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Records Management and Storage

Kent County Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

05 Aug 2026 at 10:31

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Kent County Council is planning a records management and storage service covering the secure off-site storage, retrieval, transportation, tracking and disposal of physical records. Approximately 65,500 storage boxes are currently held off site. The service is intended to support the Council’s ongoing records management requirements, with future contractual arrangements to be shaped by market feedback and consideration of local government reorganisation. The work is categorised as records management and storage and retrieval services. Delivery is associated with Kent, with the Council based in Maidstone. This is a public-sector service requirement for suppliers able to manage substantial volumes of physical records securely and provide reliable logistics and tracking throughout the records lifecycle.

This procurement is at the planning stage and is currently a preliminary market engagement exercise, not an invitation to tender. Kent County Council expects to use supplier feedback to define the future scope, duration, value and contractual approach. The Council has indicated an estimated value of £800,000 excluding VAT (£960,000 including VAT), but these figures remain indicative. The anticipated contract period is 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2032, with the possibility of renewal extending to 30 June 2037; these dates may change. Suppliers are invited to respond to the market engagement questionnaire by 12 noon on 24 August 2026. The requirement is presented as one overall arrangement, with future requirements still under consideration.

The engagement will suit providers of secure physical records storage and specialist records management services, particularly businesses with capacity for tens of thousands of storage boxes. Relevant experience includes controlled receipt and indexing of records, secure warehouse operations, accurate retrieval and return, transport between storage and Council locations, item-level or box-level tracking, retention-led disposal and auditable chain-of-custody processes. Suppliers should be prepared to explain how they would protect confidential public records, maintain service continuity and provide dependable response times at scale. Logistics capability across Kent and robust information systems will be commercially relevant. This is a preparation opportunity rather than a contract that can be bid for now: interested suppliers should use the engagement to comment on the service model and help shape the later procurement.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Records Management and Storage

Notice Description

Kent County Council (KCC) is undertaking a Preliminary Market Engagement exercise to inform its future approach to Records Management Services. The current service includes the secure storage, retrieval, transportation, tracking and disposal of physical records, with approximately 65,500 records storage boxes currently held off-site. Through this engagement, KCC is seeking feedback on the service. The information gathered will be used to help shape future service requirements and inform the Council's decision-making regarding future contractual arrangements. Please refer to the Market Engagement Questionnaire for further information regarding the service and Market Engagement Exercise. For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at: https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/tenders/UK-UK-Maidstone:-Storage-and-retrieval-services./Z9JE7225KW To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/respond/Z9JE7225KW

Planning Information

Kent County Council (KCC) is undertaking a market engagement exercise to gather feedback from suppliers regarding the future provision of Records Management Services. Please access the market engagement questionnaire via the Kent Business Portal for further information and details of how to participate. The deadline for response is 12 pm on Monday 24th August 2026. Please note that the estimated contract value, duration and commencement dates are indicative only and have been provided for the purposes of this market engagement notice. The future scope, duration, and value of any subsequent arrangement remain under consideration and may be subject to change following market engagement and consideration of future Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06dc05
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074026-2026
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
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

63121000 - Storage and retrieval services

79996100 - Records management

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£800,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
5 Aug 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Jul 2027 - 30 Jun 2032 Over 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
Kent 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
MAIDSTONE
Postcode
ME14 1XQ
Postcode Area
Rochester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ4 Kent
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ45 Mid Kent
Delivery Location
TLJ4 Kent
Local Authority
Maidstone
Electoral Ward
Penenden Heath
Westminster Constituency
Maidstone and Malling

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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