---
title: "Tender for the provision of the emergency out of hours telephone answering service - Herefordshire Council"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-cd48b9cd-247b-4bb9-bde6-d87c054fba12"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-cd48b9cd-247b-4bb9-bde6-d87c054fba12"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-cd48b9cd-247b-4bb9-bde6-d87c054fba12.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-cd48b9cd-247b-4bb9-bde6-d87c054fba12.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "HEREFORDSHIRE COUNCIL"
published: "2025-04-02"
---

# Tender for the provision of the emergency out of hours telephone answering service - Herefordshire Council

Buyer: HEREFORDSHIRE COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-cd48b9cd-247b-4bb9-bde6-d87c054fba12

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## Summary

Herefordshire Council has completed the procurement process for an emergency out of hours telephone answering service, which includes coverage during evenings, weekends, and bank holidays. This service covers various council areas such as environmental health, trading standards, highways, homelessness, and adult social care. The contract was awarded to Careium UK Limited and will commence on 31 March 2025, for a two-year period until 31 March 2027, with an option to extend for up to 24 months, subject to further internal governance and budget approval. This procurement, classified under "Telephone-answering services" (CPV 79510000), was conducted via an open procedure and is valued at £94,000. The key dates include the tender period ending on 26 February 2025, the contract start date on 21 March 2025, and the award publication date on 2 April 2025. The service will be delivered within the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom.

This tender represents a ripe opportunity for businesses specialising in telephone answering and switchboard services to expand their portfolio, particularly those small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) eager to engage with local government contracts. Given the service's scope across multiple vital council sectors, participating businesses can showcase their versatility and reliability in handling emergency communication effectively. It is well-suited for firms with experience in managing high-volume public service calls and those looking to reinforce their presence in the public sector through long-term engagements. The open procurement method ensures a fair competitive process, encouraging innovation and quality service delivery that can bolster business growth and reputation.

## Notice

Herefordshire Council is seeking to appoint a supplier to deliver the emergency out of hours telephone answering service, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays. The council operate an emergency out of hours telephone service for members of the public, covering a number of different council areas, such as environmental health and trading standards, highways, homelessness and adult social care. The service will commence on 31 March 2025 for a period of two years until 31 March 2027, with the option to extend for further periods up to 24 months, subject to further internal governance, budget approval and satisfactory Supplier performance. Additional information: Herefordshire Council has published this contract opportunity on the 'Supplying the Southwest Portal'. To view the documentation related to this opportunity you will need to register on the portal if you are not already registered with Procontract, and express an interest in the opportunity. To register with Procontract on the Supplying the Southwest Portal, click on the link below or copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar: https://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/5a63dced-673b-498f-b446-4a57ab35939b |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 2 Apr 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 26 Feb 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 31 Mar 2025 |
| Contract period | 1 Apr 2025 - 31 Mar 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £94,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £90,960 |
| 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 | HEREFORDSHIRE COUNCIL |
| Locality | HEREFORD |
| Post town | Hereford |
| Postcode | HR4 0LE |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLG1 Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire |
| ITL 3 | TLG11 Herefordshire, County of |
| Local authority | Herefordshire, County of |
| Electoral ward | Widemarsh |
| Westminster constituency | Hereford and South Herefordshire |
| Delivery location | TLG West Midlands (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | CAREIUM |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 64214200 - Telephone switchboard services
- 79510000 - Telephone-answering services

## Release History

- 2 Apr 2025 at 11:51 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/5a63dced-673b-498f-b446-4a57ab35939b
- 5 Feb 2025 at 20:25 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/b30dcb8d-b7ea-484b-9bea-f54775ef4210

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/5a63dced-673b-498f-b446-4a57ab35939b
  2nd April 2025 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/b30dcb8d-b7ea-484b-9bea-f54775ef4210
  5th February 2025 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder

## Notice URLs

- https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk
- https://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk

## Provenance

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