Tender

Provision of Cheshire & Merseyside Suicide Bereavement Postvention Service

  • Wirral Council

F02: Contract notice

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-061456

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-05a62b

Published 1 October 2025, 4:07pm



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

Wirral Council

Town Hall, Brighton Street

Wallasey

CH448ED

Email

procurementpeople@wirral.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UKD74 - Wirral

Justification for not providing organisation identifier

Not on any register

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.the-chest.org.uk

one.3) Communication

The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at

https://www.the-chest.org.uk

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via

https://www.the-chest.org.uk

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted to the above-mentioned address

one.4) Type of the contracting authority

National or federal Agency/Office

one.5) Main activity

General public services


Section two: Object

two.1) Scope of the procurement

two.1.1) Title

Provision of Cheshire & Merseyside Suicide Bereavement Postvention Service

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 85000000 - Health and social work services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

Suicide is an individual tragedy, life-altering for those bereaved and a traumatic event for the community and local services involved. The impact on family, friends, workplaces, schools and communities can be devastating; it carries a huge financial burden for the local economy and contributes to worsening inequalities. Suicide is a major public health issue and a leading cause of years of life lost.

Suicide can have a profound effect on the local community, and in addition to immediate family and friends, many others will be affected in some way. They include neighbours, school friends and work colleagues, but also people whose work brings them into contact with suicide such as emergency and rescue workers, healthcare professionals, teachers, the police, faith leaders and witnesses to the incident. There may be a risk of copycat suicides in a community, particularly among young people, if another young person or a high-profile celebrity dies by suicide.

Effective and timely emotional and practical support for individuals and families bereaved or affected by suicide is essential to help the grieving process, prevent further or longer-term emotional distress and to support recovery. There is some evidence that referral to specialist bereavement counselling and other bereavement support can be helpful for people who actively seek it.

The provision of support after a suicide is critical to addressing suicide risk and to improve the mental wellbeing of people who have been bereaved by suicide. Children, young people and adults who are bereaved or affected by a suspected suicide are themselves at increased risk of suicide , psychiatric admission and depression . Providing support after a suspected suicide can reduce this risk, especially when tailored to the person's needs . In addition, post suicide interventions can promote community mental health awareness and resilience and support wider initiatives to tackle health inequalities and social exclusion. Thus, suicide bereavement support can mitigate the following:

• Risk - those bereaved by suicide have a greater risk of dying by suicide;

• Impact - the impact of bereavement by suicide is significant and different in nature to other sudden deaths with subsequent impacts on the wider community linking to social exclusion, poor education and employment outcomes;

• Demand - the increased demands on health, social care and support services.

A person's death by suicide has far reaching implications that stretch beyond the immediate family, with it being suggested that 135 people can be affected by each suicide . This notion is supported by a recent large-scale national study on bereavement by suicide where the most common relationship reported was the loss of a friend to suicide . Therefore, interventions that support those bereaved by suicide (i.e. postvention) can have a significant impact both to the bereaved and to the wider economy.

The impact of suicide on the bereaved can vary depending on the relationship and time since the death. Adverse effects of bereavement by suicide include financial problems, unemployment, relationship break-up, deterioration in physical and mental health, substance use, increase in casual sexual relationships, suicidal thoughts and also dying by suicide , , . These behaviours can continue to be problematic for the bereaved well beyond 12 months after the death of a loved one.

The evidence revealed in the literature indicates that the nature of suicide bereavement support should necessarily be different to other forms of bereavement support. The range of impacts is wide and can be particularly significant, not least the fact that those people bereaved by suicide are at greater risk of suicide themselves. Research conducted in 2016 by UCL found that people bereaved by the sudden death of a friend or family member were 65 per cent more likely to attempt suicide themselves if the deceased friend or family themselves died by suicide .

two.1.5) Estimated total value

Value excluding VAT: £540,000

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

two.2) Description

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 85000000 - Health and social work services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKD74 - Wirral
Main site or place of performance

The Council is seeking to appoint a Provider who will provide a service to those bereaved, exposed or affected by suicide across Cheshire and Merseyside, following a referral pathway or self-referral, ensuring timely and appropriate postvention support tailored to individual needs, with the ability to signpost to other support services such as counselling as required. Primarily the supplier will provide support through the provision of relevant supporting information and emotional and practical support to all beneficiaries of the service. The support offered should be evidence based and/or informed by practice and available to all ages in age-appropriate ways

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) Contract Notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award. Utilising The competitive process of the PSR.

All the submissions must be made via Chest Portal. Award criteria as follows:

Quality and innovation 30%

Value for Money (Including Pricing Schedule) 20%

Integration, collaboration, and service sustainability 20%

Improving access, reducing health inequalities, and facilitating choice 20%

Social value - 10%

two.2.5) Award criteria

Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents

two.2.6) Estimated value

Value excluding VAT: £540,000

two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system

Duration in months

36

This contract is subject to renewal

No

two.2.10) Information about variants

Variants will be accepted: No

two.2.11) Information about options

Options: No

two.2.14) Additional information

The services will be procured under Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime)

Regulations 2023 utilising The Competitive Process


Section three. Legal, economic, financial and technical information

three.1) Conditions for participation

three.1.1) Suitability to pursue the professional activity, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers

List and brief description of conditions

The services will be procured under Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime)

Regulations 2023 utilising The Competitive Process

three.1.2) Economic and financial standing

List and brief description of selection criteria

Quality and innovation 30%

Value for Money (Including Pricing Schedule) 20%

Integration, collaboration, and service sustainability 20%

Improving access, reducing health inequalities, and facilitating choice 20%

Social value - 10%

And Basic selection Criteria more Information can be obtained in the ITT documents.

Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required

Please refer to the Tender documents.


Section four. Procedure

four.1) Description

four.1.1) Type of procedure

Open procedure

four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No

four.2) Administrative information

four.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate

Date

3 November 2025

Local time

12:00pm

four.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted

English

four.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders

Date

3 November 2025

Local time

1:00pm

Place

The Chest Portal


Section six. Complementary information

six.1) Information about recurrence

This is a recurrent procurement: No

six.2) Information about electronic workflows

Electronic invoicing will be accepted

Electronic payment will be used

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

Wirral Council

Town Hall, Brighton Street

Wallasey

CH44 8ED

Email

procurementpeople@wirral.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom