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Find a TenderAwardedContract details notice
Published 9 Mar 2026, 15:16 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

MH Act Code of Practice – Lived Experience Advisory Groups 2026

Official notice

Authority: Department of Health & Social Care (Central government)

4 lotsServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitableVCSE suitableMax 2 lots per supplier
Sectors: Business Services & Consultancy (79) Delivery: North East (UKC)North West (UKD)East Midlands (UKF)
+4 moreWest Midlands (UKG)East of England (UKH)South East (UKJ)South West (UKK)
Published estimate£383,500envelope for 4 lots · £460,200 inc. VAT · 2 value updates
Submissions closed 1 Jun 2026awarded 6 Jul 2026
Awarded to MIND (THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH) +3 more4 awards
Contract term 1 yr 6 moends 12 Jan 2028 · up to 12 Jul 2028 with extensions · starts 13 Jul 2026

What is being bought4 lots · detail below

Published requirement description

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) will enter into a contract  to deliver a programme of engagement with people who have lived experience of the Mental Health Act, ensuring their perspectives meaningfully inform the drafting of the updated Code of Practice. This includes recruiting a diverse cohort of participants, co‑producing engagement methods, delivering structured and ad hoc engagement activities, safeguarding participant wellbeing, and providing high‑quality report that include summary of engagement, feedback and views.

The service is divided into 4 different lots. Values are exclusive of VAT:

Lot 1: Group 1 - General lived experience

Lot 2: Group 2 - Children and young people

Lot 3: Group 3 – People with a learning disability and autistic people

Lot 4: Group 4 - Ethnic minority and racialised communities

The value of contracts (all lots) £299,680+ options £80,000 total £379,680 excluding vat.

The option relates to the possibility to add additional hours of engagement if needed.

Term of the contract: An initial term of twenty-one (21) months, with the option to extend for one or more further periods up to a maximum of six (6) months.

CPV: Social research services

Lots and requirements (4)Procurement structure

4 lots · all with a published value (£383,500 together) · win at most 2 of them · same conditions of participation on every lot
Lot #1Group 1 - General lived experienceAwardedRenewal 1 yr 6 moSMEVCSEPublished value£109,000

programme of engagement with general people who have lived experience of the Mental Health Act, ensuring their perspectives meaningfully inform the drafting of the updated Code of Practice

Contract period: 13 Jul 2026 – 12 Jan 2028 (1 yr 6 mo) · up to 12 Jul 2028 with extensionsValue: £109,000 exc. VAT · £130,800 inc. VAT
Delivery: North East, North West, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, South East, South WestEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible
Extensions: It is not possible at this stage to predict how many additional engagement hours will be required for each Lot. DHSC has a total maximum budget of £39,000 for additional hours across all Lots. For contractual purposes only, and to allow for the full range of potential optional spend, DHSC has assumed a notional maximum of £20,000 per Lot for additional hours. We do not anticipate that we will use the full optional scope value in all of the Lots. · the option to extend for one or more further periods up to a maximum of six (6) months.
79315000 Social research services
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Financial Standing

    Human Resourcing Capacity

  • Technical & professional ability

    Cyber Security

Lot #2Group 2 – Children and young peopleAwardedRenewal 1 yr 6 moSMEVCSEPublished value£70,500

programme of engagement with children and young people who have lived experience of the Mental Health Act, ensuring their perspectives meaningfully inform the drafting of the updated Code of Practice

Contract period: 13 Jul 2026 – 12 Jan 2028 (1 yr 6 mo) · up to 12 Jul 2028 with extensionsValue: £70,500 exc. VAT · £84,600 inc. VAT
Delivery: North East, North West, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, South East, South WestEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible
Extensions: It is not possible at this stage to predict how many additional engagement hours will be required for each Lot. DHSC has a total maximum budget of £39,000 for additional hours across all Lots. For contractual purposes only, and to allow for the full range of potential optional spend, DHSC has assumed a notional maximum of £20,000 per Lot for additional hours. We do not anticipate that we will use the full optional scope value in all of the Lots. · the option to extend for one or more further periods up to a maximum of six (6) months.
79315000 Social research services
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Financial Standing

