---
title: "Out of Business Hours (OOH) Call Handling Service Contract - AWARD"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-7b560dd6-181b-45c0-b24f-c52c6eab927c"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-7b560dd6-181b-45c0-b24f-c52c6eab927c"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7b560dd6-181b-45c0-b24f-c52c6eab927c.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7b560dd6-181b-45c0-b24f-c52c6eab927c.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "READING BOROUGH COUNCIL"
published: "2017-02-01"
---

# Out of Business Hours (OOH) Call Handling Service Contract - AWARD

Buyer: READING BOROUGH COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-7b560dd6-181b-45c0-b24f-c52c6eab927c

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## Summary

The Reading Borough Council is seeking providers for the Out of Business Hours (OOH) Call Handling Service Contract, aimed at delivering essential call handling support when its facilities, including the Call Centre and Civic Offices, are closed. This service is crucial for responding to emergency calls from both the general public and internal departments, and is required year-round, covering weekdays and weekends. The contract, which began on 3rd January 2017, will run for three years until 31st January 2020, with a tender period that ended on 28th October 2016. The procurement method chosen for this contract is an open procedure, with a contract value of £50,000 and a minimum budget of £40,000 for eligible suppliers within the services industry category, specifically telephone-answering services.

This tender presents an opportunity for businesses specialising in call handling services or telecommunications, particularly those looking to expand their operations in the public sector. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) may find this contract especially appealing, as the suitability criteria indicate openness to these types of organisations. The OOH Call Handling Service is ideal for companies proficient in emergency response and customer service, offering potential for significant business growth in delivering quality service to the Reading community.

## Notice

As part of its service delivery, Reading Borough Council (RBC) is required to provide an Out of Hours (OOH) Call Handling Service for when its Call Centre, switchboard, Civic Offices and satellite offices are closed. The OOH service is required for both members of the public and the Council's internal departments. The Council currently has in place arrangements for the provision of an Out of Hours Call Handling Service, however this is due to come to an end in January 2017. The contractor will provide an Out of Hours Call Handling telephone response service on behalf of tenants and residents of Reading Borough Council; Affinity Housing Association and Catalyst Housing Association. The service to be available 365 days per year with coverage from 17:00 to 09:00 hours Monday to Friday and from 17:00 hours Friday to 09:00 Monday (weekend coverage). The purpose of the service is to respond to emergency calls, but which good practice standards indicate should be responded to before the next working day and where delay could be detrimental to the individual caller or the physical integrity or security of RBC's leased and owned buildings, including the Civic Offices building, and equipment, facilities and services.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/47884b51-670b-41e3-8793-823854e28d93 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 1 Feb 2017 |
| Submission deadline | 28 Oct 2016 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 1 Feb 2017 |
| Contract period | 3 Jan 2017 - 31 Jan 2020 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £50,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | READING BOROUGH COUNCIL |
| Locality | BERKS |
| Post town | Reading |
| Postcode | RG1 2LU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLJ16 Berkshire West |
| Local authority | Reading |
| Electoral ward | Abbey |
| Westminster constituency | Reading Central |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | THE ANSWERING SERVICE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79510000 - Telephone-answering services

## Release History

- 1 Feb 2017 at 10:33 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/47884b51-670b-41e3-8793-823854e28d93

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/47884b51-670b-41e3-8793-823854e28d93
  1st February 2017 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-7b560dd6-181b-45c0-b24f-c52c6eab927c. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7b560dd6-181b-45c0-b24f-c52c6eab927c.json.