Planning

Education Traded Services Platform - Market Engagement

SOMERSET COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

05 Mar 2026 at 15:16

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Somerset Council is currently in the planning phase of a public procurement process for the "Education Traded Services Platform - Market Engagement." This opportunity falls under the industry category of software package and information systems, with a specific regional focus on the South West of England (UKK23). Key dates for interested parties include the deadline to express interest by 20th March 2026. The council has published a preliminary market engagement notice to gather interest and input from potential suppliers, particularly those capable of delivering a B2B e-commerce platform that meets a range of educational service needs. The project is scheduled to commence on 1st July 2026 and may extend until June 2032, providing a substantial engagement period for successful bidders.

This tender presents significant opportunities for business growth, especially for SMEs specialising in e-commerce solutions, educational technology, and resource management platforms. Companies with expertise in delivering comprehensive online stores, communication tools, and user management systems could find this contract particularly lucrative given the scope of services Somerset Council aims to offer to over 1,600 educational customers. The procurement process is designed to be inclusive, ensuring smaller enterprises have viable pathways to compete and contribute innovative solutions to enhance educational service delivery in the region.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Education Traded Services Platform - Market Engagement

Notice Description

Somerset Council offer a variety of traded services to schools and other education providers. These services are sold as packages, resources and training courses that customers can purchase from an online store. This is managed by a team who sit under Education Operations within the Education department. We effectively require a B2B E-commerce platform that can host the following: 1. Online store for trading products and services 2. Administer training and event bookings 3. Upload and distribute resources 4. Manage communications with schools by way of newsletters, bulletins and targeted messaging 5. Public facing website 6. User management 7. Ability to report on processes listed above For the current ordering period, there have been more than 13,000 purchases from over 1,600 customers that relate to 90 traded services.

Planning Information

If you are interested in this potential opportunity, then please express an interest by the 23rd March 2026 by completing the following Microsoft Form: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=BvYktXr3okqNov5wNDsMzqtg2i1tSrNBvN-nHWMXpjxUNFY5NTgwUUxMWDNRR0szTlpOWUtXQzYwNy4u

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06634b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020020-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

48 - Software package and information systems

CPV Codes

48000000 - Software package and information systems

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
5 Mar 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
20 Mar 20265 days to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Jun 2026 - 30 Jun 2030 4-5 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
SOMERSET 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
TAUNTON
Postcode
TA1 4DY
Post Town
Taunton
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK6 North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK62 Somerset
Delivery Location
TLK23 Somerset CC
Local Authority
Somerset
Electoral Ward
Bishop's Hull & Taunton West
Westminster Constituency
Taunton and Wellington

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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