Planning

HCC - 02/26 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for Communicator Guide and Intervenor Services

HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

27 Feb 2026 at 12:36

Summary of the contracting process

Hertfordshire County Council is in the planning stage of a procurement process for Communicator Guide and Intervenor Services, focused on health and social work services. This public procurement, titled "HCC - 02/26 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for Communicator Guide and Intervenor Services," falls under the services industry category and pertains to the region of UKH23 in the United Kingdom. The aim is to provide care and support to individuals with deafblindness, including adults and children. Interested organisations need to participate in the Preliminary Market Engagement by submitting a completed Supplier Questionnaire by 13th March 2026, noon, as per the PME documentation. Further communications are expected on 13th April 2026.

This tender offers significant opportunities for business growth, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) involved in health and social care services. Organisations skilled in serving individuals with dual sensory loss, providing social work, and facilitating communication and mobility are well-positioned to benefit. The project's potential framework agreement and renewal options could provide sustained business opportunities over several years, with the contract period beginning on 1st November 2026 and potentially extending until 31st October 2030.

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.

Notice Title

HCC - 02/26 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for Communicator Guide and Intervenor Services

Notice Description

Local authorities have a legal duty under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 in relation to children, and section 78 of the Care Act 2014 in relation to adults, to provide care and support to deafblind individuals. Local authorities must follow Care and Support for Deafblind Children and Adults Policy Guidance, unless they can demonstrate legally sound reasons for not doing so. The Communicator Guide and Intervenor Service is jointly funded between Adult Care Services and Children's Services. The Services are available to those adults, children and young people with a dual sensory loss and who therefore have profound difficulties with communication, mobility, accessing information and who may experience severe isolation. This includes those with congenital, acquired and progressive deafblindness. Please refer to the PME Document for full details.

Planning Information

The Council is carrying out PME in relation to this project. The Council will consider the feedback received to help inform the Council’s options, requirements and further decision making. For the avoidance of doubt, this stage of the project is not part of a formal procurement process and the Council is not committing, at this stage, to carrying out such a process. Participation or non-participation in the PME shall not prevent any supplier participating in a potential future procurement, nor is it intended that any information supplied as part of the PME shall place any supplier at an advantage in a potential procurement process. Participation in the PME will be at each organisation’s own cost. No expense in responding to this PME will be reimbursed by the Council. To access the PME documentation please visit the Council’s e-tendering system Supply Hertfordshire, run by Intend at https://in-tendhost.co.uk/supplyhertfordshire and follow the on-screen guidance. To participate in this PME, organisations must return their completed Supplier Questionnaire (Appendix A of the PME Document), together with any supporting documents, through the Correspondence area of this project by the return deadline of 12.00 Noon on 13th March 2026, as per the PME documentation and e-tendering system. Supplier Questionnaires received after the deadline may not be reviewed at the Council’s sole discretion. Please make sure that you have submitted your Supplier Questionnaire following the instructions within the PME documentation and e-tendering system. The Council will not be held accountable for any errors made by an organisation in submitting their Supplier Questionnaire. If you are experiencing problems with the Supply Hertfordshire website, In-Tend offer a help section which includes a dedicated UK support desk which can be contacted via email: support@in-tend.co.uk or Telephone: +44 1144070065 for any website/technical questions, Monday to Friday, 8:30-17:00.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-065e3b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017876-2026
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
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services


CPV Codes

85000000 - Health and social work services

85300000 - Social work and related services

85310000 - Social work services

85312000 - Social work services without accommodation

85320000 - Social services

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 Feb 20262 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
13 Apr 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Nov 2026 - 31 Oct 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
STEVENAGE
Postcode
SG1 2FQ
Post Town
Stevenage
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH26 North and East Hertfordshire
Delivery Location
TLH23 Hertfordshire CC

Local Authority
Stevenage
Electoral Ward
Symonds Green
Westminster Constituency
Stevenage

