Scope
Description
The North London Forensic Collaborative (NLFC) commissions and delivers forensic adult secure inpatient and specialist forensic community services for the population of North London. This includes people with a learning disability and/or autism in inpatient and community forensic services. The collaborative is formed of five NHS Trusts and one Independent Provider. North London Foundation Trust (NLFT) as the Lead Provider, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL), East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT), North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT), West London NHS Trust (WLT), and The Priory Hospital, working in partnership to improve services for patients, families, carers and staff.
There are currently 700 low and medium secure inpatient beds across the provider collaborative, and provision for 600 community forensic service users provided by three Specialist Community Forensic Teams (SCFT)'s, each aligned to one of the Integrated Care Systems (ICS) in North London.
NLFT as part of their lead provider responsibilities are required to establish and host a delineated commissioning team, known as 'The Commissioning Hub'. The commissioning hub is comprised of clinical, operational, experts by experience and corporate staff, and the governance structures provide a framework through which providers can hold each other to account in a fair, transparent and constructive way (Diagram 1). Clinical networks are comprised of staff from across the collaborative, and the patient council is comprised of current patients from adult secure inpatient services, placing co-production, and staff and patient engagement at the centre of quality and service improvement.
The NLFC will be publishing the Co-production and User Involvement Strategy in September 2025, which reaffirms the Commissioning Hub's commitment to working in partnership with people who use services, their families, and carers. Underpinned by five strategic priorities, the strategy aims to further strengthen and elevate the role of people with lived experience within the commissioning hub, ensuring people who use services can meaningfully shape, influence, and assure how services are designed, delivered, and quality assured.
To achieve this, the Commissioning Hub is seeking to partner with an organisation that brings proven expertise in co-production and developing a lived experience workforce. This partnership aims to strengthen and build upon the existing model, which currently includes:
• Peer Engagement Workers (PEW): Six peers with lived experience recruited into paid positions to work alongside clinical quality managers in quality assurance roles, which includes one peer with a learning disability (Appendix A)
• The NLFC Patient Council: A patient council comprised of 12 members, with representatives from all the inpatient providers, established to co-create and co-deliver system wide quality improvement and service development initiatives. (Appendix B)
• Community Connectors: A group of community forensic service users, with representation from each of the SCFT's, established to co commission provision delivered through the NLFC VCFSE Grants and Access to Employment programmes. (Appendix C)
In addition to maintaining the existing model, the appointed provider will be required to strengthen and expand it by developing new roles for people with a learning disability and autistic people, and by supporting the engagement of families, friends, and carers. The provider will also deliver strategic expertise and a comprehensive training programme; both aimed at embedding meaningful involvement at all stages of the commissioning cycle and governance structures.
Total value (estimated)
- £341,667 excluding VAT
- £341,667 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 17 November 2025 to 31 March 2027
- Possible extension to 30 March 2029
- 3 years, 4 months, 14 days
Description of possible extension:
2 x 12 month extensions dependant on funding
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 80510000 - Specialist training services
- 79633000 - Staff development services
Contract locations
- UKI31 - Camden and City of London
- UKI43 - Haringey and Islington
- UKI54 - Enfield
- UKI71 - Barnet
Participation
Particular suitability
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
- Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
29 August 2025, 12:00pm
Tender submission deadline
15 September 2025, 12:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
The submission of Tender responses will be conducted solely via the following link:
https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome
User Guide: https://services.atamis.co.uk/docs/Supplier_User_Guide.pdf
Contract Reference: C381644
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
24 October 2025
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical Questionnaire consisting of | Organisation Track Record and Expertise Service Delivery Workforce Capability and Service Continuity Governance and Infrastructure Stakeholder Engagement Evaluation, Impact and Strategic Development... |
Quality | 80.00% |
| Commercial Questionnaire | Cost proposal |
Price | 20.00% |
Other information
Payment terms
The Contracting Authority will pay correctly addressed, valid and undisputed invoices within 30 days of the day on which the invoice is received or, if later, the day on which the payment falls due in accordance with the invoice in accordance with and subject to the requirements of the Contract. Service Providers to the Contracting Authority must ensure comparable payment provisions apply to the payment of their sub-contractors and the sub-contractors of their sub-contractors. General requirements for an invoice for the Contracting Authority include:
A description of the good/services supplied is included
The Contracting Authority's reference number/Purchase Order number is included.
It must be addressed to the following:
North London NHS Foundation Trust
Trust Headquarters
Finance Department
East Wing
St Pancras Hospital
4 St Pancras Way
London
NW1 0PE
Invoices should be emailed to be sent to: nlft.accounts.payable.invoices@nhs.net
It must contain the relevant Contract Reference number (issued upon Contract Award).
It must include any contract deductions as part of the Service Credit Regime.
Description of risks to contract performance
Minimum on-site presence requirement may increase if current arrangements are not suitable to detail impact and further development of Lived Experience roles within the service.
Potential increase or decrease in activities and resource dependant on service uptake and service user participation.
Applicable trade agreements
- Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Open procedure
Contracting authority
North London NHS Foundation Trust
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PHMP-5392-DVTW
St Pancras Hospital, 4 St Pancras Way, London
London
NW1 0PE
United Kingdom
Contact name: Dominic Caddle
Email: procurement@nelft.nhs.uk
Region: UKI31 - Camden and City of London
Organisation type: Public authority - central government
Other organisation
These organisations are carrying out the procurement, or part of it, on behalf of the contracting authorities.
North East London NHS Foundation Trust
Summary of their role in this procurement: Procurement Shared Service across NELFT and NLFT
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PHHT-9556-BWJJ
CEME Centre - West Wing, Marsh Way
Essex
RM13 8GQ
United Kingdom
Region: UKI52 - Barking & Dagenham and Havering