Planning

002621 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for Extended Detection and Response (XDR) Solution for Endpoint and Email Protection with 24/7 Security Operations Centre (SOC) Services

DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

08 Oct 2025 at 13:09

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Durham County Council, acting as the contracting authority, is currently planning a public procurement process for an Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solution. The project, titled "002621 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for Extended Detection and Response (XDR) Solution for Endpoint and Email Protection with 24/7 Security Operations Centre (SOC) Services," is designated primarily under the "services" procurement category. It is aimed at enhancing cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data and services. Located in the region UKC14 in the United Kingdom, this procurement is in the planning stage with a focus on initial market engagement. Interested suppliers must complete a market engagement questionnaire by 24th October 2025. The planned contract period is set to commence on 1st April 2026 and conclude on 31st March 2029, with a project budget of up to £1.2 million.

This tender presents a significant opportunity for businesses specialising in cybersecurity solutions, particularly those offering advanced detection and response capabilities along with 24/7 security operations centre support. Companies equipped to provide an XDR platform capable of integrating with common local government IT environments such as Microsoft 365, and offering real-time threat monitoring and incident response, are well-placed to compete. The procurement process invites suppliers to showcase their solution's capacity for threat intelligence and regulatory compliance support, thereby opening doors for growth in the public sector cybersecurity market.

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

002621 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for Extended Detection and Response (XDR) Solution for Endpoint and Email Protection with 24/7 Security Operations Centre (SOC) Services

Notice Description

As a local authority, we have a duty to protect sensitive citizen and staff data, maintain critical services, and demonstrate compliance with national standards and regulations. Cyber threats continue to increase in scale and sophistication, and our existing controls need to be enhanced to reduce risk, improve detection, and shorten response times. We are therefore seeking to engage with the market to understand current capabilities in delivering Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solutions, focused on endpoint and email protection, supported by 24/7 managed Security Operations Centre (SOC) services. Scope of Requirement Suppliers are invited to share details of their solutions and services that can deliver: * An XDR platform capable of detecting and correlating threats across endpoint devices and email systems (e.g. phishing, malware, ransomware, and advanced persistent threats). * Integration with widely used local government environments (e.g. Microsoft 365, Windows-based estate, iOS, Android). * Real-time monitoring, alerting, and response, with automated containment where feasible. * Access to a 24/7 SOC service, including: o Continuous monitoring and triage of alerts o Threat intelligence integration, ideally aligned to UK government/NCSC guidance o Incident response and clear escalation pathways o Regular reporting, dashboards, and compliance outputs to support audits (e.g. PSN, PCI-DSS, Cyber Essentials Plus, ISO27001)

Planning Information

Market Engagement questionnaire can be accessed free of charge by registering on the Open Portal which be accessed via open-uk.org Deadline for completed submissions via the Open Portal is Friday 24th October 2025 at 12 noon.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05aaa6
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063329-2025
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
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

48730000 - Security software package

72212730 - Security software development services

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 Oct 20254 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
24 Oct 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 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
DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
zoe.embleton@durham.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
DURHAM
Postcode
DH1 5WB
Post Town
Durham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC41 Durham
Delivery Location
TLC14 Durham
Local Authority
County Durham
Electoral Ward
Framwellgate and Newton Hall
Westminster Constituency
City of Durham

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-05aaa6-2025-10-08T14:09:15+01:00",
    "date": "2025-10-08T14:09:15+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-05aaa6",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PMPB-8772-VYWM",
            "name": "Durham County Council",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PMPB-8772-VYWM"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Corten House, Dunholme Close",
                "locality": "Durham",
                "postalCode": "DH1 5WB",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKC14"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "zoe.embleton@durham.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "http://www.durham.gov.uk/",
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
                        "description": "Public authority - sub-central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PMPB-8772-VYWM",
        "name": "Durham County Council"
    },
    "planning": {
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "engagement",
                "type": "engagement",
                "description": "Market Engagement questionnaire can be accessed free of charge by registering on the Open Portal which be accessed via open-uk.org Deadline for completed submissions via the Open Portal is Friday 24th October 2025 at 12 noon.",
                "dueDate": "2025-10-24T23:59:59+01:00",
                "status": "scheduled"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "063329-2025",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063329-2025",
                "datePublished": "2025-10-08T14:09:15+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "OPEN20251753",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "002621 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for Extended Detection and Response (XDR) Solution for Endpoint and Email Protection with 24/7 Security Operations Centre (SOC) Services",
        "description": "As a local authority, we have a duty to protect sensitive citizen and staff data, maintain critical services, and demonstrate compliance with national standards and regulations. Cyber threats continue to increase in scale and sophistication, and our existing controls need to be enhanced to reduce risk, improve detection, and shorten response times. We are therefore seeking to engage with the market to understand current capabilities in delivering Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solutions, focused on endpoint and email protection, supported by 24/7 managed Security Operations Centre (SOC) services. Scope of Requirement Suppliers are invited to share details of their solutions and services that can deliver: * An XDR platform capable of detecting and correlating threats across endpoint devices and email systems (e.g. phishing, malware, ransomware, and advanced persistent threats). * Integration with widely used local government environments (e.g. Microsoft 365, Windows-based estate, iOS, Android). * Real-time monitoring, alerting, and response, with automated containment where feasible. * Access to a 24/7 SOC service, including: o Continuous monitoring and triage of alerts o Threat intelligence integration, ideally aligned to UK government/NCSC guidance o Incident response and clear escalation pathways o Regular reporting, dashboards, and compliance outputs to support audits (e.g. PSN, PCI-DSS, Cyber Essentials Plus, ISO27001)",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "48730000",
                        "description": "Security software package"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "72212730",
                        "description": "Security software development services"
                    }
                ],
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UKC14",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amountGross": 1200000,
            "amount": 1000000,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "aboveThreshold": true,
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-04-01T00:00:00+01:00",
                    "endDate": "2029-03-31T23:59:59+01:00"
                },
                "status": "planning"
            }
        ],
        "status": "planning"
    },
    "language": "en"
}