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Out of Hours Call Handling Service (OOH)

Epping Forest District Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

29 Jul 2026 at 15:16

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Epping Forest District Council procured an out-of-hours call handling service for its requirements in the Epping area, associated with postcode CM16 4BZ. The service covers telephone call centre activity outside normal operating hours, providing a route for handling calls when the council’s usual services are unavailable. It is a service contract rather than a supply or construction opportunity. The requirement is classified as call centre services and is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. The council is the buyer and commissioning organisation. A supplier would need to provide dependable out-of-hours telephone handling aligned with the council’s operational needs, with the ability to manage calls consistently across the agreed service period.

The procurement has been awarded following an open procedure described as an above-threshold open procedure. The tender deadline was 11 July 2023 at 12:00, and the contract was awarded on 22 August 2023 to SPS Doorguard Limited. The awarded value is £30,166. The contract period runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027. The award describes this as an extension of a three-year contract, as provided for in the original contract. The procurement had a single service requirement and was evaluated through the open competition route. The award is active, so the process has reached its outcome and SPS Doorguard Limited was selected as the supplier.

For businesses that did not win this procurement, the award provides a clear example of Epping Forest District Council’s demand for outsourced out-of-hours call handling. A credible future competitor would need an established call centre operation capable of answering and managing calls outside normal working hours, maintaining reliable service coverage and supporting public-sector customer contact. Relevant experience delivering similar telephone or contact-centre services would help demonstrate operational understanding. Suppliers should also be able to provide resilient staffing, clear call-handling procedures, accurate message or incident recording, and dependable handover to the council when escalation is required. The opportunity’s suitability for SMEs indicates that a specialist smaller provider can be commercially credible if it can evidence capacity, continuity and consistent service performance.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Out of Hours Call Handling Service (OOH)

Notice Description

Contract for Out of Hours Call Handling Service (OOH)

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-280d687c-987f-4ec4-94ab-6b8bcf56951c
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f9abf98a-4211-4660-9b21-0443a939903a
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure (above threshold)
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

79512000 - Call centre

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£30,166 Under £100K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£30,166 Under £100K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
29 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
22 Aug 20233 years ago
Contract Period
1 Oct 2026 - 30 Sep 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Epping Forest District Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
EPPING
Postcode
CM16 4BZ
Postcode Area
Chelmsford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH3 Essex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH35 West Essex
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Epping Forest
Electoral Ward
Epping West & Rural
Westminster Constituency
Epping Forest

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

SPS Doorguard Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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