Planning

DHSC: OHID: National Breast Feeding Helpline 2026

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

18 Aug 2025 at 21:17

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

18 Aug 2025 at 21:15

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

23 May 2025 at 15:08

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC), situated in London, is seeking to procure services for the National Breastfeeding Helpline, a 24-hour service offering breastfeeding information and support to families throughout the United Kingdom. Classified under public service contracts, this initiative falls under the industry categories of guidance services, call centres, and helpdesk support services. As part of the procurement planning process, a market engagement event is scheduled for Wednesday, 17th September 2025, at 10 am, with interested providers required to register by 5 pm on Monday, 15th September 2025. The procurement is currently in the planning stage, and while it is not a competitive call, DHSC aims to gather market insights and feedback to refine its procurement strategy. The anticipated contract period runs from 1st April 2026 to 31st March 2029, with renewal possibilities extending to 31st March 2030 and a gross budget estimate of approximately GBP 3,772,800.

This tender presents a significant opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) to strengthen their engagement within the public sector by contributing to a vital health service. Businesses with a strong background in communication services, call centre operations, and community support services could find this opportunity particularly fitting. Involvement in such a high-profile initiative allows businesses to expand their portfolio in the public health domain, gain credibility, and strengthen ties with a central government authority, thereby fostering more substantial business growth and potential future collaborations.

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

DHSC: OHID: National Breast Feeding Helpline 2026

Notice Description

We are intending to re-procure for a provider to deliver the National Breastfeeding Helpline, which provides breastfeeding information, guidance and applicable support via a 24-hour helpline for families across the UK. The Department of Health and Social Care will be running a market engagement event on Wednesday 17th September at 10am. If you would like to register your interest to attend the market engagement event for this procurement, please email Matt Land (CCSInbox@dhsc.gov.uk) by 5pm on Monday 15th September 2025. Please note that due to annual leave, potential providers may not receive an acknowledgement of their email registering interest in the event until Friday 5th September 2025. Potential providers are requested to nominate a maximum of three (3) individuals to attend the market engagement event. For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a call for competition and DHSC are under no obligation to proceed with any formal procurement procedure. The market engagement exercise is being used as an opportunity to gather feedback to better understand market capabilities, refine the procurement strategy, and encourage supplier engagement.

Planning Information

As described in this preliminary engagement notice, DHSC is seeking potential providers who are interested in bidding for the National Breastfeeding Helpline, which will provide breastfeeding information, guidance and applicable support via a 24-hour helpline for families across the UK. Potential providers should register their interest by the date specified within this notice. Following the market engagement event, DHSC will issue follow-up questionnaires to attendees to obtain feedback on the outline specification, and the likelihood of success of the procurement.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-052446
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049663-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
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

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

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

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

72253000 - Helpdesk and support services

79512000 - Call centre

85312310 - Guidance services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£3,144,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
18 Aug 20256 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
20 Oct 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 3-4 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
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE
Additional Buyers

DHSC, LONDON

Contact Name
Matt Land - Commercial Lead
Contact Email
ccsinbox@dhsc.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1H 0EU
Post Town
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

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. 

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-052446-2025-08-18T22:17:10+01:00",
    "date": "2025-08-18T22:17:10+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-052446",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "planning": {
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "026881-2025",
                "documentType": "plannedProcurementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK1",
                "description": "Pipeline notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026881-2025",
                "datePublished": "2025-05-23T16:08:37+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            },
            {
                "id": "049662-2025",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049662-2025",
                "datePublished": "2025-08-18T22:15:21+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            },
            {
                "id": "049663-2025",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049663-2025",
                "datePublished": "2025-08-18T22:17:10+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ],
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "engagement",
                "type": "engagement",
                "description": "As described in this preliminary engagement notice, DHSC is seeking potential providers who are interested in bidding for the National Breastfeeding Helpline, which will provide breastfeeding information, guidance and applicable support via a 24-hour helpline for families across the UK. Potential providers should register their interest by the date specified within this notice. Following the market engagement event, DHSC will issue follow-up questionnaires to attendees to obtain feedback on the outline specification, and the likelihood of success of the procurement.",
                "dueDate": "2025-09-15T23:59:59+01:00",
                "status": "scheduled"
            }
        ]
    },
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PMQG-9965-CHZR",
            "name": "Department of Health & Social Care",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PMQG-9965-CHZR"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "39 Victoria Street",
                "locality": "London",
                "postalCode": "SW1H 0EU",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKI32"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "name": "Matt Land - Commercial Lead",
                "email": "ccsinbox@dhsc.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care",
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
                        "description": "Public authority - central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PMQG-9965-CHZR",
        "name": "Department of Health & Social Care"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "C358258",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "DHSC: OHID: National Breast Feeding Helpline 2026",
        "description": "We are intending to re-procure for a provider to deliver the National Breastfeeding Helpline, which provides breastfeeding information, guidance and applicable support via a 24-hour helpline for families across the UK. The Department of Health and Social Care will be running a market engagement event on Wednesday 17th September at 10am. If you would like to register your interest to attend the market engagement event for this procurement, please email Matt Land (CCSInbox@dhsc.gov.uk) by 5pm on Monday 15th September 2025. Please note that due to annual leave, potential providers may not receive an acknowledgement of their email registering interest in the event until Friday 5th September 2025. Potential providers are requested to nominate a maximum of three (3) individuals to attend the market engagement event. For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a call for competition and DHSC are under no obligation to proceed with any formal procurement procedure. The market engagement exercise is being used as an opportunity to gather feedback to better understand market capabilities, refine the procurement strategy, and encourage supplier engagement.",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "85312310",
                        "description": "Guidance services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "79512000",
                        "description": "Call centre"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "72253000",
                        "description": "Helpdesk and support services"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amountGross": 3772800,
            "amount": 3144000,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "aboveThreshold": true,
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true,
                    "vcse": true
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-04-01T00:00:00+01:00",
                    "endDate": "2029-03-31T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "maxExtentDate": "2030-03-31T23:59:59+01:00"
                },
                "hasRenewal": true,
                "status": "planned"
            }
        ],
        "communication": {
            "futureNoticeDate": "2025-10-20T23:59:59+01:00"
        },
        "status": "planned",
        "specialRegime": [
            "lightTouch"
        ],
        "amendments": [
            {
                "id": "049663-2025",
                "description": "Amend Reference."
            }
        ]
    },
    "language": "en"
}