    Human Resourcing Capacity

  • Technical & professional ability

    Cyber Security

Lot #3Group 3 – People with a learning disability and autistic peopleAwardedRenewal 1 yr 6 moSMEVCSEPublished value£121,500

programme of engagement with people with learning disability and autistic people who have lived experience of the Mental Health Act, ensuring their perspectives meaningfully inform the drafting of the updated Code of Practice

Contract period: 13 Jul 2026 – 12 Jan 2028 (1 yr 6 mo) · up to 12 Jul 2028 with extensionsValue: £121,500 exc. VAT · £145,800 inc. VAT
Delivery: North East, North West, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, South East, South WestEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible
Extensions: It is not possible at this stage to predict how many additional engagement hours will be required for each Lot. DHSC has a total maximum budget of £39,000 for additional hours across all Lots. For contractual purposes only, and to allow for the full range of potential optional spend, DHSC has assumed a notional maximum of £20,000 per Lot for additional hours. We do not anticipate that we will use the full optional scope value in all of the Lots. · the option to extend for one or more further periods up to a maximum of six (6) months.
79315000 Social research services
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Financial Standing

    Human Resourcing Capacity

  • Technical & professional ability

    Cyber Security

Lot #4Group 4 – Ethnic minority and racialised communitiesAwardedRenewal 1 yr 6 moSMEVCSEPublished value£82,500

programme of engagement with ethnic minority and racialised communities who have lived experience of the Mental Health Act, ensuring their perspectives meaningfully inform the drafting of the updated Code of Practice

Contract period: 13 Jul 2026 – 12 Jan 2028 (1 yr 6 mo) · up to 12 Jul 2028 with extensionsValue: £82,500 exc. VAT · £99,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: North East, North West, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, South East, South WestEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible
Extensions: It is not possible at this stage to predict how many additional engagement hours will be required for each Lot. DHSC has a total maximum budget of £39,000 for additional hours across all Lots. For contractual purposes only, and to allow for the full range of potential optional spend, DHSC has assumed a notional maximum of £20,000 per Lot for additional hours. We do not anticipate that we will use the full optional scope value in all of the Lots. · the option to extend for one or more further periods up to a maximum of six (6) months.
79315000 Social research services
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Financial Standing

    Human Resourcing Capacity

  • Technical & professional ability

    Cyber Security

What it takes to win
i

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 more
How bids were scored
Lot distribution rule: Suppliers may submit a Tender for one, multiple, or all Lots. However, no Supplier will normally be awarded more than two (2) Lots. A Supplier that has already been awarded two Lots may only be awarded an additional Lot where: a) that Lot has not received any other compliant and suitable Tenders, and b) the Supplier has submitted a compliant Tender for that Lot. The maximum award of two Lots applies where an organisation: a) is the Lead Bidder, and/or b) is named as a subcontractor or delivery partner that will deliver more than 20% of the total contract value for any Lot. Where, at the point of award, awarding a Lot would breach the maximum of two Lots for a Lead Bidder or for a subcontractor/delivery partner delivering more than 20% of the requirement, the affected Tender will be ineligible for award for that Lot. In such circumstances, the Authority will award the Lot to the next highest‑scoring compliant Tender for that Lot. Following Tender submission, Bidders will not be permitted to replace or substitute a proposed subcontractor or delivery partner where the Tender has become ineligible for award under paragraph 48. Any such change would constitute a material change to the delivery model. Where a Supplier submits Tenders for more than two Lots, the Supplier must rank the Lots in order of preference. If a Supplier is otherwise successful on more than two Lots, awards will be made in accordance with that stated order of preference.
Conditions of participation · identical on every lot2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Financial Standing

    Human Resourcing Capacity

  • Technical & professional ability

    Cyber Security

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
Awarded
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
9 Mar 2026, 15:16 GMT
Last source update
13 Aug 2026, 15:32 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 25 Jun 2026
Authority reference
C428761
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-041222
Latest notice
Contract details notice (UK7)
Classification (CPV)
Social research services
Delivery area
North East (UKC)North West (UKD)East Midlands (UKF)West Midlands (UKG)East of England (UKH)South East (UKJ)South West (UKK)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06658e Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: Atamis legacy domain (health-family.force.com) · Who buys & how to bid on Atamis
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Legacy Salesforce domain still used in notices — use the current Atamis portal · this portal address is a legacy domain; the operator has migrated
Submission deadline
1 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
Clarification deadline
19 May 2026, 12:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

The opportunity will be available on the Health Family Atamis eTendering System. You must be registered to have full access to all documents. Select this link to access and register your organisation to the Atamis system health-family.force.com/s/Welcome ↗, if you have not already done so. Registration is free of charge. You can search for the project by using the contract reference.

