Planning

Occupational Health Service

UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

10 Dec 2025 at 16:48

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The University of East Anglia (UEA), located at Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK, is in the planning stage of a procurement process for providing Occupational Health Services (OHS). This tender, titled "Occupational Health Service," falls under the health services industry category and is particularly significant as it aims to support both staff and students at the university. Key dates include a pre-market engagement notice published on 8th December 2025, with a supplier deadline on 9th January 2026. The tender is scheduled to go live on 2nd March 2026, with the contract evaluations to be completed by 25th May 2026, and the new services will commence on 1st August 2026. The procurement is planned as a competitive flexible procedure with two stages of evaluation, with an expected annual contract spend of £445k across both staff and students.

This procurement presents substantial opportunities for businesses specialising in health services, especially those experienced in occupational health. The contract is versatile with a 3-year initial term and a possible 2-year extension, providing sustainable growth potential for businesses. Companies equipped to offer services such as managing employee and student health, conducting fitness assessments, and advising on health and safety regulations will find this contract lucrative. It is particularly suited to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with expertise in handling long-term staff health conditions, ergonomic interventions, and compliance with equality legislative requirements. Given the university’s strategic location near the Norwich Research Park, collaboration with scientific institutions may also be advantageous for innovation-driven enterprises.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Occupational Health Service

Notice Description

The University of East Anglia (UEA) is an internationally renowned university based in a campus that provides top quality academic, social and cultural facilities to over 17,000 students and 2,500 staff. The UEA has been ranked in the top 20 in the UK for its research quality, in the Complete University Guide's UK top 30 and has achieved the green flag award for 9 years running. Located in 370 acres of rolling parkland but just two miles from the centre of the cathedral city of Norwich, the University is adjacent to the Norwich Research Park which is home to over 1,000 scientists working in several world ranked institutions. A total of over 17,000 students are currently studying at the University, including non-UK students from more than 100 countries worldwide. Founded in 1963 and located on a single campus (the "Campus") on the western fringe of Norwich, the University is respected for both its research and its teaching, attracting students from across the world. The existing contract ends on 31st July 2026 and therefore the UEA requires a new contract to commence from 1st August 2026. UEA intends to award a new contract for the provision of Occupational Health Services (OHS) to employees and students to achieve the following objectives: In relation to Staff: Support HR proactively to manage issues relating to absence and health Assess fitness to work regarding ill-health capability dismissal or ill health retirement Assess employees on long-term sick leave, advising on the likely timescale of the absence and promoting an effective and timely return to work Support UEA to fulfil duties under the Equality Act 2010 (including disability, pregnancy and age discrimination) Advise on temporary or permanent changes to the work or workplace (reasonable adjustments) to enable someone with a physical or mental health condition or disability to work effectively and safely Undertake and interpret pre-employment health assessments if requested to do so Carry out specific assessments to determine fitness for work in safety critical environments, such as clinical healthcare Advise on ergonomic issues and workplace design Introduce programmes to support the wider health and wellbeing of the workforce Support compliance with statutory requirements including health and safety regulations In Relation to Students: Support UEA proactively to manage issues relating to student absence and health Assess fitness to study in support of UEA formal engagement regulations Support UEA to fulfil duties under the Equality Act 2010 (including disability, pregnancy and age discrimination) Undertake and interpret pre-registration checks for students on specified professional courses Advise on ergonomic issues in relation to learning spaces and reasonable adjustment issues Advise on specific needs of students with diagnosed conditions giving rise to a need for recommended reasonable adjustments Support compliance with statutory requirements including health and safety regulations UEA is considering structuring the procurement of OHS as below: Lot 1 - Occupational Health Services - Staff Lot 2 - Occupational Health Services - Students UEA intends to use a competitive flexible procedure with a two stage evaluation process. This is currently intended to include stage one with conditions of participation and qualitative evaluation questions, stage two to include presentations and/or further questions around the submitted bids. This approach is not definite and may change before UEA issues any tender documents. UEA intends to award a contract for a 3 year initial term with a 2 year extension at the UEA's discretion. Contract annual spend is expected to be PS445k across both requirements, a split of approximately PS400k for students and PS45k for staff. Indicative procurement timetable: 08/12/2025 , Pre Market Engagement notice published 09/01/2026 , Pre Market Engagement supplier deadline 02/03/2026 , Tender goes live 25/05/2026 , Evaluations complete 30/06/2026 , Contract signed 01/08/2026 , New services commence UEA is under no obligation to issue a competitive activity following this market engagement.

Planning Information

Please use our Microsoft form linked below to engage with UEA on this requirement. We would appreciate any and all feedback relating to this requirement. https://forms.office.com/e/EBAu1mrCy3

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f333
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081691-2025
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
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
£2,225,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
10 Dec 20252 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
2 Mar 20263 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Jul 2026 - 31 Jul 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
UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
procurement@uea.ac.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
NORWICH
Postcode
NR4 7TJ
Post Town
Norwich
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH5 Norfolk
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH51 Norwich and East Norfolk
Delivery Location
TLH15 Norwich and East Norfolk
Local Authority
Norwich
Electoral Ward
University
Westminster Constituency
Norwich South

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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