Official UK procurement notice
Children and Young People Pathfinder - Supported Systems
Authority: NHS SOMERSET INTEGRATED CARE BOARD (Central government)·On behalf of: NHS SOUTH CENTRAL AND WEST COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNIT
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe commissioned activity relates to the development of child sexual abuse (CSA) systems and pathways across the South West region, building on work already undertaken to strengthen local responses to children and young people affected by CSA.
The project responds to the recognised need for improved coordination, accessibility and consistency of services across health, justice, safeguarding and voluntary sector systems. Current arrangements vary across the region, creating challenges in service accessibility, workforce confidence, governance arrangements and multi-agency working.
The organisation undertaking this work is the Bluestar Project (a Community Interest Company, in partnership with The Green House charity).
The project aims to improve coordination, accessibility and consistency of responses to children and young people affected by CSA across health, justice, safeguarding and voluntary sector services. The work will include needs assessments, service mapping, workforce development, governance and pathway improvement, and the promotion of trauma-informed, CPS-compliant practice. Children, young people and families will be involved through co-production activities.
Bluestar will build on existing work in Swindon & Wiltshire and Dorset and undertake further systems development activity, including sequential needs assessments in Devon & Cornwall and Gloucestershire, to identify service gaps and opportunities for improvement.
Read the full description (757 more characters)
At the heart of this programme is a simple aim: to support sustainable, system-wide change so that every child who experiences sexual abuse can access a timely, compassionate, and coordinated response. Achieving this requires more than new services - it demands equipping the children's workforce across all agencies with the skills, confidence, and structures to act together, and embedding a culture of listening, believing, and responding. By laying these foundations, the programme enables to move beyond fragmented provision towards lasting, joined-up systems of care.
The Bluestar Project also led national development of pre-trial therapy guidance, training and accreditation, working alongside the police and CPS. This has been rolled out nationally.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Lot 1Awarded
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award — no call for competition
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 17 Sept 2026, 13:35 BST
- Last source update
- 17 Sept 2026, 13:35 BST
- Authority reference
BC202526-049- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ee15
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Technical Reasons; Urgency
- Published justification
Please note, the justification for this direct award is solely: 'Single supplier - technical reasons' as opposed to 'Extreme and unavoidable urgency'. A setting within FTS forces this box to be selected. The Contracting Authority considers that the grounds for direct award under Schedule 5, paragraph 6 of the Procurement Act 2023 are met, as there is an absence of competition for technical reasons and there are more…
no reasonable alternative suppliers capable of delivering the required services. The requirement is for the continuation and expansion of a highly specialised programme of system transformation, needs assessment, pathway development, governance strengthening, workforce training and implementation support across the South West region. The Bluestar Project has already undertaken this work within Swindon & Wiltshire and Dorset, delivering comprehensive CSA needs assessments, system gap analyses, stakeholder engagement, presentation of findings, and workforce development programmes. The proposed programme directly builds upon this existing work, methodologies, relationships, intelligence, and learning and by extending the geographical scope of the work, will create greater equity across the region. Appointment of an alternative supplier would require duplication of work already completed, loss of continuity, and the recreation of established stakeholder networks and system knowledge. Bluestar possess specialist expertise that is integral to the objectives of the programme. This expertise underpins the programme's objective of strengthening trauma-informed, CPS-compliant pathways and supporting consistent multi-agency responses to children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse. The Authority considers that the combination of: (i) Bluestar's existing ownership of the regional assessments and system development work already delivered within the South West; (ii) its established relationships with local partners and stakeholders; (iii) its specialist expertise in CSA systems transformation; and (iv) its nationally recognised knowledge of pre-trial therapy and associated workforce development, means that only The Bluestar Project is capable of delivering the specific requirements of the contract. There are no reasonable alternative suppliers able to provide an equivalent service without significant duplication, delay, loss of continuity and risk to the successful delivery of the programme's intended outcomes.
How it was run
- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
2 published dates · Europe/London- Notice published3 days ago17 Sept 2026, 13:35 BST
- Standstill endsin 9 days28 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics — not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLUESTAR PRE-TRIAL SUPPORT C.I.C.SMEVCSE1 Oct 2026 — 30 Sept 2027 | £250,000 | 7 Apr 2026standstill to 28 Sept 2026 | Standstill |
Notice history
3 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 27 Aug 2026- Contract signature expected29 Sept 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract award notice published17 Sept 2026, 13:35 BSTUK6
- Transparency notice published27 Aug 2026, 17:55 BSTUK5
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
3 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- NHS SOUTH CENTRAL AND WEST COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNITBeneficiary authorityView profile →
- NHS SOUTH CENTRAL AND WEST COMMISSIONING SUPPORTProcess contact pointProcuring entitySupporting ICB with publication of notices.View profile →
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- BLUESTAR PRE-TRIAL SUPPORT C.I.C.Awarded supplierView supplier profile →
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Conflict of interest declarationNot published
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender