AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
NHS E published an award notice for a £200,000 contract variation relating to its Intensive Recovery Programme review work for Hull and NLAG. The variation names Carnall Farrar Ltd as supplier and cites Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
Published outcomeAward recorded as active, with Carnall Farrar Ltd named as the sole supplier. This is a variation notice, not evidence of a newly competed standalone contract.
Market significanceA £200,000 NHS management-consultancy variation delivered through a framework call-off, extending or altering existing IRP-related work rather than opening a new supplier opportunity.
AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS
1 supplier record analysed
CARNALL FARRAR LTD
99% confidenceAward ocds-b5fd17-745efee3-ad07-43bc-8786-62961039347b-1 · 200000 GBP · active
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The active award names CARNALL FARRAR LTD as its sole supplier and gives an award value of £200,000. Supplier verification identifies the legal company as CARNALL FARRAR LTD (company number 09264497) by exact-name match.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Notice status
99% confidenceAwarded contract notice; source status complete
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Process display status is "awarded", source status is "complete", and the notice type is "Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder".
Award status
98% confidenceActive
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The sole award is recorded with status "active".
Award decision date
98% confidence17 August 2026
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Award record date: 2026-08-17T00:00:00+01:00.
Notice publication date
99% confidence16 October 2026
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Award notice datePublished/published_at: 2026-10-16T11:55:12+01:00.
Nature of notice
99% confidenceContract variation
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The title and description explicitly describe this as a "Contract Variation" and state that it concerns a variation to the initial notice.
VALUES
Published values explained
Award value
99% confidence£200,000
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The award value is 200000 GBP; the tender value is also stated as 200000 GBP.
Value allocation
97% confidenceAllocated to the sole published award and supplier
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One award is published, with one named supplier, CARNALL FARRAR LTD, and a value of £200,000.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Tender deadline
98% confidence6 May 2026, 12:00 BST
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Tender period end date: 2026-05-06T12:00:00+01:00.
Published contract period start
98% confidence7 May 2026
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Tender and award contractPeriod startDate: 2026-05-07T00:00:00+01:00.
Published contract period end
98% confidence30 July 2027
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Tender and award contractPeriod endDate: 2027-07-30T23:59:59+01:00.
Award decision date
98% confidence17 August 2026
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Award date: 2026-08-17T00:00:00+01:00.
Notice publication
99% confidence16 October 2026
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The award notice was published on 2026-10-16T11:55:12+01:00.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Requirement
99% confidenceIntensive Recovery Programme review contract variation for Hull and NLAG
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The notice title is "Intensive recovery programme- Hull & NLAG review contract variation".
Programme context
96% confidenceNHS Intensive Recovery Programme addressing severe and long-standing service challenges at a small number of NHS trusts
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The description states that the IRP aims to address sustained underperformance in a small number of NHS trusts with severe and long-standing service challenges.
Service classification
99% confidenceGeneral management consultancy services (CPV 79411000)
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Primary CPV classification: 79411000, "General management consultancy services".
Delivery geography
90% confidenceEngland
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A delivery address specifies region "England"; another delivery entry gives postcode SE1 8UG.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Procurement method
99% confidenceSelective
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The process and tender procurement method are recorded as "selective".
Procurement route
99% confidenceCall-off from a framework agreement
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Procurement method details state "Call-off from a framework agreement".
Legal basis for variation
98% confidenceRegulation 72(1)(b), Public Contracts Regulations 2015
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The description states: "This variation was awarded under regulation 72.1b of the PCR 2015 regulations."
Competition information
99% confidenceNot published
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Information not supplied in the published notice.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Published period
98% confidence7 May 2026 to 30 July 2027
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The published contractPeriod runs from 2026-05-07 to 2027-07-30.
SME status in tender data
95% confidenceNot marked as SME-suitable
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Tender suitability fields state sme: false and vcse: false.
Signed-contract evidence
99% confidenceNot stated
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The published award notice and supplied fields do not explicitly state that a contract variation was signed.
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Commercial structure
98% confidenceFramework call-off variation valued at £200,000
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The notice identifies a framework call-off route, a contract variation, and an award value of £200,000.
Market access implication
96% confidenceThe notice concerns modification of existing IRP-related work, rather than a newly advertised open opportunity
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The description explicitly says this is a variation to an initial notice and cites Regulation 72(1)(b).
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Modification publication route
99% confidenceBuyer states that a modification notice could not be published through its e-tendering functionality
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The description says: "NHSE were unable to publish a modification notice due to e-tendering functionality."
Date sequence inconsistency
99% confidenceThe published contract start date precedes both the award decision date and notice publication date
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Contract start is 7 May 2026, award date is 17 August 2026, and publication date is 16 October 2026. The notice does not explain this sequence.
Lot allocation
99% confidenceNo lot information published
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No lots are supplied and the award has no lot IDs.
Information not supplied
99% confidenceNo bid count, evaluation results, pricing breakdown, original-contract value, variation delta, or detailed scope of the change is published
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Information not supplied in the published notice fields.
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- The notice does not state that the variation or underlying contract was signed.
- The published contract start date of 7 May 2026 is earlier than the award date of 17 August 2026 and publication date of 16 October 2026; the source provides no explanation.
- No original contract value, change in value, detailed variation scope, lot structure, evaluation information, bidder count, pricing breakdown, or extension terms is published.
- The buyer is named only as "NHS E" in the supplied source data.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
NHS ECarnall Farrar LtdIntensive Recovery ProgrammeHullNLAGcontract variationmanagement consultancyframework call-offRegulation 72(1)(b)£200,000
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Who is the named supplier?
Carnall Farrar Ltd is the sole supplier named on the active award. Its supplied verification record identifies company number 09264497.
What is the published value?
The published award value is £200,000.
Is this a new competition?
No. The notice describes a contract variation under Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, delivered through a framework call-off.
When does the published contract period end?
The published end date is 30 July 2027. No renewal or extension option is stated.
ProcuraAxis award analysis supplements, but does not replace, the official award notice, contract data or procurement documents. “Awarded” does not by itself prove that a contract has been signed.