Official UK procurement notice
NECS523 NEAS Third-Party 111 Online and Primary Care Speak To Services CP
Authority: North East Ambulance Services NHS Foundation Trust (NHS & healthcare)
What is being bought3 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionThis is an INTENTION TO AWARD Notice following The Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 - Competitive Process.
North of England Commissioning Support (NECS) is a commissioning support service working for and on behalf of The North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (the Relevant Authority) who have undertaken a competition process to provide a Framework for Third-Party 111 Online and Primary Care Speak To (PCST) Services.
Contract Start Date: 01 October 2025
Contract End Date: 30 September 2029
The contract term is for an initial period of 2 years, with an option to extend for a further 2 years at the discretion of the Relevant Authority and subject to satisfactory contractual and financial performance.
CPV: Health and social work services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Bids received
- 6 bids on the busiest of 3 lots · 1 suppliers appointed
Lots and requirements (3)Procurement structure
3 lots · no lot values published · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1111 Online Services (North East Wide)Cancelled
This is an INTENTION TO AWARD Notice following The Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 - Competitive Process.
This is an intention to award notice to advise that the relevant authority intends to award a contract under a competitive process under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Procurement Regulations 2024 (Procurement Act 2023) and/ or Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award.
North of England Commissioning Support (NECS) is a commissioning support service working for and on behalf of The North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (the Relevant Authority) who have undertaken a competition process to provide a Framework for Third-Party 111 Online and Primary Care Speak To (PCST) Services.
Contract Start Date: 01 October 2025
Contract End Date: 30 September 2029
The contract term is for an initial period of 2 years, with an option to extend for a further 2 years at the discretion of the Relevant Authority and subject to satisfactory contractual and financial performance.
111 Online Services (North East Wide)
This is a new service. Additional information: The Relevant Authority assessed the five key criteria against the service requirements and determined the relative importance of each, as outlined above and detailed within the provider response documentation. The contract award criteria are specified in the provider response documents.
Lot #2Primary Care Speak To Dispositions (Northumberland, North Tyneside and Newcastle)Cancelled
This is an INTENTION TO AWARD Notice following The Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 - Competitive Process.
This is an intention to award notice to advise that the relevant authority intends to award a contract under a competitive process under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Procurement Regulations 2024 (Procurement Act 2023) and/ or Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award.
North of England Commissioning Support (NECS) is a commissioning support service working for and on behalf of The North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (the Relevant Authority) who have undertaken a competition process to provide a Framework for Third-Party 111 Online and Primary Care Speak To (PCST) Services.
Contract Start Date: 01 October 2025
Contract End Date: 30 September 2029
The contract term is for an initial period of 2 years, with an option to extend for a further 2 years at the discretion of the Relevant Authority and subject to satisfactory contractual and financial performance.
Primary Care Speak To Dispositions (Northumberland, North Tyneside and Newcastle)
This is a new service. Additional information: The Relevant Authority assessed the five key criteria against the service requirements and determined the relative importance of each, as outlined above and detailed within the provider response documentation. The contract award criteria are specified in the provider response documents.
Lot #3Primary Care Speak To Dispositions (North Durham, Durham Dales, Easington and Sedgefield, Darlington)Cancelled
This is an INTENTION TO AWARD Notice following The Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 - Competitive Process.
This is an intention to award notice to advise that the relevant authority intends to award a contract under a competitive process under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Procurement Regulations 2024 (Procurement Act 2023) and/ or Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award.
North of England Commissioning Support (NECS) is a commissioning support service working for and on behalf of The North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (the Relevant Authority) who have undertaken a competition process to provide a Framework for Third-Party 111 Online and Primary Care Speak To (PCST) Services.
Contract Start Date: 01 October 2025
Contract End Date: 30 September 2029
The contract term is for an initial period of 2 years, with an option to extend for a further 2 years at the discretion of the Relevant Authority and subject to satisfactory contractual and financial performance.
Primary Care Speak To Dispositions (North Durham, Durham Dales, Easington and Sedgefield, Darlington)
This is a new service. Additional information: The Relevant Authority assessed the five key criteria against the service requirements and determined the relative importance of each, as outlined above and detailed within the provider response documentation. The contract award criteria are specified in the provider response documents.
