Planning

003174 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for Education Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) Processing System

DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

11 Mar 2026 at 09:01

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Durham County Council is initiating a preliminary market engagement process for an Education Fixed Penalty Notice Processing System. The procurement process, currently in the planning stage, is classified under the "industry specific software package" category and located in the United Kingdom, region UKC14. Interested parties are invited to access a written questionnaire via the Open Portal by 18 March 2026 to participate. The procurement exercise aims to deploy a comprehensive digital system to manage school attendance FPNs, with a projected contract period starting from 1 June 2026 and potentially extending until 31 May 2030.

This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses specialising in software development and system integration, particularly those capable of delivering high-volume processing systems with automation capabilities. Companies with expertise in digital workflow management and system integration would be well-suited to compete. The procurement seeks to replace manual processes and create efficiencies, presenting an attractive opportunity for service providers looking to expand their influence within the educational sector. Business growth can be catalysed by demonstrating the ability to develop systems that meet Durham County Council's requirements regarding intelligent validation and infrastructure compatibility.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

003174 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for Education Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) Processing System

Notice Description

The council are inviting suppliers to participate in preliminary engagement to gain insight from the market with the purpose of making any potential future exercise, well framed, feasible, focused and of likely interest to the market. Durham County Council requires a secure, end to end digital system to manage the full lifecycle of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) relating to school attendance. The system must support high volume processing (2,500-3,000 notices per term; peaks of >7,500 referrals annually) and reduce manual workload through automation, intelligent validation, and workflow management. The system must integrate with existing infrastructure and replace current manual processes involving Microsoft Forms, spreadsheets, Word mail merges, SharePoint/Extranet uploads, and manual cross-checks.

Planning Information

Interested providers are invited to respond via a written questionnaire. This can be accessed free of charge by registering on the Open Portal at www.open-uk.org.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0666e3
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021606-2026
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
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

48 - Software package and information systems

CPV Codes

48100000 - Industry specific software package

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£90,000 Under £100K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
11 Mar 20263 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
2 Apr 20263 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 May 2026 - 31 May 2028 2-3 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
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 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

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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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