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Telecare Alarm Receiving Centre and Customer Management System

Portsmouth City Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

25 Aug 2026 at 16:21

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Portsmouth City Council is exploring a combined Alarm Receiving Centre and customer management system for its in-house Safe at Home telecare service in Portsmouth. The service supports approximately 1,000 customers in local authority housing. The requirement covers monitoring telecare alarms, managing customer records and providing software access for around eight council officers. Installed equipment is SIM-operated, mainly Chiptech SEVEN base units with Pearl or Pearl Advanced pendants, alongside smoke, carbon monoxide, epilepsy, door-exit and bed-exit monitors. The service has also introduced GPS eLicences. Providers would support an average monthly volume of approximately 3,650 calls, with reporting on call-answering times, call numbers, call nature and actions, disconnections and periods of no activity.

This procurement is at the planning stage and the Council is carrying out preliminary market engagement before preparing its specification. Suppliers are invited to provide market information through a questionnaire, with responses requested by 18 September 2026. The Council expects a subsequent notice around 1 November 2026; these are planning expectations rather than tender deadlines. The intended procurement is an above-threshold services contract using an open procedure. One planned lot is estimated at £300,000 excluding VAT, or £360,000 including VAT. The anticipated contract period is 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2029, with renewal provision extending the maximum possible end date to 31 March 2032. The lot is identified as suitable for SMEs.

This will suit suppliers that can combine 24-hour telecare alarm monitoring, alarm-receiving-centre operations and customer-management software in one service. Relevant experience with local-authority housing, vulnerable residents and high-volume telephone response will be important, as will the ability to integrate with SIM-operated Chiptech equipment and associated sensors. Suppliers should be able to provide secure records management, software licences for council staff, configurable reporting and operational data covering calls, actions, disconnections and inactivity. The Council is specifically seeking market information, experience and innovation to shape a high-quality specification, including ideas for reducing call volumes. Businesses with established telecare platforms, resilient response arrangements and suitable implementation and support capacity should prepare to engage.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Telecare Alarm Receiving Centre and Customer Management System

Notice Description

Portsmouth City Council's (PCC) Safe at Home (Telecare) Service would like to investigate the market for a combined package of Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) and customer management System for Telecare alarm monitoring. Portsmouth City Council provides an in-house Telecare Service branded as "Safe at Home" with approximately 1,000 customers. All telecare devices installed are SIM operated (digital switch over of equipment was undertaken by the service in 2022). Telecare equipment provided through the service is SIM-operated units supplied by Chiptech UK, typically the Chiptech SEVEN base units with Pearl/ Pearl Advanced pendant. A range of peripheral equipment is also installed for Safe at Home customers based on identified needs, including (but not limited to): - Smoke detectors - Carbon Monoxide detectors - Epilepsy Monitors - Door exit monitors - Bed exit monitors The safe at home service has also recently introduced GPS e Licences for approximately 8 officers would be required for the monitoring software for in-house staff to access and update customer records. Reporting would be required for performance monitoring (not an exhaustive list): - Call answering times - Number of calls - Nature of call and action taken (e.g. no speech, ambulance or responder deployed, false alarm) - Disconnections - No activity An average of 3,650 calls per month are received. The Council are open to working with the provider to identify scope to reduce the call volume. We recognise the experience and innovation that suppliers can bring to these services. As such PCC would welcome your organisation's market information, which will be used to enable PCC to draw up a high-quality specification that meets the needs of local authority housing and its residents.

Planning Information

We recognise the experience and innovation that suppliers can bring to these services. As such the Council would welcome your organisation's market information, which will be used to enable the service to draw up a high-quality specification that meets the needs of local authority housing and its residents. A questionnaire has been published on the InTend portal (https://in-tendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/home). We welcome any feedback from interested parties. Providers are encouraged to complete as many of the questions within the questionnaire as possible. Please return the PME questionnaire via the InTend portal by 18 September 2026. Portsmouth City Council reserve the right to hold further discussions with suppliers that can demonstrate relevant experience and capability

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ebd9
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080987-2026
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
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

35 - Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment

48 - Software package and information systems

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

CPV Codes

33195000 - Patient-monitoring system

35121700 - Alarm systems

48000000 - Software package and information systems

79510000 - Telephone-answering services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£300,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Aug 2026Yesterday
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Nov 20263 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2029 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
Portsmouth 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
PORTSMOUTH
Postcode
PO1 2AL
Postcode Area
Portsmouth
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ31 Portsmouth
Delivery Location
TLJ31 Portsmouth
Local Authority
Portsmouth
Electoral Ward
Charles Dickens
Westminster Constituency
Portsmouth South

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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