Official UK procurement notice
HMP Southwest Buddy Scheme
Authority: Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe buddy scheme is split into two different elements. The first being the training and continued professional development of the buddies and the programme across the prison estate. This responsibility will be owned and developed by the healthcare provider. The second element to the service is the day to day management of the buddies which will be a dual responsibility between HMPPS and the health and social care team
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #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
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 6 Aug 2026, 15:54 BST
- Last source update
- 8 Sept 2026, 14:14 BST
- Authority reference
C453619- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-084927- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06de39Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Technical Reasons
- Published justification
The Contracting Authority considers that a direct award is justified under Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 due to technical reasons connected with the delivery of the requirement.
The requirement necessitates continuity of established operational arrangements, processes and service delivery methodologies that are integral to the effective and safe provision of the service. The technical characteristics of the requirement are such that maintaining compatibility with existing pathways, procedures, equipment, systems and stakeholder arrangements is essential to ensuring uninterrupted service delivery.
Introducing alternative arrangements at this stage would require significant changes to established operational processes, retraining of staff, amendments to documented procedures, and the implementation of new interfaces and working practices. This would create a material risk of disruption to service delivery and could adversely affect quality, performance and continuity of care.
A direct award represents the most proportionate approach to maintaining operational stability, preserving continuity of service and ensuring the ongoing delivery of services to the required standard whilst meeting the Authority's objectives.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
18 Aug 2026 → 8 Sept 2026 · 2 dates- Standstill ends63 days ago18 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
- Notice published43 days ago8 Sept 2026, 14:14 BST
Notice history
4 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 6 Aug 2026- Transparency notice published6 Aug 2026, 15:54 BSTUK5
- Contract award notice published6 Aug 2026, 16:17 BSTUK6
- Contract signature expected24 Aug 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published8 Sept 2026, 14:14 BSTUK7
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recoop1 Sept 2026 – 30 Nov 2029 | £154,000same award published again · counted once | 6 Aug 2026standstill to 18 Aug 2026 | Standstill |
| Recoop | £154,000 † | — | Awarded |
Contracts
HMP Southwest Buddy Scheme · Recoop
- Signed
- 20 Aug 2026
- Value
- £154,000
- Period
- 1 Sept 2026 – 30 Nov 2029
- Status
- active
No agreed KPIs: Specific KPIs have not been included because this is a small, specialist and person-centred Buddy Scheme whose activity is dependent on referrals, operational prison access, security requirements and the availability of suitable participants. These factors are not wholly within the Provider’s control and may make fixed numerical targets inappropriate. Performance will instead be monitored through the contractual service requirements, quarterly activity and performance reports, stakeholder feedback, safeguarding and incident information, and regular contract management meetings. Any emerging performance concerns or improvement requirements will be addressed through the contract management and review arrangements.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- RecoopAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender