NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership Procurement Services is running a live procurement for a national collaborative framework covering specialist hospital services for adult mental health, learning disability and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The procurement contains 32 specialist lots and is intended to support NHS Wales commissioning over an eight-year period, with annual reopening built into the framework.
The published maximum value is unusually high at £105,052,852,854 excluding VAT. Suppliers should not interpret that figure as expected spend. The notice indicates an annual value of around £1bn and makes clear that volumes are not guaranteed, so the ceiling needs to be treated as a procurement maximum rather than a forecast of work.
If your organisation provides relevant specialist inpatient hospital services and is considering this framework, speak to Thornton & Lowe for an objective bid/no-bid review and practical support with the next steps.
Who Is This Framework For?
The most relevant bidders are specialist hospital providers capable of delivering the specific inpatient services described in the 32 lots. This is not a generic opportunity for all healthcare or social care organisations. Providers need to assess the individual lot requirements against their service model, regulatory position, clinical governance, workforce and ability to accept NHS Wales referrals.
The framework is being procured on behalf of the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee and Health Boards in Wales. For wider guidance on NHS routes to market, see our NHS framework support guide.
An Important Procurement Difference: PSR Wales
The notice states that this is being procured under the Health Services (Provider Selection Regime) (Wales) Regulations 2025. It is therefore not a Procurement Act 2023 competition. Providers should read the procurement documents carefully and make sure their response follows the evaluation and selection approach stated for this health-services regime rather than assuming standard Procurement Act procedures apply.
Why Annual Reopening Matters
The framework is planned for eight years and can reopen annually. That creates a different opportunity profile from a conventional closed framework: providers that are not appointed in an earlier round may have later opportunities to seek admission, subject to the rules in force at that reopening.
For providers bidding now, the focus should still be on the specific lots where there is a clear operational and clinical fit. The size of the overall framework should not encourage organisations to pursue services outside their established capability.
What Providers Should Evidence
- Lot-specific clinical capability: Explain how your service model meets the needs and acuity of the patient group covered by the lot.
- Workforce and clinical governance: Demonstrate safe staffing, specialist competence, supervision, escalation and quality oversight.
- Safeguarding and risk management: Provide clear evidence of how high-risk and complex situations are managed.
- Outcomes and pathways: Show how inpatient care links to recovery, discharge planning, commissioners, families and community services.
- Capacity and responsiveness: Be precise about beds, locations, referral processes and the circumstances in which you can accept placements.
Quick Facts
- Lead buyer: NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership Procurement Services
- Services: Adult mental health, learning disability and CAMHS hospital provision
- Lots: 32
- Maximum published value: £105.053bn excluding VAT
- Indicative annual value in the notice: Around £1bn, with no guaranteed spend
- Term: Eight years
- Reopening: Annual
- Procurement regime: Provider Selection Regime Wales
- Tender deadline: 21 September 2026 at 12:00pm
- View the official Find a Tender notice
Focus on the Lots You Can Deliver Safely
This is a major route to market, but the right bid strategy starts with clinical and operational fit rather than the headline ceiling value. Review the lot requirements, identify the evidence available for each service and make a clear bid/no-bid decision before committing resource.
Thornton & Lowe supports healthcare providers with framework submissions, method statements and independent bid reviews. Contact our healthcare bid team if you want support with the live procurement.
