Award

Combined contract for consultation platform and e-news platform

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA BOROUGH COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

17 Apr 2025 at 15:09

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council has completed the procurement process for a combined contract encompassing a consultation platform and an electronic news platform. The procurement falls under the category of contact management software and related systems, including CRM, communication, and technical computer support services. The contract, valued at £118,784.70, was awarded to Granicus-Firmstep Limited. The contract runs from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2028. This tender was conducted under a selective method through a call-off from a framework agreement, with the procurement stage now being complete.

This procurement presents significant business growth opportunities for companies involved in software development, particularly those specialising in communication, customer relationship management (CRM), and public engagement tools. Ideal candidates for such tenders are large-scale technology firms with the capability to provide advanced reporting tools, sentiment analysis, secure data handling, and modern standards compliance. Businesses offering solutions that facilitate public interaction, such as surveys and discussion forums, and have experience in integrating these systems with existing council applications can benefit greatly from similar future contracts.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Combined contract for consultation platform and e-news platform

Notice Description

Southend-on-Sea City Council is looking for a single contract to cover the electronic news platform (currently Granicus govDelivery for LG) and the consultation platform Your Say Southend (currently Granicus Engagement HQ). For eNews platform: To communicate our key messages and information and ensure it is both seen and acted on by local people. This technology must make use of modern standards, such as accessibility standards and responsive design, as well as ensuring that residents are able to self-select the topics that they want to receive alerts and bulletins for. * Ability to manually create and reuse branded newsletters, bulletins and alerts * Automated bulletin creation, fed from the Council website and other digital sources * Ability to easily grow the number of people receiving alerts, bulletins and newsletters * Automated subscriber management * Full data analytics * Potential integration with CRM and other relevant Council applications * Exceptional rates of delivery Consultation platform: To consult with the public on key council decisions (formal consultations) and gather feedback from the public less formally on plans and potential activities, or changes to services. This technology must make use of modern standards, such as accessibility standards and responsive design * Analyse public sentiment about the council and its service provision through advanced reporting tools and sentiment analysis. * Involve the public in co-creating services by enabling interactive feedback mechanisms such as idea boards, surveys, and discussion forums. * Customisable consultation templates for different types of surveys, polls, and engagement activities. * Real-time analytics and reporting to track participation rates, sentiment trends, and demographic breakdowns. * Easy-to-use moderation tools for managing public comments and ensuring discussions remain respectful and productive. * Platform content translation tool to engage non English speaking residents effectively. * Interactive mapping features for geographically relevant consultations (e.g., traffic schemes, infrastructure developments). * Automated notifications and reminders for participants about upcoming deadlines or new consultation opportunities. * Secure data handling and compliance with GDPR and other relevant data protection regulations. * Mobile-friendly interface to allow residents to participate easily from smartphones and tablets. * Accessibility tools such as screen reader compatibility, text resizing, and alternative formats for diverse user needs. * Feedback loop functionality to close the consultation process by informing participants how their input influenced decision-making.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-d6f439cb-a8d0-481f-855a-ddea910f9bed
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/7b101b64-9e09-45d8-a787-03d194d676bb
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
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

48 - Software package and information systems

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

CPV Codes

48333000 - Contact management software package

48445000 - Customer Relation Management software package

48480000 - Sales, marketing and business intelligence software package

48510000 - Communication software package

72611000 - Technical computer support services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£118,784 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£118,784 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Apr 202510 months ago
Submission Deadline
11 Mar 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
27 Mar 202511 months ago
Contract Period
31 Mar 2025 - 31 Mar 2028 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
SOUTHEND-ON-SEA BOROUGH COUNCIL
Contact Name
Niki Mistry
Contact Email
nikimistry@southend.gov.uk
Contact Phone
01702534921

Buyer Location

Locality
SOUTHEND-ON-SEA
Postcode
SS2 6EN
Post Town
Southend-on-Sea
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH3 Essex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH31 Southend-on-Sea
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Southend-on-Sea
Electoral Ward
Victoria
Westminster Constituency
Southend East and Rochford

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

GRANICUS-FIRMSTEP

Further Information

Notice Documents

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. 

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