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Provision of IT Managed Service

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Planning

07 Aug 2026 at 07:47

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

16 Dec 2025 at 15:46

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority intends to procure a comprehensive IT managed service for its operations. The service is expected to cover 24/7 IT helpdesk support; proactive monitoring and maintenance of networks, servers and end-user devices; cybersecurity management, including threat detection and response; cloud services management and optimisation; software and hardware asset management; IT consultancy and strategic planning; backup, disaster recovery and business continuity planning; and regular reporting and performance reviews. This is a professional IT services contract, covering consulting, software, internet and support services, delivered for the fire and rescue service across the North East of England, including County Durham and Darlington.

This procurement is at the planning stage: the authority has announced its intention to buy and has not yet issued an invitation to tender. It expects to use an above-threshold open procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. The planned procurement has one lot and is identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. The buyer’s published timetable anticipated tender submissions by 30 April 2026, an award decision by 30 May 2026 and contract commencement on 1 April 2027. The initial contract is expected to run until 31 March 2032, with yearly extensions potentially taking it to 31 March 2037. Its expected initial value is £1,875,000 excluding VAT, rising to £2,250,000 including VAT. Extensions are additional.

The work is likely to suit an established managed service provider able to deliver round-the-clock service desk operations and dependable support across infrastructure, networks, servers, end-user devices and cloud environments. Relevant suppliers should be able to provide proactive monitoring, cybersecurity threat detection and response, asset management, backup and disaster recovery, and business continuity planning, alongside consultancy and strategic technology advice. The authority’s market engagement is intended to test supplier capability and market maturity, adaptation to the digital, data and technology landscape, performance management beyond traditional service-level agreements, and the ability to work within a wider digital and data team in a fire service. Suppliers should be prepared to demonstrate service resilience, structured reporting, performance review and collaborative working.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of IT Managed Service

Notice Description

The contracting authority is seeking to engage a qualified service provider to deliver comprehensive IT management, support, and consultancy across its operations. Scope of Services Will include, but is not limited to: * 24/7 IT helpdesk support * Proactive monitoring and maintenance of networks, servers, and end-user devices * Cybersecurity management, including threat detection and response * Cloud services management and optimisation * Software and hardware asset management * IT consultancy and strategic planning * Backup, Disaster recovery and business continuity planning * Regular reporting and performance reviews Procurement Process The procurement will be conducted in accordance with applicable PA23 regulations. This contract will carry an expected initial value of PS1,875,000.00 (exc VAT), not including extension periods that may be applied.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Extension periods will be available for up to a maximum of 4 years from the original contract end date and will be issued on a yearly basis. Extension periods will be granted to the supplier based on the contract being fulfilled to a satisfactory level and will be subject to regular reviews.

Planning Information

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) is undertaking pre-market engagement with potential suppliers to test the maturity of its requirements and procurement approach for an IT Support Managed Service. Throughout this engagement CDDFRS wishes to gain feedback from the market regarding: • Supplier capabilities and market maturity • Capability to adapt to the digital, data and technology landscape • Performance management beyond traditional SLA • Working within a wider digital and data team for a fire service Service providers wishing to engage in this preliminary market engagement process should email procurement@ddfire.gov.uk requesting a copy of the documentation for completion by the service provider. The completed document should be returned to procurement@ddfire.gov.uk no later than 04.09.2026, 5pm. Any clarification questions should be directed to procurement@ddfire.gov.uk Service providers should note that no site visits or individual meetings will be accomodated as part of this process.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f704
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/075025-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,875,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
7 Aug 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
30 Apr 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
2 Mar 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2032 Over 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
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
DURHAM
Postcode
DH1 1TW
Postcode Area
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
TLC North East (England)
Local Authority
County Durham
Electoral Ward
Belmont
Westminster Constituency
City of Durham

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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