Once you have found the Opportunity, press the ‘Register Interest’ button to register your interest. This will make the project to appear on ‘My proposals and quotes’. From there you can review documents, send clarification messages, submit the response, or decline to respond, if you decide not to participate in the opportunity. For full details on the instruction to tender and terms of participations please refer to the Invitation to Tender document.

Timeline

9 Mar 2026 → 13 Aug 2026 · 10 dates
  1. Planning notice published221 days ago
    9 Mar 2026, 15:16 GMT
  2. Market engagement175 days ago
    24 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST

    The Department of Health and Social Care has now completed its preliminary market engagement phase and, through this notice, is publishing a consolidated document containing all supplier queries received during the PME, together with the corresponding official responses and the event presentation.

    In addition, and to support collaboration, DHSC is facilitating networking opportunities for suppliers who are interested in forming partnerships to deliver this service. Suppliers may submit their details via a dedicated Microsoft Form, which will remain open until 24 April 2026 7pm. The form is available via the PME Q&A document that can be found in Atamis system health-family.force.com/s/Welcome ↗ using the contract number or by clicking the following link forms.office.com/e/xtYgn8DSHm ↗

    Details submitted via the form will be collated to support partnership‑building and, once the tender is launched (scheduled for 27 April 2026), will be shared with suppliers on request ONLY.

    This notice does not represent a call for competition; it is issued solely to publish the questions and answers arising from the Preliminary Market Engagement (PME), which has now concluded.

  3. Next notice expected172 days ago
    27 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
  4. Tender notice published164 days ago
    5 May 2026, 16:40 BST
  5. Clarification questions by151 days ago
    19 May 2026, 12:00 BST
  6. Submission deadline138 days ago
    1 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
  7. Award decision expected by113 days ago
    25 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
  8. Assessment summaries sent103 days ago
    6 Jul 2026, 00:00 BST
  9. Contract starts96 days ago
    13 Jul 2026, 00:00 BST
  10. Latest notice published64 days ago
    13 Aug 2026, 15:32 BST

Notice history

16 events · 9 releases on Find a Tender · since 9 Mar 2026
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    9 Mar 2026, 15:16 GMT
    UK2
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    19 Mar 2026, 11:00 GMT
    UK2
  3. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    24 Mar 2026, 11:11 GMT
    UK2
  4. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    25 Mar 2026, 11:21 GMT
    UK2
  5. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    16 Apr 2026, 12:17 BST
    UK2
  6. Published value updated to £0
    16 Apr 2026, 12:17 BST
    was £333,500
  7. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    17 Apr 2026, 15:26 BST
    UK2
  8. Tender notice published
    5 May 2026, 16:40 BST
    UK4
  9. Published value updated to £383,500
    5 May 2026, 16:40 BST
    was £0
  10. Status changed to active
    5 May 2026, 16:40 BST
  11. Procurement method changed
    5 May 2026, 16:40 BST
  12. Deadline published: 1 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
    5 May 2026, 16:40 BST
  13. Contract award notice published
    6 Jul 2026, 18:05 BST
    UK6
  14. Status changed to complete
    6 Jul 2026, 18:05 BST
  15. Contract signature expected
    21 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
    scheduled
  16. Contract details notice published
    13 Aug 2026, 15:32 BST
    UK7
Published amendments (4)

To extend the submission deadline time for the PME questionnaire

there is a discrepancy in the tender ad. It says 12 months +6 months extension which is what we originally thought but should read 21 months total, From July 2026 to March 2028

there is a discrepancy in the tender ad. It says 12 months +6 months extension which is what we originally thought but should read 21 months total, From July 2026 to March 2028

date incorrect in text updated to reflect correct date 27th April 2026

Routine re-releases (9)
  • 2026-04: 2 releases · 16 Apr 2026, 17 Apr 2026
  • 2026-03: 4 releases · 9 Mar 2026, 25 Mar 2026