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 sub-criteria (5)
- Key Criteria 1: Quality and Innovation: 35%
- Key Criteria 3: Improving Access, Reducing Health Inequalities and Facilitating Choice: 10%
- Key Criteria 5: Value (Price): 30%
- Key Criteria 4: Social Value: 10%
- Key Criteria 2: Integration, Collaboration and Service Sustainability: 15%
Published award criteria (5)
- Key Criteria 1: Quality and Innovation: 35
- Key Criteria 2: Integration, Collaboration and Service Sustainability: 15
- Key Criteria 3: Improving Access, Reducing Health Inequalities and Facilitating Choice: 10
- Key Criteria 4: Social Value: 10
- Key Criteria 5: Value (Price): 30
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “NECS523 NEAS Third-Party 111 Online and Primary Care Speak To Services…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 20 Mar 2025, 13:29 GMT
- Last source update
- 26 May 2026, 15:39 BST
- Award evaluation window
- 26 May 2025 – …
- Authority reference
NECS523- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-048953- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-04efb0Find a Tender
Publisher note: This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Procurement Regulations 2024 (Procurement Act 2023) and/ or Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR. A contract will not be awarded until after the 9th working day following standstill. The standstill period begins on the day after the publication of this notice. Representations by providers must be made to the relevant authority by midnight on 20 August 2025. Any representations should be sent via the Atamis messaging portal and/or via email to [email protected] The individual(s) making the award decision are: • North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS) Performance and Finance Committee • Head of Planning and Performance • Assistant Director of Contracting and Performance • Deputy Director of Quality and Safety • Assistant Director of Quality and Safety • Deputy Director of Paramedicine • EOC Systems and Resilience Manager • IM&T Systems Manager • Head of Informatics • Head of 111 and IUC CAS • Clinical Service Manager - IUC CAS There were no declared of potential conflicts of interest of individuals making the award decision. Conflicts of interest were completed by all involved in the process and no potential conflicts were identified. The scoring criteria for the Basic Selection Criteria Questions were either evaluated as Pass/Fail or For Information. The Relevant Authority considered the five key criteria against the service requirements and determined the relative importance of each, as outlined below and detailed within in the provider response documentation. Quality and Innovation - 35% Value (price) - 30% Integration, Collaboration and Service Sustainability - 15% Improving Access, Reducing Health Inequalities and Facilitating Choice - 10% Social Value - 10% The successful provider (preferred lot supplier) for each lot was selected based on offering the most advantageous Provider response by scoring the highest combined score for quality (key criteria) and finance, evaluated against the published evaluation criteria as detailed within the provider response documentation. As a result, they are the recommended provider and have been awarded the contract, subject to final agreement. Accredited Framework suppliers not achieving 'preferred Lot supplier' status will not be issued with a sub-contract by the Trust, however they will be retained as 'accredited Framework suppliers' throughout the term and may be utilised by the Trust to provide a) contingency cover in the event of a failure of the 'preferred Lot supplier', b) short-term surge capacity during times of peak demand, and c) support for bespoke capacity initiatives and pilot projects if required from time to time. The following providers passed all elements of the tender technical response and financial model template and were awarded accredited framework supplier status: Lot 1 - Vocare Lot 2 - Practice Plus Group, Vocare Lot 3 - County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, Practice Plus Group, Vocare
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 27 May 2025, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bids opened
- 26 May 2025, 13:00 BST
Timeline
1 Apr 2025 → 26 May 2026 · 4 dates- Next notice expected1 Apr 2025, 00:00 BST
- Bids opened26 May 2025, 13:00 BST
- Admission / appointment period endsperiod end, not a bid countdown27 May 2025, 12:00 BST
- Notice published149 days ago26 May 2026, 15:39 BST
Notice history
5 events · 6 releases on Find a Tender · since 17 Apr 2025- Status changed to active17 Apr 2025, 11:41 BST
- Procurement method changed17 Apr 2025, 11:41 BST
- Deadline moved to 27 May 2025, 12:00 BST17 Apr 2025, 11:41 BST+1 days · was 26 May 2025, 12:00 BST
- Deadline published: 26 May 2025, 12:00 BST17 Apr 2025, 11:41 BST
- Status changed to complete8 Aug 2025, 14:18 BST
Published amendments (3 · 1 deadline change)
| When | What | Before | After | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | DeadlineTime limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate - to be amended to 27th May 2025 @ 12 noon. · IV.2.2 | 26 May 2025 | 27 May 2025 | +1 d |
| — | TextAdditional Information · VI.3 | — | This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) confirmation of contract award notice. The contracts for: Lot 1 - 111 Online Services (North East Wide) Lot 2 - Primary Care Speak To Dispositions (Northumberland, North Tyneside and Newcastle) have been awarded under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Procurement Regul… |
Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate - to be amended to 27th May 2025 @ 12 noon.
Please note, a contract has NOT been awarded via the procedure detailed within this notice for both: Lot 3 - Primary Care Speak To Dispositions (North Durham, Durham Dales, Easington and Sedgefield, Darlington) Lot 3 was the subject of a review a representation and was Investigated by the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust Independent Panel, who recommended the procurement be abando…
1 amendment published without a description.
Routine re-releases (6)
- 2025-04: 2 releases · 17 Apr 2025
- 2025-03: 1 release · 20 Mar 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast3 suppliers are admitted to this framework without individual award values or dates, see the supplier list below.
Contracts
111 Online Services (North East Wide)
- Signed
- 7 Aug 2025
- Value
- £3,128,000
- Status
- active
Primary Care Speak To Dispositions (Northumberland, North Tyneside and Newcastle)
- Signed
- 7 Aug 2025
- Value
- £2,560,000
- Status
- active
Primary Care Speak To Dispositions (North Durham, Durham Dales, Easington and Sedgefield, Darlington)
- Signed
- 7 Aug 2025
- Value
- £3,180,000
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · 111 Online Services (North East Wide) | 4bids | — | — | — |
| 2 · Primary Care Speak To Dispositions (Northumberland, North Tyneside and Newcastle) | 5bids | — | — | — |
| 3 · Primary Care Speak To Dispositions (North Durham, Durham Dales, Easington and Sedgefield, Darlington) | 6bids | — | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Process and specification contact points (1)
- North of England Commissioning SupportProcess contact point
Framework contractors & participating bidders
1 commercial party on the notice- DHU HealthcareFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.