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Lightening Reach System

Durham County Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

17 Jul 2026 at 13:56

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Durham County Council procured information technology services for the Lightning Reach System, a financial support portal serving people in the North East of England. The system, known as Lightning Reach Refer, brings together personalised support so users can find and apply for help in one place. This includes charity grants, benefits support, help with household bills and other essential resources. The requirement covers the provision and operation of the portal as a public-facing digital service. It is a service contract and is intended to support access to a broad range of financial and practical assistance. The selected supplier is Lightning Social Ventures Ltd, a small voluntary, community or social enterprise based in West Sussex.

This procurement has been completed and awarded. Durham County Council used a selective call-off from a framework agreement. The award was made to Lightning Social Ventures Ltd on 17 July 2026 for £150,000, inclusive of the stated award value. The contract runs from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2029, with an initial 12-month term and two optional 12-month extensions embedded in the contract. The tender submission deadline was 10 June 2026 at 12 noon. The procurement was evaluated as an information technology services requirement. It was identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community or social enterprises. There were no separate lots recorded for this requirement.

This award demonstrates demand from Durham County Council for a digital service that helps people discover and apply for personalised financial support. Suppliers considering similar work for this buyer would need to show they can develop, maintain or operate a reliable public-facing support portal, connect users with varied assistance such as grants and benefits, and make complex information easy to search and act on. Experience in inclusive, user-centred digital design would be relevant, particularly for people seeking help with bills or other essential needs. A credible competitor would also benefit from evidence of delivering technology services for public or community-facing organisations, understanding social impact, and working effectively as a small enterprise or voluntary, community or social enterprise.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Lightening Reach System

Notice Description

Lightning Reach Refer is a financial support portal which makes it easy for people to find and apply for a wide range of personalised support in one place. This can include charity grants, help with benefits, help with their bills and other vital resources. Initial Contract Terms is 12months with 2 x 12 months optional extensions embedded.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-bc94591d-7aaa-404d-94a9-a60576713a23
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/8f273074-2115-40f4-a593-de702f85f1a5
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Call-off from a framework agreement
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

CPV Codes

72222300 - Information technology services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£150,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£150,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
17 Jul 20262 months ago
Contract Period
1 Jul 2026 - 30 Jun 2029 3-4 years
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
Durham County 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
DURHAM
Postcode
DH1 5UQ
Postcode Area
Durham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC41 Durham
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England)
Local Authority
County Durham
Electoral Ward
Framwellgate & Newton Hall
Westminster Constituency
City of Durham

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

LIGHTNING SOCIAL VENTURES LTD

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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