Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Oxfordshire County Council
3rd Floor, County Hall
Oxford
OX1 1ND
Contact
Mr Alex White
Telephone
+44 7554339176
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKJ14 - Oxfordshire
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Regional or local authority
one.5) Main activity
General public services
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
NICE Approved Non-pharmacological Stop Smoking Seminars
Reference number
DN772260
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 85100000 - Health services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
Oxfordshire County Council have awarded a contract following Direct Award Process A of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the Public Contract Regulations 2015 and the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award.
Providing a non-pharmacological or drug free, one-off seminar to support people to quit will give service users another method of quitting. This style of support has been included as a recommendation in NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guideline 209 . The NICE guidelines outline best-practice for providing support to smokers, and place particular emphasis on the breadth of support offered – quitting smoking is not a ‘one size fits all’ and therefore we must incorporate as many different approaches into our offer as possible, to ensure all service users have access to a technique that will work for them. The Allen Carr in-person seminars are recommended as an additional treatment option for adults who want to give up smoking. Multiple randomised control trials have evidenced the efficacy of the offer, which has the potential to elicit similar quit rates to NRT and vapes. It is important to note that the NICE recommendation is not for a generic stop-smoke seminar and specifies Allen Carr’s Easyway (ACE) only.
The ability to manage a quit in just one 5-6 hour session, will also allow many routine and manual workers, who do not always work traditional hours, to engage in the service at a time to suit their needs. Routine and manual works have a higher prevalence of smoking in Oxfordshire, currently 15.3% (APS, 2023) and are a priority group for the service and the Council’s tobacco control strategy.
This proposed service is a relevant health service, delivered directly to individuals, falling under the Healthcare Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (PSR). The main CPV code is 85100000-0.
The contract commenced on 1 April 2025 and will expire on 31 March 2026. The contract will provide 140 places to people who live and work in Oxfordshire.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £48,860
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKJ14 - Oxfordshire
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Oxfordshire County Council have awarded a contract following Direct Award Process A of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the Public Contract Regulations 2015 and the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award.
Providing a non-pharmacological or drug free, one-off seminar to support people to quit will give service users another method of quitting. This style of support has been included as a recommendation in NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guideline 209 . The NICE guidelines outline best-practice for providing support to smokers, and place particular emphasis on the breadth of support offered – quitting smoking is not a ‘one size fits all’ and therefore we must incorporate as many different approaches into our offer as possible, to ensure all service users have access to a technique that will work for them. The Allen Carr in-person seminars are recommended as an additional treatment option for adults who want to give up smoking. Multiple randomised control trials have evidenced the efficacy of the offer, which has the potential to elicit similar quit rates to NRT and vapes. It is important to note that the NICE recommendation is not for a generic stop-smoke seminar and specifies Allen Carr’s Easyway (ACE) only.
The ability to manage a quit in just one 5-6 hour session, will also allow many routine and manual workers, who do not always work traditional hours, to engage in the service at a time to suit their needs. Routine and manual works have a higher prevalence of smoking in Oxfordshire, currently 15.3% (APS, 2023) and are a priority group for the service and the Council’s tobacco control strategy.
This proposed service is a relevant health service, delivered directly to individuals, falling under the Healthcare Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (PSR). The main CPV code is 85100000-0.
The contract commenced on 1 April 2025 and will expire on 31 March 2026. The contract will provide 140 places to people who live and work in Oxfordshire.
The decision to award was taken by Ansaf Azhar, Director of Public Health and Communities.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the cases listed below
- The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the regulations
Explanation:
Oxfordshire County Council have awarded a contract following Direct Award Process A of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the Public Contract Regulations 2015 and the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award.
This proposed service is a relevant health service, delivered directly to individuals, falling under the Healthcare Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (PSR). The main CPV code is 85100000-0.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No
Section five. Award of contract
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
24 March 2025
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
Number of tenders received from SMEs: 1
Number of tenders received from tenderers from other EU Member States: 0
Number of tenders received from tenderers from non-EU Member States: 0
Number of tenders received by electronic means: 0
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Allen Carr’s Easyway (International) Ltd
Park House 14 Pepys Road Raynes Park
London,
SW20 8NH
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKJ14 - Oxfordshire
The contractor is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £48,860
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
No conflicts of interest were identified in relation to this award.
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
Independent Choice and Procurement Panel
Wellington House
London
SE1 8UG
Country
United Kingdom