Planning

Market Sounding Consultation Exercise for Data and Insights Platform

HUNTINGDONSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Planning

28 Aug 2025 at 16:41

Market Engagement Notice
Planning

31 Jul 2025 at 07:58

Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Huntingdonshire District Council is conducting a Market Sounding Consultation Exercise for a Data and Insights Platform, aiming to explore innovative solutions tailored for future provision. This initiative is currently in the planning stage, with an engagement end date set for 8th September 2025. The Council, based in Huntingdon, United Kingdom, is focusing on the IT services sector, specifically consulting, software development, internet, and support services. This market engagement is meant to gather insights before issuing a formal tender, allowing the Council to refine their service specifications. Key elements of this engagement include understanding potential costs and approaches for a data platform inclusive of predictive analytics within a year.

This consultation offers significant growth opportunities for businesses with expertise in IT services and data management, particularly those familiar with local government needs. SMEs are encouraged to express interest as their innovative solutions could greatly benefit from the Council's willingness to adopt novel approaches. Suppliers who can provide hosted platforms with strong governance, security controls, and sustainable deployment models will have a competitive edge. Businesses providing managed service governance and support, capable of demonstrating cost efficiency and immediate benefits, are particularly well-suited for this engagement, with the most compelling proposals moving forward to a competitive tendering process.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

D3 Tenders Premium

Win More Public Sector Contracts

AI-powered tender discovery, pipeline management, and market intelligence — everything you need to grow your public sector business.

Start Free Trial Book a Demo
All Features Pricing

Notice Information

Notice Title

Market Sounding Consultation Exercise for Data and Insights Platform

Notice Description

Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified suppliers for the future provision of a Hosted Platform for Data and Insights. This is a market engagement exercise, not an invitation to submit tenders or quotations. We are undertaking a market engagement to understand what the market can offer and what innovation providers can offer HDC. The market engagement will also help us to refine the service specification before going out either to tender. The objective of this market engagement exercise is to understand, through a Business Case proposal, the approaches and potential costs of implementing an appropriately designed and configured Data Platform (Data Lake, or Data Lakehouse), utilising pre-built Insights and Predictive Analytics capabilities, as used within other Local Government customers, within twelve months. We are also seeking to: i) Understand the deployment models available to enable either a segmented shared single platform, or separate data platforms for each Council, alongside the maintenance and sustainability consideration of each; ii) Establish appropriate governance (policy and procedural), security controls, and platform administration approaches to deliver against proven templated models, and providing training/mentoring to 3C ICT and Council staff to ensure future continued compliance. Consideration of a Managed Service Governance and Control model. iii) Benefit from a Managed Service and support approach to maintain the delivered functionality (such as data pipeline monitoring and maintenance) and to respond to system changes and reconfigurations, as necessary iv) Understand the cost avoidance/cashable benefits realised by other Local Authorities in undertaking a similar approach to that presented, and to be able to articulate the immediate and future benefits of adopting the approach presented The proposals will then be evaluated to select the best 4/5 submissions to submit full proposal and participate in a competitive tendering process.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-c575ad81-3058-4eed-92de-049cbde23f01
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/a5977248-6d9a-4aca-bc4c-645bdb275493
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Not specified
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
28 Aug 20255 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
8 Sep 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
HUNTINGDONSHIRE 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
HUNTINGDON
Postcode
PE29 3TN
Post Town
Peterborough
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH4 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH42 Cambridgeshire CC
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
Huntingdonshire
Electoral Ward
Huntingdon North
Westminster Constituency
Huntingdon

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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. 

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-b5fd17-c575ad81-3058-4eed-92de-049cbde23f01-2025-08-28T17:41:10+01:00",
    "date": "2025-08-28T17:41:10+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-b5fd17-c575ad81-3058-4eed-92de-049cbde23f01",
    "language": "en",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "title": "Market Sounding Consultation Exercise for Data and Insights Platform",
    "planning": {
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "title": "Engagement end date",
                "type": "engagement",
                "dueDate": "2025-09-08T23:59:59+01:00"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "description": "Early engagement notice on Contracts Finder",
                "url": "https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/d74976b6-dcc7-4a43-ab75-66fb142591c0",
                "datePublished": "2025-07-31T08:58:23+01:00",
                "format": "text/html",
                "language": "en"
            },
            {
                "id": "2",
                "description": "Advert",
                "url": "https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=8c295909-956c-f011-813a-005056b64545"
            },
            {
                "id": "3",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "description": "Early engagement notice on Contracts Finder",
                "url": "https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/a5977248-6d9a-4aca-bc4c-645bdb275493",
                "datePublished": "2025-07-31T08:58:23+01:00",
                "dateModified": "2025-08-28T17:41:10+01:00",
                "format": "text/html",
                "language": "en"
            }
        ]
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "CAMBDC001-DN784271-06391594",
        "title": "Market Sounding Consultation Exercise for Data and Insights Platform",
        "description": "Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified suppliers for the future provision of a Hosted Platform for Data and Insights. This is a market engagement exercise, not an invitation to submit tenders or quotations. We are undertaking a market engagement to understand what the market can offer and what innovation providers can offer HDC. The market engagement will also help us to refine the service specification before going out either to tender. The objective of this market engagement exercise is to understand, through a Business Case proposal, the approaches and potential costs of implementing an appropriately designed and configured Data Platform (Data Lake, or Data Lakehouse), utilising pre-built Insights and Predictive Analytics capabilities, as used within other Local Government customers, within twelve months. We are also seeking to: i) Understand the deployment models available to enable either a segmented shared single platform, or separate data platforms for each Council, alongside the maintenance and sustainability consideration of each; ii) Establish appropriate governance (policy and procedural), security controls, and platform administration approaches to deliver against proven templated models, and providing training/mentoring to 3C ICT and Council staff to ensure future continued compliance. Consideration of a Managed Service Governance and Control model. iii) Benefit from a Managed Service and support approach to maintain the delivered functionality (such as data pipeline monitoring and maintenance) and to respond to system changes and reconfigurations, as necessary iv) Understand the cost avoidance/cashable benefits realised by other Local Authorities in undertaking a similar approach to that presented, and to be able to articulate the immediate and future benefits of adopting the approach presented The proposals will then be evaluated to select the best 4/5 submissions to submit full proposal and participate in a competitive tendering process.",
        "status": "planning",
        "classification": {
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "id": "72000000",
            "description": "IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support"
        },
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "England",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "England",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ]
            }
        ],
        "suitability": {
            "sme": true,
            "vcse": false
        }
    },
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-CFS-322517",
            "name": "Huntingdonshire District Council",
            "identifier": {
                "legalName": "Huntingdonshire District Council"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Huntingdon District Council, Pathfinder House, St Mary's Street",
                "locality": "Huntingdon",
                "postalCode": "PE29 3TN",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "felicity.younger@huntingdonshire.gov.uk",
                "telephone": "+44 1480388471"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ]
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-CFS-322517",
        "name": "Huntingdonshire District Council"
    }
}