Planning

E-Tendering Portal

MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

14 Jul 2025 at 07:06

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Manchester City Council is currently in the planning stage for an e-Tendering Portal project aimed at assessing the capabilities of the e-Tendering solutions marketplace. The Council is seeking a digital platform to manage the entire tender lifecycle, with the intention of understanding market offerings and informing future procurement specifications. As a sub-central government public authority, Manchester City Council has released a preliminary market engagement notice that invites suppliers to complete a questionnaire by 31st March 2026. This is not yet a call for competition and serves as an information-gathering exercise. The procurement category is focused on services, specifically software package and information systems, and software programming and consultancy services, applicable to the Manchester region (UKD33) in the United Kingdom.

This tender represents a valuable opportunity for businesses specialising in digital procurement solutions, particularly those offering comprehensive e-Tendering capabilities that can integrate with existing systems and provide user-friendly interfaces. Companies with experience in regulatory compliance, automation, supplier portals, and innovative digital tendering practices are well-suited to participate in this engagement exercise. Businesses able to meet the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023 and demonstrate capabilities in transparency, auditability, and accessibility will find this an attractive prospect for growth, allowing them to showcase their expertise and potentially shape the Council's future procurement strategy.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

E-Tendering Portal

Notice Description

Manchester City Council is conducting a Preliminary Market Engagement exercise to assess the capabilities of the e-Tendering solutions marketplace. The Council is seeking a digital platform to manage the full tender and quotes lifecycle, from planning and publishing notices to bid evaluation and contract award. This exercise will help the Council gather insights in advance of a potential future procurement. Please note that this is not a call for competition, and the Council reserves the right not to proceed to procurement. Please note start and end dates of any future contract are only illustrative at this present time. The solution must: * Be compliant with UK procurement regulations. * Support transparency, auditability, and accessibility. * Integrate with internal systems and external systems (e.g., Find a Tender, Contracts Finder). * Offer user-friendly interfaces for both buyers and suppliers. * Support the full range of public procurement options available to contracting authorities, including functionality for: - Quotes exercises for low-value procurements - Open procedure procurements - Competitive flexible procedure procurements, with flexibility for the stages involved - Frameworks, open frameworks, dynamic markets - Direct Awards - Provider Selection Regime procurements (Direct Award A, Direct Award B, Direct Award C, Most Suitable Provider, Competitive processes) - Legacy arrangements under Public Contracts Regulations (e.g. call-offs under a framework agreement let under Public Contracts Regulations 2015 The purpose of this engagement is to: * Understand the current capabilities of e-Tendering solutions. * Assess how suppliers meet the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023 and Provider Selection Regime and related regulations. * Explore innovations and best practices in digital tendering. * Inform the development of a potential specification and procurement strategy. Key Features of Interest Suppliers are encouraged to describe or demonstrate their capabilities in the following areas. These features reflect the Council's priorities for a modern, compliant, and user-friendly e-Tendering solution: 1. Tender Lifecycle Management * Ability to manage the full procurement process from project planning, market engagement, and tender publication through to evaluation, award, and contract initiation. * Support for multiple procurement routes (open, restricted, competitive dialogue, etc.). * Workflow automation and task tracking for procurement teams. 2. Supplier Portal * Secure, self-service portal for suppliers to register, view opportunities, download documents, submit clarifications, and upload responses. * Support for supplier onboarding, profile management, and alerts for new opportunities. * Multi-language support and mobile-friendly access. 3. Notice Publication * Automated generation and publication of notices to Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, and other relevant platforms. * Templates and validation tools to ensure notices meet regulatory requirements. * Scheduling and version control for notice updates. 4. Evaluation Tools * Configurable scoring matrices, weighted criteria, and moderation workflows. * Role-based access for evaluators and audit trails of all scoring activity. * Support for qualitative and quantitative evaluation, including consensus scoring. 5. Accessibility & Compliance * Full compliance with WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards. * GDPR-compliant data handling and user consent management. * Alignment with the Procurement Act 2023, including transparency and auditability features. 6. Integration * APIs or connectors for integration with internal systems such as: - Finance and ERP systems (e.g., Oracle, SAP, Civica). - Contract management platforms. - Document management systems (e.g., SharePoint). - Single sign-on (SSO) and user provisioning via Active Directory or similar. 7. Reporting & Dashboards * Real-time dashboards for procurement activity, supplier engagement, and compliance tracking. * Customisable reports for internal and external stakeholders. * Exportable data for audit, FOI, and performance monitoring purposes.

Planning Information

Interested suppliers are invited to participate by completing a short questionnaire. This will be used for information-gathering purposes only and will help the Council understand current market offerings and innovations. How to Participate • Please complete the Preliminary Market Engagement Questionnaire using the following Microsoft Forms link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=Xn3OsM2B-0eU9ydsYmt7CcZ7kRSyjvhOnZQe3JibPo1UOU9KMUdSTkEyTEZWQlZSOU5JWVVaS1hPRC4u • If you have any questions or would like to provide additional information, please contact: procurement@manchester.gov.uk Suppliers may also indicate their interest in providing a demonstration of their solution. If the Council decides to proceed with demonstrations, interested suppliers will be contacted with further details.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-055e18
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039452-2025
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
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

48 - Software package and information systems

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

CPV Codes

48000000 - Software package and information systems

72200000 - Software programming and consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
14 Jul 20257 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
31 Mar 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
28 Feb 2027 - 28 Feb 2030 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
procurement@manchester.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
MANCHESTER
Postcode
M60 2LA
Post Town
Manchester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD3 Greater Manchester
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD33 Manchester
Delivery Location
TLD33 Manchester
Local Authority
Manchester
Electoral Ward
Piccadilly
Westminster Constituency
Manchester Central

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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