Further Information

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-065e3b-2026-02-27T12:36:59Z",
    "date": "2026-02-27T12:36:59Z",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-065e3b",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PWJT-5264-WYMY",
            "name": "Hertfordshire County Council",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PWJT-5264-WYMY"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Robertson House, Six Hills Way",
                "locality": "Stevenage",
                "postalCode": "SG1 2FQ",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKH23"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "strategic.procurement@hertfordshire.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "http://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk",
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - sub-central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PWJT-5264-WYMY",
        "name": "Hertfordshire County Council"
    },
    "planning": {
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "engagement",
                "type": "engagement",
                "description": "The Council is carrying out PME in relation to this project. The Council will consider the feedback received to help inform the Council's options, requirements and further decision making. For the avoidance of doubt, this stage of the project is not part of a formal procurement process and the Council is not committing, at this stage, to carrying out such a process. Participation or non-participation in the PME shall not prevent any supplier participating in a potential future procurement, nor is it intended that any information supplied as part of the PME shall place any supplier at an advantage in a potential procurement process. Participation in the PME will be at each organisation's own cost. No expense in responding to this PME will be reimbursed by the Council. To access the PME documentation please visit the Council's e-tendering system Supply Hertfordshire, run by Intend at https://in-tendhost.co.uk/supplyhertfordshire and follow the on-screen guidance. To participate in this PME, organisations must return their completed Supplier Questionnaire (Appendix A of the PME Document), together with any supporting documents, through the Correspondence area of this project by the return deadline of 12.00 Noon on 13th March 2026, as per the PME documentation and e-tendering system. Supplier Questionnaires received after the deadline may not be reviewed at the Council's sole discretion. Please make sure that you have submitted your Supplier Questionnaire following the instructions within the PME documentation and e-tendering system. The Council will not be held accountable for any errors made by an organisation in submitting their Supplier Questionnaire. If you are experiencing problems with the Supply Hertfordshire website, In-Tend offer a help section which includes a dedicated UK support desk which can be contacted via email: support@in-tend.co.uk or Telephone: +44 1144070065 for any website/technical questions, Monday to Friday, 8:30-17:00.",
                "dueDate": "2026-03-13T23:59:59+00:00",
                "status": "scheduled"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "017876-2026",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017876-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-02-27T12:36:59Z",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-065e3b",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "HCC - 02/26 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for Communicator Guide and Intervenor Services",
        "description": "Local authorities have a legal duty under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 in relation to children, and section 78 of the Care Act 2014 in relation to adults, to provide care and support to deafblind individuals. Local authorities must follow Care and Support for Deafblind Children and Adults Policy Guidance, unless they can demonstrate legally sound reasons for not doing so. The Communicator Guide and Intervenor Service is jointly funded between Adult Care Services and Children's Services. The Services are available to those adults, children and young people with a dual sensory loss and who therefore have profound difficulties with communication, mobility, accessing information and who may experience severe isolation. This includes those with congenital, acquired and progressive deafblindness. Please refer to the PME Document for full details.",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "85000000",
                        "description": "Health and social work services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "85300000",
                        "description": "Social work and related services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "85310000",
                        "description": "Social work services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "85312000",
                        "description": "Social work services without accommodation"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "85320000",
                        "description": "Social services"
                    }
                ],
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UKH23",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "specialRegime": [
            "lightTouch"
        ],
        "techniques": {
            "hasFrameworkAgreement": true
        },
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true,
                    "vcse": true
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-11-01T00:00:00+00:00",
                    "endDate": "2029-10-31T23:59:59+00:00",
                    "maxExtentDate": "2030-10-31T23:59:59+00:00"
                },
                "hasRenewal": true,
                "status": "planning"
            }
        ],
        "communication": {
            "futureNoticeDate": "2026-04-13T23:59:59+01:00"
        },
        "status": "planning"
    },
    "language": "en"
}