Smoking Cessation Services

Oxfordshire County Council has invited tenders using the competitive process in accordance with Regulation 11 of The Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (PSR) to provide a smoking cessation service. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this procurement or this award.

This is a notice confirming that the award follows a competition under the Competitive Process in accordance with Regulation 11 and this notice provides the information required in Schedule 11 PSR. Oxfordshire County Council has invited tenders using the competitive process in accordance with Regulation 11 of The Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (PSR) to provide a smoking cessation service.

For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this procurement or this award. This is a notice confirming that the award follows a competition under the Competitive Process in accordance with Regulation 11 and this notice provides the information required in Schedule 11 PSR.

Our vision is clear, we want to create Smokefree Generation. Local stop smoking service support, which is at the heart of communities is significant to achieving this ambition.

The Council requires a service which is dynamic, and innovative, which can deliver a person-centred approach to support a wide range of people who, continue to smoke. Through this contract, The Service(s) will have the scope and freedom, to deploy their expertise to develop a service which can meet the needs of a wide range of people.

By offering a ‘Hub and Spoke’ model, they can be expected to provide a menu of quit support options, enabling choice for people who smoke, giving them the best chance of quitting. The Service will have the opportunity to focus their efforts for those who experience the most health, social and economic inequalities.

The Service includes specialist pathways for those with Substance misuse and poor mental health for example. Innovation Programmes to operate with target population and community innovation.

Opportunity to develop county wide communication campaign to motivate quit attempts. Co-production, particularly with target group will be integral to ensuring the service remains fit for purpose to continually review and innovate the service for the lifetime of the contract.

The Service will have a key leadership role, in Oxfordshire Whole Systems approach to becoming smokefree. close partnership with a whole host of organisation, least of all Oxfordshire County Council, Integrated Care Board, Community and Voluntary sector. Partnership working is also key to delivering a dynamic and flexible service across the entire county, with ambition SAQD targets.

The Service has 6 core elements: - Single point of access; - delivering a high-quality specialist behaviour change support and access to evidence based quit aids; - training and capacity building; - community innovation projects – targeting priority groups; - communication and digital innovation and insights gathering; and - co-production for continuous innovation. The Contract documents were completed on 17 June 2025 and the contract period began on 17 June 2025 and will continue until 31 March 2029 (including mobilisation period).

Delivery of the services will commence on 1 July 2025, following the mobilisation period. Oxfordshire County Council have an option to extend the contract period by a further 2 years (to 31 March 2031). The decision to award the contract was made by Ansaf Azhar - Director of Public Health and Communities, Oxfordshire County Council, following a recommendation made by the Council's evaluation team.