Official UK procurement notice
Cumbria Substance Use: Treatment Service
Authority: Cumberland Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionCumberland Council, acting as lead authority on behalf of both Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council, has procured a provider for the provision of the Cumbria Substance Use: Treatment Service, for a term of up to 10 years.
Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, local authorities have a statutory responsibility for improving public health, which includes commissioning services that prevent harm and support recovery from substance misuse. This responsibility is reinforced by national guidance and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) commissioning standards. Substance misuse remains a major public health challenge in Cumbria, with high rates of drug- and alcohol-related deaths and significant health inequalities across the county.
The estimated total value of the contract over the total contract period (including any extension period) is a maximum value of up to £56m excluding VAT, but no guarantee is given as to the actual value of the contract.
The initial contract period is six years, running from 1st October 2026 to 30th September 2032.
Two optional extension periods of up to 24 months each are available. If both extensions are utilised, the contract will end on 30th September 2036.
Use of these extensions is entirely at the discretion of the Council.
Bids were evaluated according to the criteria as set out in the Invitation to Tender.
This contract has been awarded in accordance with the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.
In accordance with Regulation 12 of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, the contracting authority shall observe a standstill period of eight working days following publication of the notice of intention to award
- No preliminary market engagement: Provider engagement notice was published through the local authority procurement platform (the chest) since this is a NHS Provider Selection Regime (PSR) procurement.
CPV: Addiction treatment · Community health services · Rehabilitation services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£56,000,000
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published award criteria (3)
- Quality: Each question carries a mandatory minimum score requirement of 50%. Any bid that fails to achieve at least 50% on any individual question will be deemed non‑compliant and rejected.
- Price
- Social Value: Social Value carries a mandatory minimum score requirement of 50%. Any bid that fails to achieve at least 50% on Social Value question will be deemed non‑compliant and rejected.
- Price carries 20 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 2 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Cancelled
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 30 Jan 2026, 14:46 GMT
- Last source update
- 18 Aug 2026, 08:40 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 30 Apr 2026
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-008530- Latest notice
- Procurement termination notice (UK12)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-061329Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 5 Mar 2026, 10:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 19 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
30 Jan 2026 → 1 Oct 2026 · 8 dates- Tender notice published269 days ago30 Jan 2026, 14:46 GMT
- Clarification questions by248 days ago19 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Submission deadline235 days ago5 Mar 2026, 10:00 GMT
- Assessment summaries sent179 days ago30 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
- Award decision expected by178 days ago30 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Standstill ends166 days ago12 May 2026, 23:59 BST
- Latest notice published69 days ago18 Aug 2026, 08:40 BST
- Contract starts25 days ago1 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 30 Jan 2026- Tender notice published30 Jan 2026, 14:46 GMTUK4
- Contract award notice published30 Apr 2026, 15:22 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete30 Apr 2026, 15:22 BST
- Contract signature expected26 May 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Procurement termination notice published18 Aug 2026, 08:40 BSTUK12
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| WaythroughVCSE1 Oct 2026 – 30 Sept 2032 · up to 30 Sept 2036Extensions: Two optional extension periods of up to 24 months each are available. Use of these extensions is entirely at the discretion of the Council. | £56,000,000 | 30 Apr 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 1 · WaythroughVCSE
- Signed
- date not published
- Value
- —
- Period
- … – 30 Sept 2032
- Status
- cancelled (3 Jul 2026), Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council recently completed a tender process to identify providers for two elements of a new Cumbria-wide substance use service. Following this process, Waythrough was awarded the contract for the treatment element of the new service and worked closely with the two councils as part of mobilisation planning. After careful consideration and further discussions, Waythrough has decided not to proceed with delivery of the contract. This decision does not affect its other services in Cumbria. The councils are now progressing alternative arrangements for a new treatment service provider and working with partners to ensure a smooth transition. There is no impact on current service provision, and people will continue to receive the support and treatment they need throughout this process.
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2final-stage tenders | 0 | 1 | — |
Who bid
- wonWAYTHROUGHVCSE · North East England
- did not winWE ARE WITH YOU · Greater London
Bidders as named on the Procurement Act 2023 award notice. “Won” means the bidder holds an award on this notice.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
2 commercial parties on the notice · 1 awarded- WAYTHROUGHAwarded supplier
- WE ARE WITH YOUBidder / tenderer
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Procurement termination notice Procurement termination notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender