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Preliminary Market Engagement for Non-Emergency Ambulance Patient Transport Service

Procurement and Logistics Service

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

18 Aug 2026 at 09:16

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Business Services Organisation, Procurement and Logistics Service is seeking market views on behalf of Health and Social Care Northern Ireland about a non-emergency ambulance patient transport service. The planned service covers transporting patients who do not require emergency ambulance treatment, together with associated health, paramedical and specialist passenger transport activity. It is a service contract involving road transport, passenger vehicles with drivers and supporting transport services. The work is for Northern Ireland, with the buying organisation based in Ballymena. The procurement is intended to inform potential requirements rather than appoint a supplier at this stage. Businesses involved in non-emergency patient transport, ambulance operations, healthcare transport, accessible passenger services or specialist road transport are the most relevant participants in the market engagement.

This process is at the planning stage and is a preliminary market engagement exercise, not an invitation to tender. The buyer expects interested suppliers to complete a CP12 Preliminary Market Engagement Questionnaire through the eTendersNI secure messaging area for Call for Tender reference 6681680. The buyer’s stated response time is 15:00 on 2 September 2026. Any future procurement would be a separate exercise, and showing interest does not commit a supplier to participate in it. The planned contract is one lot, with an indicative period from 1 November 2027 to 31 October 2031. The recorded gross value is £0, although the market engagement is intended to establish the potential requirements. No award procedure or evaluation basis has yet been set out.

This engagement is most relevant to operators that can deliver reliable non-emergency patient transport at a healthcare-system scale across Northern Ireland. Suitable businesses may include ambulance and patient transport providers, specialist passenger transport companies, vehicle-with-driver operators, and organisations combining transport with paramedical support. Useful preparation would include demonstrating experience of transporting patients safely, operating suitable accessible or specialist vehicles, managing drivers and transport staff, and coordinating scheduled journeys for health and social care users. Providers with established dispatch, booking, safeguarding, incident-management and service-continuity arrangements are likely to be well placed to explain how they could meet the eventual requirement. The questionnaire gives the market an opportunity to shape the buyer’s understanding before any future tender, but suppliers should not treat this engagement as a current bid opportunity.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Preliminary Market Engagement for Non-Emergency Ambulance Patient Transport Service

Notice Description

This is a Preliminary Market Engagement Notice to seek engagement with the market place to gather information associated with the service for Non-Emergency Ambulance Patient Transport Service. To this end the Business Services Organisation, Procurement and Logistics Service on behalf of Health and Social Care Northern Ireland (HSCNI), wish to engage with potential suppliers to obtain a market view of the potential requirements through the completion of a Questionnaire. Any interested suppliers are required to submit their response through the eTendersNI secure messaging area of the Call for Tender (CfT) Ref: 6681680. All correspondence in relation to this Preliminary Market Engagement exercise must be communicated via the eTendersNI secure messaging area. Suppliers will be required to submit their completed CP12 Preliminary Market Engagement Questionnaire no later than 15:00 hours on 02 September 2026. To register on eTendersNI and access the CP12 Preliminary Market Engagement Questionnaire, please use the following link: - https://etendersni.gov.uk and locate CfT Ref: 6681680. Suppliers should also note that any interest shown does not constitute a commitment to participate in any future tendering exercise.

Planning Information

This is a Preliminary Market Engagement Notice to seek engagement with the market place to gather information associated with the service for Non-Emergency Ambulance Patient Transport Service. To this end the Business Services Organisation, Procurement and Logistics Service on behalf of Health and Social Care Northern Ireland (HSCNI), wish to engage with potential suppliers to obtain a market view of the potential requirements through the completion of a Questionnaire. Any interested suppliers are required to submit their response through the eTendersNI secure messaging area of the Call for Tender (CfT) Ref: 6681680. All correspondence in relation to this Preliminary Market Engagement exercise must be communicated via the eTendersNI secure messaging area. Suppliers will be required to submit their completed CP12 Preliminary Market Engagement Questionnaire no later than 15:00 hours on 02 September 2026. To register on eTendersNI and access the CP12 Preliminary Market Engagement Questionnaire, please use the following link: - https://etendersni.gov.uk and locate CfT Ref: 6681680. Suppliers should also note that any interest shown does not constitute a commitment to participate in any future tendering exercise.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e627
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078362-2026
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

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

60100000 - Road transport services

60130000 - Special-purpose road passenger-transport services

60140000 - Non-scheduled passenger transport

60170000 - Hire of passenger transport vehicles with driver

63000000 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services

85100000 - Health services

85142000 - Paramedical services

85143000 - Ambulance services

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
18 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
2 Sep 20266 days to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Nov 2027 - 31 Oct 2031 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
Procurement and Logistics Service
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BALLYMENA
Postcode
BT43 6DA
Postcode Area
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN0F Mid and East Antrim
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Mid and East Antrim
Electoral Ward
Park
Westminster Constituency
North Antrim

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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