Official UK procurement notice
Bridging Contract for Digital Patient Engagement and Inbound Communication Services Across Surrey and Sussex
Authority: NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (Central government)·On behalf of: NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (hosted by NHS England)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionDescription of the Contract
NHS Surrey and Sussex Integrated Care Board (the Authority) intends to make a time limited direct award for digital patient engagement, inbound communication and access related services to maintain continuity across primary care during organisational transition and while requirements for a future procurement are finalised.
The contract will ensure continuity of established services and enable the Authority to collate and review outcomes from live test bed activity to support the development of an evidence based specification for a subsequent competitive procurement.
This direct award is explicitly a bridging arrangement and does not represent a commitment to long term supply.
Contract Duration
Term: Up to 24 months
Purpose: Bridging arrangement to support continuity, test bed evaluation and requirements finalisation
There is no automatic extension beyond this period.
Estimated Contract Value
£3.1m total - £1.55m (excluding VAT) PA for a maximum of 24 months, reflecting the limited scope and duration of the bridging arrangement only.
This contract is anticipated to be enacted under the newly formed merged organisation, NHS Surrey & Sussex Integrated Care Board.
No conflicts of interest have arisen during the decision making process.
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
- 27 Feb 2026, 09:07 GMT
- Last source update
- 27 Feb 2026, 09:07 GMT
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-017668- Latest notice
- Transparency notice (UK5)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-065dc3Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Technical Reasons; Additional Repeat Extension Partial Replacement
- Published justification
The Authority considers that the conditions for a direct award under section 41 and Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 are met, and that this contract is strictly necessary and proportionate, due to:
- The requirement for additional or repeat services that are the same as or compatible with existing provisions, where a change of supplier at this stage would risk disproportionate technical and operational difficulties; and
- The statutory merger forming NHS Surrey and Sussex ICB, which is restricting operational and commercial bandwidth, combined with ongoing test bed activity that has not yet produced a sufficiently evidenced specification for immediate competition.
The scope and duration of the direct award are limited to what is strictly necessary to maintain continuity and enable preparation for competition.
- Risks
Future Procurement Intent
A competitive procurement will follow as soon as practicably possible once requirements are finalised, informed by early market engagement, test bed outcomes and discovery activity. The nature of this procedure will be informed by national policy drivers and executed in accordance with Procurement Act 2023. The Authority confirms its intention to competitively procure these services.
Neutrality and Equal Treatment
Participation in early market engagement, test bed activity, or delivery under this bridging contract does not confer any advantage in the subsequent competitive procurement.
Any future procurement will be conducted in accordance with the Authority's obligations of transparency, equal treatment and non discrimination.
Additional Information
This notice is published to provide clear market visibility of the Authority's intention to make a direct award and to demonstrate a transparent and proportionate transition to competition.
Notice history
2 events · 1 release on Find a Tender · since 27 Feb 2026- Transparency notice published27 Feb 2026, 09:07 GMTUK5
- Contract signature expected31 Mar 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| accuRxSME1 Apr 2026 – 31 Mar 2028 | £3,100,000 | — | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
4 public bodies on the noticeConsortium members and other public bodies
- NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (hosted by NHS England)Beneficiary authority
- NHS SUSSEX INTEGRATED CARE BOARDContracting authorityPublic authority - central government
- NHS South Central and West CSUProcess contact pointProcuring entityProcurement Support
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Accurx LimitedAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender