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Occupational Health Services (Medicals) - Preliminary Market Engagement - Information for Suppliers and Market Engagement for Appointment Management

DEVON & SOMERSET FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE

This public procurement record has 11 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

04 Aug 2026 at 14:47

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

28 Jul 2026 at 09:45

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
PlanningUpdate

30 Sep 2025 at 15:15

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
PlanningUpdate

30 Sep 2025 at 15:11

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Planning

25 Jun 2025 at 10:56

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
PlanningUpdate

23 Apr 2025 at 13:35

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Planning

23 Apr 2025 at 13:29

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Planning

08 Apr 2025 at 12:32

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
PlanningUpdate

27 Mar 2025 at 09:37

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
PlanningUpdate

04 Mar 2025 at 14:22

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

04 Mar 2025 at 11:39

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority is planning to replace outsourced occupational health medical services for its fire and rescue workforce. The service will cover health screening and surveillance, medical examinations, management referrals, and professional medical advice and representation. A key requirement is effective appointment booking and management, supported by suitable technology. Staff should be able to book, view and amend or reschedule appointments themselves, including appointments involving more than one clinician. The service should also support reminders, engagement with staff who do not self-book, and oversight by the authority’s internal People Services teams. The work is a health service for the authority’s operational area, including routine firefighter and new-recruit medicals and management referrals.

This procurement is at the planning and preliminary market-engagement stage; it is not an invitation to tender. The authority intends to start the procurement in November 2026, with a future notice currently expected on 14 October 2026. It expects to use a Competitive Flexible Procedure, with a questionnaire, tender, demonstration and preferred-supplier stages, subject to change. The planned contract is for four years from 1 November 2027 to 31 October 2031, with extensions potentially taking it to 31 October 2037. The authority expects to conclude market engagement on 1 October 2026. Suppliers can request one of eight Teams meetings, each lasting up to 45 minutes, on dates from 15 September to 1 October 2026. No framework agreement is planned.

The procurement should suit occupational health providers able to deliver medical screening, surveillance, examinations, management referrals and related professional advice for a fire and rescue workforce. Suppliers with a proven appointment-booking or appointment-management platform will be well placed, particularly where it supports self-service booking, viewing and rescheduling, reminders, follow-up tests and appointments involving multiple clinicians. The authority is also seeking practical ways to engage staff who are difficult to contact or do not book proactively, and to provide scheduling information to contract managers. The service must accommodate on-call and wholetime firefighters, including 808 on-call and 530 wholetime staff. Indicative annual demand is 427 routine firefighter medicals, 87 new-recruit medicals and 238 management referrals. SMEs and VCSEs are identified as suitable suppliers.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Occupational Health Services (Medicals) - Preliminary Market Engagement - Information for Suppliers and Market Engagement for Appointment Management

Notice Description

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) outsource Occupational Health Medical Services (Health Screening & Surveillance, Medical Examinations, Management Referrals and Professional Medical Advice and Representation). The current contract is due to expire on 31st October 2027, with no formal extensions available. We are currently developing the specification and procurement documentation for a replacement contract. We intend to commence the procurement process in November 2026. The future contract will have an initial four year term, with the option to extend up to a maximum term of ten years. A framework agreement will not be used for this procurement. We will be running a Competitive Flexible Procedure with the following stages (subject to change): Stage 1 - Procurement Specific Questionnaire (to include conditions of participation) - Pass or Fail (suppliers who pass will be invited to tender) Stage 2 - Invitation to Tender Stage 3 - Demonstration - Appointment Booking/Management System and Processes Stage 4 - Preferred Supplier (discussions and due diligence checks prior to award of the contract) The purpose of this advert is to both update the market on the above information and to invite suppliers to talk to us and show us their appointment booking/management system/processes. We have recently carried out a staff survey and there is a clear desire for colleagues to be able to easily book, view and reschedule their own appointments. We are also hoping to reduce the administrative burden on our internal People Services Department (Health and Wellbeing and Recruitment Teams), whilst providing them with appointment scheduling information for their oversight/monitoring role (for all appointment types). There can be challenges presented due to the amount of our firefighters being on-call (808 on-call firefighters and 530 wholetime). On-call firefighters usually have primary employment outside of our organisation. This can present limitations with their availability because of the notice that they need to provide to their primary employer and any other commitments they may have. They therefore need plenty of notice for appointments, can be difficult to get hold of and require appointment options that work for them. We are keen to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of appointment booking and management, including embracing any available technology to support this. We want to expand our knowledge in this area and therefore invite suppliers to discuss and/or show us the following: a) Your method to allow staff to self-book, view and amend/reschedule their own appointments (if you have a self-book tool/app, we would be interested to see how this works, particularly for medicals where staff may be required to visit more than one clinician as part of their medical) or your approach to efficiently and effectively book, view and amend/reschedule appointments; b) How staff are reminded to book or attend an appointment; c) How staff who are not proactive with self-booking or are difficult to engage in your approach to appointment booking, are managed; d) The appointment scheduling information provided to our internal contract management team and how this is accessed/provided; e) Any other technology you may have that helps support efficient and effective appointment management. We anticipate seeing the most benefits with Firefighter Routine and New Recruit Medicals being self managed through an effective appointment management method (including any follow-up review/repeat test appointments that are required as a result of their medical). However, we would also be interested to see how management referrals, with differing levels of priority for an appointment, could be self managed. Here are indicative volumes based on the last three financial years of demand data: Firefighter Routine Medicals - Average 427 per year plus any repeat tests New Recruit Medicals - Average 87 per year Management Referrals - Average 238 per year The information gained will be used to inform our requirements and the evaluation approach.

Planning Information

The Engagement Deadline above is the date that we intend to conclude this phase of market engagement. Suppliers who would like to discuss and show us their approach to appointment booking and management, are asked to request a Teams meeting, by emailing Bridget Phillips, Category Manager (Procurement) - bphillips@dsfire.gov.uk There are eight Teams meeting slots available and they will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis. Each meeting is up to 45 minutes: 1) 9.30am on Tuesday 15th September 2) 11am on Tuesday 15th September 3) 2pm on Tuesday 22nd September 4) 9.30am on Thursday 24th September 5) 11am on Thursday 24th September 6) 9.30am on Thursday 1st October 7) 11am on Thursday 1st October 8) 2pm on Thursday 1st October The number of supplier attendee's is capped at three. No other topics shall be discussed at the meetings.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-04e943
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073773-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85100000 - Health services

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
4 Aug 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
14 Oct 20261 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Nov 2027 - 31 Oct 2031 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEVON & SOMERSET FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
EXETER
Postcode
EX3 0NW
Postcode Area
Exeter
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK4 Devon
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK43 Devon CC
Delivery Location
TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
East Devon
Electoral Ward
Clyst Valley
Westminster Constituency
Exmouth and Exeter East

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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