2425-0609 Integrated Community Drug and Alcohol Service
Estimated Value
Up to £63,745,813
Deadline
11 January 2027
214 days remaining
Published
1 October 2023
Type
Services
Overview
Islington Council invites suitable expressions of interest from suppliers for the above. The requirement
The council seeks to award a contract to deliver treatment and recovery support for adults aged 18 and over who live in Islington and have drug and/or alcohol related treatment and support needs. The council requires one provider to deliver this service.
The service must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and will be subject to CQC regulation and inspection. Service model
Regulations cited
- Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023
Additional details
The service will deliver a comprehensive, integrated drug and alcohol treatment system, including: • Evidence based treatment and recovery support
Delivery of safe, effective and evidence based interventions in line with national guidance, including the UK Clinical Guidelines on Drug Misuse and Dependence, National Alcohol Treatment guidance and NICE recommendations. This will include, as a non-exhaustive list, psychosocial interventions, prescribing and pharmacological treatment, harm reduction, opioid substitution therapy, community-based and inpatient detoxification, residential rehabilitation pathways, and support for people with harmful alcohol use, as set out in further detail in the Service Specification.
• Integrated and coordinated care Coordination of care across partner services, including health, criminal justice, community safety, housing, social care and other relevant statutory and voluntary sector organisations, to ensure people receive timely, joined up support.
• Recovery, inclusion and peer support Interventions that promote long term recovery, social inclusion and access to peer support, helping people achieve and sustain positive outcomes.
• Workforce development and system leadership Provision of training, advice and specialist support to staff and volunteers across statutory and voluntary sector services, strengthening local capacity to respond effectively and safely to drug and alcohol related need.
Lots This services contract is not being divided in to lots.
Further details will be provided in the invitation to tender. Contract period
The duration will be 66 months from an estimated start date of 01 October 2026 (Initial 6 months is a mobilisation period and service go live will be 01 April 2027) with options to extend for a period of up to maximum 48 months. Therefore the maximum permissible period for the contract is up to 114 months.
Value of the contract The estimated maximum total value of this contract is £63,745,813 over the maximum period of 114 months.
Award criteria In accordance with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 submissions will be assessed against the following key criteria:
32% - Quality and innovation 20% - Value
20% - Integration, collaboration and service sustainability 12% - Improving access, reducing health inequalities and facilitating choice
16% - Social value Further details will be provided in the invitation to tender.
Procurement process The procurement will be conducted using the competitive process in accordance with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.
The contract will be concluded using a one stage procedure. The one stage procedure means that all providers who successfully express an interest will be invited to tender and have access to the tender documents.
Those who submit a tender and meet the minimum selection criteria will have their full tender evaluated. Region(s) of supply United Kingdom
AI Analysis
Powered by AI — always verify against official documents
Islington Council is looking for one organisation to run a comprehensive drug and alcohol treatment service for adults in the area. The service will provide everything from counselling and medication-based treatments to residential rehabilitation, and must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This is a major contract worth up to £63.7 million over 9.5 years.
Requirements
- Must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- Subject to CQC regulation and inspection
- Must deliver evidence-based treatment in line with UK Clinical Guidelines on Drug Misuse and Dependence
- Must follow National Alcohol Treatment guidance and NICE recommendations
- Must be able to provide psychosocial interventions (talking therapies)
- Must be able to provide prescribing and pharmacological treatment
- Must deliver harm reduction services
- Must provide opioid substitution therapy
- Must offer community-based and inpatient detoxification
- Must facilitate access to residential rehabilitation pathways
- Must coordinate care across health, criminal justice, housing, social care and voluntary sector partners
- Must develop recovery and peer support programmes
- Must provide training and specialist support to other local services
- Must meet minimum selection criteria to progress from expression of interest stage
Key Tasks & Deliverables
- Deliver integrated drug and alcohol treatment service covering all adults aged 18+ in Islington
- Provide psychosocial interventions (counselling and talking therapies)
- Deliver prescribing services and medication-based treatments for drug and alcohol dependence
- Run harm reduction programmes
- Provide opioid substitution therapy (methadone/buprenorphine maintenance)
- Deliver community-based detoxification services
- Arrange inpatient detoxification placements
- Coordinate residential rehabilitation pathways and placements
- Provide specialised support for people with harmful alcohol use
- Coordinate care with NHS services, criminal justice agencies, housing providers, social care teams and voluntary organisations
- Design and deliver peer support and recovery programmes to help people achieve long-term outcomes
- Train and support staff across council, NHS, police, housing and voluntary sector organisations
- Mobilise service over 6 months (October 2026 – March 2027) and go live 1 April 2027
How to Read This Tender
- 1This contract is governed by the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 — not standard procurement rules. The assessment is weighted: 32% quality and innovation (biggest factor), 20% value for money, 20% how well you'll work with partners, 12% access and equality, and 16% social value. Spend time on the quality section of your bid.
- 2The 'one stage procedure' means everyone who passes the expression of interest gets invited to tender. Don't underestimate this stage — your EOI needs to be strong because they'll assess whether you meet minimum criteria here. If you don't meet those minimums, you won't get to the full tender stage.
- 3The contract starts mobilising in October 2026 (6 months to prepare) with live service from April 2027. You need to have CQC registration in place or a credible plan to obtain it before service launch. Check CQC timescales now if you don't have this.
- 4This is highly integrated work — the tender documents will define exactly which partner organisations you must coordinate with. The council will expect you to name specific relationships and show how you'll work with NHS commissioners, the police, housing teams and charities. Generic partnership statements won't score well.
- 5The service specification (mentioned but not shown here) will contain clinical detail about treatment protocols, staffing levels, opening hours and performance targets. Request and review this carefully — it defines what 'evidence-based treatment' means in Islington's context.
Tips for Small Businesses
- This is a £63.7 million contract — too large for most small businesses to deliver alone. Consider forming a consortium with a larger established drug and alcohol provider (who may have CQC registration already), a community interest company or charity with local connections, and a training/workforce development organisation. Each partner brings different strengths and reduces your risk.
- Social value is worth 16% of the score. Small businesses often do this well — emphasise local recruitment and training, links to local charities, volunteering opportunities, and how you'll create apprenticeships. If you're part of a consortium, make sure the lead partner doesn't bury your social value contribution.
- You'll need serious financial backing. Even as part of a consortium, you need to show your organisation can sustain this through a 9.5-year contract with potential 4-year extension. Have conversations with your bank or funders now about what security and cash-flow support they'll offer. The council will want evidence of financial stability in the tender stage.
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Key Dates
Published
1 October 2023
Submission deadline
11 January 2027
Notice type
Contract
Source
council:london-tenders-portal
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