Case Study

DOVEVALLEY CARE LTD West Northamptonshire Council – Mental Health and Physical Activity Community Support Service

Tender Overview

West Northamptonshire Council issued a Request for Quotation for a Mental Health and Physical Activity Community Support Service in early 2026. The service sits at the intersection of mental health support and physical activity provision, recognising what a growing body of evidence confirms: that structured physical activity, delivered in a community setting with the right support around it, can make a measurable difference to the mental wellbeing of people who might otherwise struggle to access traditional mental health services.

This was not a large framework or a multi-lot qualification exercise. It was a direct RFQ for a specific service, evaluated entirely on quality, with eight organisations submitting quotations. The council was looking for one preferred supplier. AssuredBID prepared Dovevalley Care Ltd’s submission. On 1 May 2026, Procurement Manager Jordan Payne wrote to confirm that Dovevalley Care Ltd had been ranked first out of eight quotations received, with a final moderated score of 98.86% out of a maximum of 100%.

The Brief

Client	Dovevalley Care Ltd
Commissioner	West Northamptonshire Council
Contract	Mental Health and Physical Activity Community Support Service


Procurement Type	Request for Quotation
Award Date	1 May 2026
Ranking	1st out of 8 quotations
Final Score	98.86%
Result	Preferred Supplier

Key Challenges

A Request for Quotation for a community mental health and physical activity service is a specific and unusual brief. It requires a provider that understands both the clinical and social dimensions of mental health support and can articulate how physical activity fits within that, not as an add-on, but as a genuine therapeutic mechanism. Getting that framing right matters because commissioners assessing this type of service are looking for an organisation that understands why the two things belong together, not just one that can deliver both separately.

The evaluation was 100% quality weighted. There was no price score to fall back on. Every mark available was determined by the quality of the written responses across six questions. In that environment, the difference between a score of 3 and a score of 4 on any question is the difference between a submission that addresses the requirement and one that fully meets it with evidence and specificity the evaluators find convincing. Reaching the top mark on every question simultaneously, across six distinct areas of service design and delivery, requires a submission that is genuinely well constructed from start to finish. Our health and social care bid writing service is built around exactly this kind of quality-only evaluation.

The breadth of what the RFQ asked about was also a challenge in its own right. Experience and delivery capability, accessibility and inclusion, mobilisation planning, partnership working, monitoring and evaluation, and social value all featured as separate scored questions. Each required a substantive, evidenced response. A submission that was strong in two or three areas but thinner in others would not have taken first place out of eight.

Our Approach

Dovevalley Care Ltd had genuine capability across the areas the RFQ assessed. The task was translating that capability into responses that gave West Northamptonshire’s evaluators everything they needed to award the maximum score on each question.

For Question 1 on experience and delivery capability, we built the response around a clear participant journey, setting out how individuals would move through the service from referral to completion. The staffing model, volunteer support arrangements, co-production approach, and proposed activities were all described in specific terms. Critically, the response explained clearly how physical activity within the service model would support mental wellbeing, making the link between the two explicit rather than assumed. The evaluators noted their satisfaction with the clarity of the delivery model and this specific element of the response.

Question 2 on accessibility required a response that demonstrated genuine thinking about the range of barriers that prevent people from engaging with community services. The response addressed language and cultural considerations, disability and sensory needs, LGBTQ+ inclusion, support for new parents, referral routes, venue locations, and session timing. Each of those elements was addressed with practical detail rather than general commitment. The evaluators specifically highlighted the detailed approach to inclusion across that full range. Our accessibility and inclusion tender writing guidance informed how we approached this section.

For Question 3 on mobilisation, we set out a phased plan that covered how population need would inform service design, how staff and volunteers would be recruited ahead of launch, how venues would be identified and secured, how partner organisations would be engaged, and how training and governance arrangements would be put in place before delivery began. The evaluators described the plan as clear and phased, which reflects how it was structured.

Question 4 on partnership and collaboration addressed Dovevalley’s proposed working relationships with primary care, voluntary and community sector organisations, and physical activity partners. The response explained how referral routes would function in practice and how participants would be supported to continue with physical activity independently after completing the programme. That last point is important in a service of this type. Commissioners want to know that the benefits do not end when the contract ends.

Question 5 on monitoring, evaluation and continuous improvement set out the outcome measures Dovevalley would use, how KPIs would be tracked, how attendance and referral data would be analysed, how demographic information would inform service development, and how service user feedback would be gathered and acted upon. The evaluators noted the proposed use of data to improve the service, which was the specific element we built the response around.

Question 6a on social value addressed volunteering opportunities, training and employment pathways, engagement of priority groups, local supplier spend, and how those commitments would be monitored and reported. The evaluators described the social value commitments as clear, and the response received the maximum qualitative score.

Results

West Northamptonshire Council confirmed Dovevalley Care Ltd as the preferred supplier on 1 May 2026. Ranked first out of eight submissions with a score of 98.86%, they achieved the maximum available mark on every quality question.

Question	Area	Weighting	Score	Weighted Score
Q1	Experience and Delivery Capability	20%	4/4	20%
Q2	Accessibility of the Service	20%	4/4	20%
Q3	Mobilisation	20%	4/4	20%
Q4	Partnership and Collaboration	20%	4/4	20%
Q5	Monitoring, Evaluation and Continuous Improvement	10%	4/4	10%
Q6a	Social Value — Qualitative	6%	4/4	8.86%
Q6b	Social Value — Quantitative	4%	Scored proportionally	—
Total		100%		98.86%

Conclusion

Scoring 98.86% in a quality-only RFQ, ranked first out of eight competing organisations, is a result that speaks clearly about the quality of the submission. Every question received the maximum available mark. The evaluator feedback on each question was positive and specific, pointing to particular elements of each response that the assessment panel found well constructed and convincing.

For Dovevalley Care Ltd, this contract represents a significant step into West Northamptonshire’s community mental health commissioning programme. The service they will deliver connects physical activity with mental wellbeing support in a way that commissioners in this area clearly value, and the strength of their submission has established them as the council’s preferred provider in that space.

The evaluator feedback also provides a detailed and accurate record of what a high-scoring submission looks like in this service area. For Dovevalley, that is useful information as they develop their approach to future community mental health tenders.

If your organisation delivers community health, mental health, or wellbeing services and you want a submission that competes at the top of the field, visit www.assuredbid.co.uk or read more of our case studies to see the results we have achieved for providers across health and social care. You can reach us directly through our contact page.

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