Awarded without open competition
Awarded without open competition. The buyer went directly to one or a few suppliers instead of advertising the contract. Procurement rules allow this only in specific cases, such as extreme urgency, when only one supplier can do the work, or for call-offs from an existing framework.
Key facts
- Buyer
- NHS Surrey and Sussex Integrated Care Board · Body governed by public law
- Value
- £93,928
- Procedure
- Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
- Sector
- Health & social care · Community health services (CPV 85323000)
- Region
- South East
- Official notice
- 039027-2026 on Find a Tender
- Timeline
-
- Contract date15 Apr 2026
- Published29 Apr 2026Published 14 days after the contract date
Description
Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) has held this contract since its inception. As BHCC no longer contributes financially, they notified NHS Sussex that they wished to cease holding the contract. In January 2026, BHCC informed the ICB that the contract would not be novated across to the ICB. An urgent direct award is therefore now required to ensure service continuity for patients. Given these factors, a 12-month urgent direct award has been made to ensure current provision is maintained while plans are progressed to either competitively tender and/or delegate commissioning arrangements to an ICS partner. Failure to make this direct award risked disrupting therapeutic journeys, escalating unmet needs to crisis pathways, losing skilled staff, and undermining a smooth transition to the new service model.
About the supplier
R.i.s.e. (Refuge, Information, Support and Education): every public contract they have won.