defined outcomes\n\u2022 Reduced waiting times (under 2 years) for ADHD and Autism in Suffolk part of SNEE\n\u2022 Improved psychological and emotional and wellbeing and health of children, young people and families accessing the service\n\u2022 Reduced need for, and use of mental health services through:\no Timely assessment and diagnosis of ADHD and/or Autism\no identification of differential needs and referral\no Warm handover and signposting to appropriate sources of support.\n\u2022 Reduced health inequalities for children and young people waiting for ADHD and/or Autism assessment through:\no Reducing waiting times\no Providing joint ADHD and Autism assessment\n\u2022 Children, young people and families feel empowered and equipped with the tools to live well with neurodivergence and other needs following a needs-led assessment and diagnostic outcome\n\u2022 High quality accessible and inclusive NICE-compliant evidence-based assessments delivered, which provide confidence to children, young people and families and health and\nsocial care professionals, in diagnostic outcomes and identification of differential needs.\n\u2022 High quality service delivery as evidenced by both quantitative and qualitative feedback from children, young people and their families through multiple feedback mechanisms e.g., Friends and Family Test.\nContractors handling NHS data are expected to:\n\u2022 Be registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO)\n\u2022 Have achieved a minimum of \"Standards Met\" level of compliance on the Data Security and Protection Toolkit - https://www.dsptoolkit.nhs.uk/\n\u2022 Give assurance that they are complying with data protection legislation i.e. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Data Protection Act 2018\n\u2022 Must complete the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) form and meet the criteria to ensure clinical safety, data protection, technical security, interoperability and usability and accessibility standards are met\n\u2022 Have a secure means of storing and transferring information\n\u2022 Have clear IG policies and processes covering Information Security, Incident Reporting, Privacy Notices etc\n\u2022 Keep and retain records for CYP in line with the NHS Code of Practice for records management\n\u2022 Give assurance that all staff have received IG training in the last year\n\u2022 Be able to provide details on any partners/subcontractors/3rd Parties be processing or storing Personal Confidential Data (PCD) in relation to this contract including the location of such data\n\u2022 Keep all Personal Confidential Data (PCD) encrypted at rest and in transit\n\u2022 Have a Business Continuity Plan that includes cyber security incident response\n\u2022 Support with the completion of a Data Protection Impact Assessment\n\u2022 The Contractor will ensure it meets the Accessible Information Standard which is a standard expected from NHS services. Accessible Information - NHS Standards Directory.\n\u2022 Be registered with the CQC\n\u2022 Have an indemnity scheme\n\u2022 Ensure that all professionals are educated, trained and have assessed capability to conduct ADHD and / or Autism assessments with the required knowledge and skills and\nremain compliant with their relevant professional standards and bodies and be revalidated as required\n\u2022 Ensure completion of appropriate training to meet the training and supervision needs of its staff. This should be checked through the accreditation process\n\u2022 Have robust clinical and corporate governance systems to manage and learn from complaints and incidents and respond to service user feedback\n\u2022 Ensure the workforce is educated to be responsive to changing service models, innovation and new technologies, with knowledge about effective and evidenced based best practice\nThe Contractor required to complete monthly quality audits, using an audit template codesigned with NSFT on 10% of completed assessments, to provide assurance that standards are being met in all areas of the assessments. In addition, the contractor will be\nrequired to complete monthly letter audits, using on a co-developed template on 10% of appointment and diagnostic outcome letters sent to CYP and families.\nNSFT reserves the option to require the Contractor to complete additional audits should issues/ significant concerns be identified through the monthly auditing process \nThe Contractor will be required to produce reports for NSFT:\n\u2022 Service quality performance report covering national and local quality requirements\n\u2022 Quality audit reports (monthly)\n\u2022 Safeguarding reports\n\u2022 Complaints\n\u2022 Incident reports\n\u2022 Activity progress reports (monthly)\n\u2022 Finance reports\nThe format and frequency of the required reports will be agreed between NSFT and the Contractor post award in the mobilisation of the service. NSFT and the Contractor will co-develop template letters to children, young people and families, that meet quality requirements and align to NSFT values and customer service\nstandards. Contractor \u0027private\u0027 assessment, therapy and other services \nThe Contractor must not use its privileged access to NSFT (NHS) service users (CYP) and their families, for the purposes of neurodevelopmental assessment, to directly market or seek commission from them for private assessment and therapy services the Contractor might provide outside this contract.\nThe Contractor must alert NSFT if our service users or their families approach them through delivery of this contract, requesting information on, or access to the Contractor\u0027s\nprivate assessment, therapy and other services.\nNSFT will work with the Contractor to agree an appropriate response and process that maintains appropriate boundaries and protects our service users and their families, whilst not restricting the right to exercise choice to access healthcare services and support. Additional information: Indicative activity to be commissioned:\n- 450 ADHD assessments\n- 200 Autism assessments\nx650 total assessments of which up to x70 could be joint assessments for ADHD and\nAutism.",
        "hasOptions": true,
        "id": "1",
        "options": {
          "description": "Only as permitted by PSR modifications"
        },
        "status": "cancelled"
      }
    ],
    "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
    "procurementMethod": "limited",
    "procurementMethodDetails": "Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition",
    "procurementMethodRationale": "This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding 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 award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to decision makers by 9th January 2026. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR",
    "procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [
      {
        "description": "The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the directive",
        "id": "D_OUTSIDE_SCOPE",
        "scheme": "TED_PT_AWARD_CONTRACT_WITHOUT_CALL"
      }
    ],
    "status": "complete",
    "title": "Suffolk Neurodevelopmental Children and Young People\u0027s Assessment"
  }
}