Planning

Outsourced Clerking Service

PETERBOROUGH CITY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

12 May 2026 at 11:26

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Peterborough City Council is conducting a Preliminary Market Engagement for the outsourcing of its clerking service, classified under administration services within the public authority sector. The procurement focus is on creating a sustainable, high-quality service that supports the council's diverse schools in Peterborough, United Kingdom. Currently at the planning stage, the engagement is open until 12:00 Noon on 9th June 2026, allowing interested suppliers to submit their Expressions of Interest through ProContract. The objective is to gather insights on market capabilities and pricing structures, with the initial service contract period expected to start on 1st September 2026 and conclude on 31st August 2028.

This opportunity is particularly favourable for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) specialising in administrative services. By participating, businesses have the potential to expand their footprint in the public sector by contributing to the improvement of governance across educational institutions. Involvement in this preliminary phase can position suppliers favourably for potential future bidding, offering the chance to influence the design of a scalable and efficient clerking service that addresses current challenges such as inconsistent quality and recruitment difficulties.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Outsourced Clerking Service

Notice Description

The Council supports a diverse range of maintained schools, each with governing boards and committees that must meet regularly and lawfully. Clerks are required to provide professional administrative and procedural support, including agenda preparation, attendance at meetings, advice on governance matters, accurate recording of decisions, and production of compliant minutes. Current arrangements face challenges including recruitment and retention of suitably skilled clerks, maintaining consistent quality across schools, ensuring resilience and cover arrangements, and managing cost pressures. The Council is therefore seeking to understand how the market could deliver a sustainable, high-quality clerking service in a manner that is scalable. Supplier who are interested in this opportunity should submit an Expression of Interest on the ProContract Advert. This will then grant access to the Preliminary Market Engagement document that all Suppliers are asked to complete and return via ProContract by no later than 12:00 Noon on 9th June 2026. THIS IS NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION. This is a Preliminary Market Engagement Opportunity to understand the current market and pricing structures. Responses will be reviewed and follow up clarification questions may be asked to ensure the Authority can make an informed decision on the future of the clerking service. No supplier selection or supplier preference is implied.

Planning Information

THIS IS NOT A CALL TO COMPETITION. This is a Preliminary Market Engagement event in relation to outsourcing the existing clerking service. This preliminary market engagement event does not form any part of any invitation to tender. Peterborough City Council is issuing this request for information only. Any supplier invited to present to the Authority is doing so to support market research only and to help make any potential procurement process more focused and efficient. No supplier selection or supplier preference is implied. The preliminary market engagement event can be accessed via ProContract at this link: https://procontract.due-north.com/Supplier/Advert/View?advertId=2bd00c22-ec4d-f111-813c-005056b64545&fromProjectDashboard=False&fromRfxSummary=False&selectWorkgroup=False&fromAdvertEvent=False&fromActivityDashboard=False If you do not already have an account with ProContract you can register and create an account for free. Once you have accessed the advert, please click on the green "Register interest in this opportunity". Doing this will allow you to access the Preliminary Market Engagement event and associated document. Once the questions within the document have been completed, please upload your response via ProContract. The event will remain open until 12:00 Noon on 9th June 2026. If you have any questions whilst this event is live and you have already registered your interest, please use the ProContract messaging facility.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-069687
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/043394-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
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

75 - Administration, defence and social security services

CPV Codes

75100000 - Administration services

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
12 May 20262 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
9 Jun 20264 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Aug 2026 - 31 Aug 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
PETERBOROUGH CITY 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
PETERBOROUGH
Postcode
PE2 8TY
Post Town
Peterborough
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH4 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH41 Peterborough
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Peterborough
Electoral Ward
Fletton and Stanground
Westminster Constituency
North West Cambridgeshire

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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