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 4
Awarded value £379,6794 awards exc. VAT
Bids received 2221 from SMEs
Contracts signed 4latest 29 Jul 2026
Awarded toValueDateStatus
Lot 1 · Group 1 - General lived experience1 award
MIND (THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH)VCSE21 Jul 2026 – 20 Apr 2028 · up to 20 Oct 2028Extensions: the option to extend for one or more further periods up to a maximum of six (6) months. · Options: The contract includes an option to add additional hours of engagement if needed.£108,9926 Jul 2026Awarded
Lot 2 · Group 2 – Children and young people1 award
Article 3921 Jul 2026 – 20 Apr 2028 · up to 20 Oct 2028Extensions: the option to extend for one or more further periods up to a maximum of six (6) months. · Options: The contract includes an option to add additional hours of engagement if needed.£70,5006 Jul 2026Awarded
Lot 3 · Group 3 – People with a learning disability and autistic people1 award
The Public Service Consultants LimitedSME21 Jul 2026 – 20 Apr 2028 · up to 20 Oct 2028Extensions: the option to extend for one or more further periods up to a maximum of six (6) months. · Options: The contract includes an option to add additional hours of engagement if needed.£117,7506 Jul 2026Awarded
Lot 4 · Group 4 – Ethnic minority and racialised communities1 award
Rethink Trading LimitedSME21 Jul 2026 – 20 Apr 2028 · up to 20 Oct 2028Extensions: the option to extend for one or more further periods up to a maximum of six (6) months. · Options: The contract includes an option to add additional hours of engagement if needed.£82,4376 Jul 2026Awarded

Contracts

  • Lot 4: Group 4 - Ethnic minority and racialised communities · Rethink Trading LimitedSME

    Signed
    29 Jul 2026
    Value
    £82,437
    Period
    29 Jul 2026 – 28 Apr 2028 · up to 28 Sept 2028 with extensions
    Status
    active
    Extensions
    the option to extend for one or more further periods up to a maximum of six (6) months.
    Options
    The contract includes an option to add additional hours of engagement if needed.

  • Lot 1: Group 1 - General lived experience · MIND (THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH)VCSE

    Signed
    28 Jul 2026
    Value
    £108,992
    Period
    28 Jul 2026 – 20 Apr 2028 · up to 20 Sept 2028 with extensions
    Status
    active
    Extensions
    the option to extend for one or more further periods up to a maximum of six (6) months.
    Options
    The contract includes an option to add additional hours of engagement if needed.

  • Lot 2: Group 2 - Children and young people · Article 39

    Signed
    28 Jul 2026
    Value
    £70,500
    Period
    28 Jul 2026 – 20 Apr 2028 · up to 27 Sept 2028 with extensions
    Status
    active
    Extensions
    the option to extend for one or more further periods up to a maximum of six (6) months.
    Options
    The contract includes an option to add additional hours of engagement if needed.

  • Lot 3: Group 3 – People with a learning disability and autistic people · The Public Service Consultants LimitedSME

    Signed
    26 Jul 2026
    Value
    £117,750
    Period
    26 Jul 2026 – 25 Apr 2028 · up to 25 Sept 2028 with extensions
    Status
    active
    Extensions
    the option to extend for one or more further periods up to a maximum of six (6) months.
    Options
    The contract includes an option to add additional hours of engagement if needed.

Bid statistics published by the authority

LotBidsSMEVCSEValid bid range
1 · Group 1 - General lived experience8final-stage tenders72—
2 · Group 2 – Children and young people3final-stage tenders30—
3 · Group 3 – People with a learning disability and autistic people4final-stage tenders42—
4 · Group 4 – Ethnic minority and racialised communities7final-stage tenders70—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Department of Health & Social Care

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PMQG-9965-CHZR 39 Victoria Street, London, London, SW1H 0EUContact name, email

Bidders & participating suppliers

4 commercial parties on the notice

Official documents & specifications (15)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Contract details notice contractContract details noticeUK7Contract details notice on Find a Tender
  • Contract details notice contractContract details noticeUK7Contract details notice on Find a Tender
  • Contract details notice contractContract details noticeUK7Contract details notice on Find a Tender
  • Contract details notice contractContract details noticeUK7Contract details notice on Find a Tender
  • Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender
  • Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender
  • Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender
  • Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender
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