National Education and Training for NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression – Core

NHS England is seeking partner organisations to provide training places for NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression. The contracts will support workforce replacement and expansion in line with relevant policy developments and workforce requirements.

Providers may submit tenders for one or more lots and, where applicable, one or more geographic footprints within a lot, subject to the requirements set out in the Invitation to Tender (ITT).

The procurement covers training for Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWPs), High Intensity Therapist Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and several specialist non-CBT long-term condition therapies. The maximum estimated aggregate contract value, including extensions and learner run-through provisions, is stated in the procurement description as £125,264,012 excluding VAT.

Service Lots

The opportunity is divided into multiple geographic and specialist lots. Providers can apply for one or more lots, subject to the ITT requirements.

North East and Yorkshire

• Lot 1a – South Yorkshire ICB, PWP: £885,599
• Lot 1b – North East and North Cumbria ICB, PWP: £2,057,737
• Lot 1c – Humber and North Yorkshire ICB, PWP: £1,086,381
• Lot 1d – West Yorkshire ICB, PWP: £1,288,815
• Lot 2a – South Yorkshire ICB, CBT: £1,560,593
• Lot 2b – North East and North Cumbria ICB, CBT: £3,866,596
• Lot 2c – Humber and North Yorkshire ICB, CBT: £1,614,846
• Lot 2d – West Yorkshire ICB, CBT: £3,067,582

North West

• Lot 3a – Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB, PWP: £1,440,550
• Lot 3b – Greater Manchester ICB, PWP: £1,986,003
• Lot 3c – Cheshire and Merseyside ICB, PWP: £1,986,003
• Lot 4a – Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB, CBT: £2,388,796
• Lot 4b – Greater Manchester ICB, CBT: £2,728,188
• Lot 4c – Cheshire and Merseyside ICB, CBT: £2,728,188

Central and East of England

• Lot 5a – Central East, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk ICBs, PWP: £2,920,977
• Lot 6a – Central East, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk ICBs, CBT: £4,635,586

Midlands

• Lot 7a – Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Birmingham and Solihull, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, and Black Country ICBs, PWP: £5,452,106
• Lot 7b – Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, Coventry and Warwickshire, and Northamptonshire ICBs, PWP: £2,147,203
• Lot 7c – Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, Derby and Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire ICBs, PWP: £2,467,132
• Lot 8a – Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Birmingham and Solihull, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, and Black Country ICBs, CBT: £9,223,363
• Lot 8b – Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, Coventry and Warwickshire, and Northamptonshire ICBs, CBT: £3,129,757
• Lot 8c – Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, Derby and Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire ICBs, CBT: £3,850,103

London and the South East

• Lot 9a – South East London, North East London, South West London, and North Central and West London ICBs, PWP: £12,220,225
• Lot 10a – South East London, North East London, South West London, and North Central and West London ICBs, High Intensity Therapist CBT: £20,192,496
• Lot 11a – Kent and Medway ICB, PWP: £1,365,666
• Lot 11b – Thames Valley ICB, PWP: £2,912,176
• Lot 11c – Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB, PWP: £1,932,734
• Lot 11d – Surrey and Sussex ICB, PWP: £1,816,459
• Lot 12a – Kent and Medway ICB, CBT: £2,418,468
• Lot 12b – Thames Valley ICB, CBT: £2,516,883
• Lot 12c – Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB, CBT: £2,385,443
• Lot 12d – Surrey and Sussex ICB, CBT: £3,704,680

South West

• Lot 13a – Devon, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, and Dorset ICBs, PWP: £4,155,818
• Lot 14a – The same South West ICB footprint, High Intensity Therapist CBT: £6,576,743

National specialist non-CBT training

• Lot 15 – Long-Term Conditions DIT: £92,352
• Lot 16 – Long-Term Conditions IPT: £92,352
• Lot 17 – Long-Term Conditions PCE-CfD: £184,703
• Lot 18 – Long-Term Conditions CTfD: £92,352
• Lot 19 – Long-Term Conditions BCT: £92,352

All lot values above are stated in the notice as excluding VAT. The notice also displays the same figures as including VAT.

Service Requirements

The successful partner organisations will provide training places for NHS Talking Therapies, supporting the replacement and expansion of the workforce.

The procurement includes training for:

• Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWP).
• High Intensity Therapist CBT practitioners.
• Specialist non-CBT therapies for long-term conditions, including DIT, IPT, PCE-CfD, CTfD and BCT.

Payment will be based on the applicable cost per learner, as set out in the ITT and contract. This amount will include the costs associated with delivering the services.

Active learner numbers will be verified quarterly through the National School of Healthcare Science to support accurate payments.

The initial contract term is three years. NHS England may extend the period for enrolling new learners by a further 12 months. A subsequent period of up to 12 months will allow learners enrolled during the extension to complete their training.

Contract Information

• Buyer: NHS England
• Contract value: The procurement description states a maximum aggregate value of £125,264,012 excluding VAT, including extensions and learner run-through provisions.
• Initial three-year value: £72,119,924 excluding VAT
• Optional 12-month extension value: £33,681,222 excluding VAT
• Subsequent 12-month learner run-through value: £19,462,865 excluding VAT
• Initial contract period: 1 April 2027 to 1 April 2030
• Possible extension: Up to 1 April 2032, covering an additional 12 months for new learner enrolments and up to 12 months for learner completion
• Reference: C468391
• Enquiry deadline: 25 November 2026 at 12:00pm
• Tender submission deadline: 7 December 2026 at 12:00pm
• Estimated award decision date: 30 March 2027
• Procedure: Open procedure
• Procurement regime: Light touch
• CPV classification: 80000000 – Education and training services
• Tender portal: Atamis e-sourcing portal

All clarification questions and tender submissions must be made through the e-tendering portal. Registration is free of charge, and communications must be channelled through the portal during the tender exercise.

Supplier Requirements

The opportunity is identified as particularly suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs).

Tenderers may apply for one or more lots and geographic footprints, subject to the requirements and conditions set out in the ITT.

Further details of the professional, technical, financial and other requirements are contained in the procurement documents. The notice also states that learner numbers are based on modelled student numbers and historical data, meaning individual contract values may increase or decrease during the contract period.

Evaluation Criteria

The tender will be assessed against the following award criteria:

• Technical quality: 80%
• Commercial price: 10%
• Social value: 10%

Technical quality carries the greatest weighting, accounting for 80% of the overall assessment.

Commercial Relevance

This national procurement offers opportunities for education and training organisations with the capability to deliver NHS Talking Therapies workforce training. Providers can consider applying for relevant geographic or specialist lots, including PWP, CBT and non-CBT long-term condition training, subject to the ITT requirements and their ability to meet the delivery expectations.

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