Official UK procurement notice
Provision of External Investigation HR Services and Related Topics
Authority: NHS England (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionNHS England has commissioned a service providing access to suitably qualified and experienced external investigators to undertake complex and sensitive workplace investigations. These investigations may include, but are not limited to, human resources (HR) matters, Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) (whistleblowing) concerns, and data breach investigations.
The service will support NHS England in responding promptly and robustly to concerns raised by staff, in alignment with the NHS People Promise. It will help ensure that staff feel heard and valued, while enabling NHS England to fulfil its responsibilities as an employer.
CPV: Business and management consultancy and related services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£281,250
- Economic & financial standing
As details in the ITT documents
- Technical & professional ability
As details in the ITT 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 (3)
- Technical/Quality: 60%
- Commercial: 30%
- Social value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
- Technical/Quality: 60%
- Commercial: 30%
- Social value: 10%
- Economic & financial standing
As details in the ITT documents
- Technical & professional ability
As details in the ITT documents
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 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
- Awarded
- 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
- 22 Apr 2025, 14:41 BST
- Last source update
- 13 May 2026, 14:53 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 6 Mar 2026
- Authority reference
C414605- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-003911- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0505b7Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 16 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 6 Feb 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
22 Apr 2025 → 13 May 2026 · 8 dates- Planning notice published22 Apr 2025, 14:41 BST
- Market engagement7 May 2025, 23:59 BST
Request for Information Exercise in respect of the proposed model for delivery of services
- Tender notice published283 days ago16 Jan 2026, 13:54 GMT
- Clarification questions by262 days ago6 Feb 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Submission deadline252 days ago16 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Award decision expected by233 days ago6 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts208 days ago1 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published166 days ago13 May 2026, 14:53 BST
Notice history
8 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 22 Apr 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published22 Apr 2025, 14:41 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published16 Jan 2026, 13:54 GMTUK4
- Published value updated to £281,25016 Jan 2026, 13:54 GMTwas £350,000
- Status changed to active16 Jan 2026, 13:54 GMT
- Procurement method changed16 Jan 2026, 13:54 GMT
- Deadline published: 16 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT16 Jan 2026, 13:54 GMT
- Contract details notice published13 May 2026, 14:53 BSTUK7
- Status changed to complete13 May 2026, 14:53 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Financial Management AssociationVCSE | £281,250 † | — | Awarded |
Contracts
Provision of External Investigation HR Services and Related Topics · Healthcare Financial Management AssociationVCSE
- Signed
- 27 Apr 2026
- Value
- £281,250
- Period
- 27 Apr 2026 – 26 Apr 2027 · up to 26 Jul 2027 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- Subject to the availability of funding and satisfactory supplier performance.
- Options
- 12 months, with the option to extend for up to three month periods (maximum potential duration: 15 months, subject to funding
1 agreed KPI: 100% of investigations to be allocated to an investigator within two (2) weeks of instruction.
- 100% of investigations to be allocated to an investigator within two (2) weeks of instruction., 100% of investigations allocated to an investigator within two (2) weeks of instruction; • 90% of investigations commenced within two (2) weeks of request; • at least 80% of investigations completed within: o 15 working days (employee relations); o 30 working days (whistleblowing); o 30 working days (data breach); o 95% of investigation reports accepted by the relevant NHSE panel without requiring further investigation.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- TIAA LTDAwarded 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
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender