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Configuration Management Database Solution

Education Authority NI

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

30 Sep 2026 at 16:14

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Education Authority plans to procure a configuration management database (CMDB) for its ICT estate. The system is intended to provide a trusted, accurate, near-real-time view of ICT assets, applications, services and the links between them, serving as a single source of truth. It is intended to reduce manual data maintenance through automation, support Cyber Essentials accreditation and underpin the Authority’s ICT Service Catalogue. The CMDB must integrate with the Authority’s Change Management process and IT service management platform. By mapping dependencies across services, applications and infrastructure, it should help assess proposed changes and their business impacts, supporting planning, testing and communication. The work is for IT services, including software development and support, and is associated with the Education Authority in Belfast.

This is at the planning stage: the Education Authority has set out its intention to procure and is conducting preliminary market engagement, not inviting tenders. The engagement is intended to explain potential approaches and gather supplier views and feedback. Suppliers wishing to take part are expected to return a completed questionnaire through the eTendersNI messaging function by 15:00 on 21 October 2026. A future procurement notice is expected on 1 December 2026. The buyer has not set out an expected procurement procedure. The procurement is presented as one lot and is marked as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. The planned contract period is 1 February 2027 to 31 January 2030, with a possible extension through to 31 January 2032. The published estimated value is £0.

This engagement is relevant to suppliers able to configure, integrate or support enterprise CMDB and IT service management solutions. The intended system must connect with an existing change-management process and ITSM platform, automate asset and configuration data maintenance, and map dependencies across applications, services and infrastructure. Suppliers with experience delivering reliable, near-real-time ICT asset and service information, and enabling impact assessment for proposed changes, are well placed to contribute. The Authority’s stated aims include supporting Cyber Essentials accreditation and creating a foundation for an ICT Service Catalogue. The procurement is identified as suitable for SMEs, so smaller providers with the relevant product, integration and implementation capability may be appropriate. At this stage, suppliers can inform the buyer’s thinking through the planned market engagement; this is preparation for a later procurement, not a request for bids. No particular accreditation is stated as a supplier qualification.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Configuration Management Database Solution

Notice Description

The primary purpose of this preliminary market engagement exercise ("Exercise") is for the Education Authority (EA) to explain, and seek supplier views and feedback on, potential approaches for a Configuration Management Database solution. EA requires a CMDB to provide a trusted, accurate and near-real-time view of its ICT assets, applications, services and the relationships between them. Acting as the single source of truth for the DTS estate, it will reduce manual data maintenance through automation, support Cyber Essentials accreditation and provide the foundation for EA's ICT Service Catalogue. To deliver these outcomes, the CMDB must integrate with EA's Change Management process and ITSM platform. This integration will ensure that trusted configuration and service data informs change assessment, approval and implementation. By mapping the relationships between services, applications and infrastructure components, the CMDB will allow proposed changes to be assessed against known dependencies and potential business impacts before implementation. This visibility will support more reliable planning, testing and communication, giving decision-makers greater confidence that changes can proceed safely.

Planning Information

Suppliers who wish to participate in the PME exercise must return the completed questionnaire via the messaging function of the CfT on eTendersNI no later than 15:00 on Wednesday 21 October 2026. Further information including the questionnaire can be downloaded from the CfT Documents area of CfT 6761471 in https://etendersni.gov.uk/.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077dfc
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092546-2026
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

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

CPV Codes

72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Sep 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Dec 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Feb 2027 - 31 Jan 2030 3-4 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
Education Authority NI
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BELFAST
Postcode
BT1 2NQ
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)
TLN06 Belfast
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Belfast
Electoral Ward
Duncairn
Westminster Constituency
Belfast North

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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