This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Tender

25 Jun 2026 at 13:00

Planning

01 May 2026 at 11:26

Summary of the contracting process

Norfolk County Council is inviting tenders through an open procedure for the "Unplanned Rapid Response Night Sitting" service, aimed at providing urgent care and support to adults outside standard office hours across various regions in Norfolk, including UKH15, UKH16, and UKH17. This service falls under the Health and Social Work industry category and aims at reducing unnecessary hospital admissions and facilitating early discharge while maintaining individuals' safety and independence in their homes. The tender process is active and managed electronically, with a submission deadline on 27 July 2026. The anticipated contract period starts on 1 November 2026 and concludes on 31 October 2029, with an option to extend for an additional 24 months at the Council's discretion.

This procurement presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in healthcare and social services, particularly those capable of providing timely, multidisciplinary responses to urgent care needs. Businesses that are SMEs or VCSEs would find this tender suitable, given the focus on quality service delivery, performance, and monitoring. Collaborating with local healthcare providers and enhancing capacity for out-of-hours services could position businesses favourably, leading to potential growth in the region's health service sector due to the demand for reliable and effective care solutions as outlined in the Council's requirements.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Unplanned Rapid Response Night Sitting

Notice Description

The Rapid Response Service in Norfolk provides a timely, short term, multi disciplinary response to adults with urgent care and support needs arising outside of standard office hours, including evenings, nights, weekends and bank holidays. The service is designed to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, facilitate early discharge, and maintain individuals safely and independently within their own homes or usual place of residence. Operating across Norfolk, the service delivers urgent assessment, intervention and coordination of care for adults aged 18 and over who experience a sudden deterioration in health, functional ability, or social circumstances. The service works in close partnership with primary care, urgent and emergency care, ambulance services, acute trusts, adult social care, mental health services, and the voluntary sector to ensure a seamless and person centred response. The Rapid Response Service supports the local system's ambition to deliver care closer to home, reduce avoidable hospital attendances and admissions, and improve outcomes for residents by providing responsive, high quality care at the point of need, particularly during periods when core services are limited. The value is not sufficient for it to be commercially viable if lotted and it would also increase contract management costs. On 19 November 2025, the Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness made a written statement [UIN HCWS1071] saying that three proposals for unitary local government in Norfolk had been received - these could entail the creation of one, two or three unitary councils. The Minister announced a consultation exercise, which ended on 11 January 2026. The Minister stated that "once the consultations have concluded, the Government will assess the proposals against the criteria in the invitation and decide, subject to parliamentary approval, which, if any, proposals are to be implemented, with or without modification". The Government has confirmed that it is minded to create three unitary Councils, subject to parliamentary approval. On 4 December 2025, the Secretary of State for Local Government made a written statement [UIN HCWS1128] stating that the government intends to establish a Mayoral Strategic Authority for Norfolk and Suffolk as soon as possible, and that it is minded to hold inaugural mayoral elections in May 2028. Should these processes lead to unitary local government in Norfolk and/or to the establishment of a Mayoral Strategic Authority covering Norfolk (i) the contract may be transferred, assigned or novated to any successor authority(ies) to the council, or to any joint body incorporating or formed by any such successor and/or to any Mayoral Strategic Authority; and/or (ii) the council or a successor authority or joint body may order services on behalf of other local authorities serving any area within Norfolk's current geographical boundaries.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The Contract may be extended by up to 24 months at the Council's discretion.

Planning Information

Virtual Market Engagement Event to be held via MS Team on 13th May 2026, 11am - 12 noon. Discussion points • Outline of the Service Model and Service Description • Contract and Financial Information • Procurement Process and Legislation Interested parties will need to register their interest for the market engagement on In-Tend and a separate invite will be sent. Applicants must first be registered on https://in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc (https://in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc) Full instructions for registration and use of the system can be found at https://in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc/aspx/BuyerProfiles (https://in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc/aspx/BuyerProfile). Once registered you will be able to see the procurement project under 'tenders' section and 'express an interest'. Please then use the correspondence facility to let us know that you are interested in attending a market engagement session(s). The procurement, once issued, will also be managed via In-Tend.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-069034
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059877-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
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

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,850,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,850,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Jun 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
27 Jul 20264 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
1 Jun 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Nov 2026 - 31 Oct 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
2031-10-31

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NORFOLK 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
NORWICH
Postcode
NR1 2DH
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, TLH16 North and West Norfolk, TLH17 Breckland and South Norfolk

Local Authority
Norwich
Electoral Ward
Lakenham
Westminster Constituency
Norwich South

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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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