--- title: "Worcester City Council Preliminary Market Engagement Exercise for Memorial Calligraphy Services (Physical & Digital Book of Remembrance)." ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-067ed3" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-067ed3" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067ed3.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067ed3.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "WORCESTER CITY COUNCIL" published: "2026-04-09" --- # Worcester City Council Preliminary Market Engagement Exercise for Memorial Calligraphy Services (Physical & Digital Book of Remembrance). Buyer: WORCESTER CITY COUNCIL Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-067ed3 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-067ed3) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067ed3.json) ## Summary Worcester City Council is engaging in a Preliminary Market Engagement Exercise to assess the market for Memorial Calligraphy Services, which include physical and digital Books of Remembrance. The exercise is part of the planning stage and aims to help the Council’s Bereavement Services understand the industry more comprehensively. Located in Worcester, United Kingdom, this process is in the planning stage and will remain open for engagement until 7th May 2026. Although this is not a formal procurement invitation, interested parties are encouraged to complete a questionnaire to contribute information that will guide potential future procurement strategies. This initiative presents growth opportunities for businesses within the funeral, printing, and digital services industries, particularly those with expertise in memorial-related services. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) may find this an excellent fit. By participating in the Preliminary Market Engagement Exercise, such businesses can showcase their capabilities, influence future procurement requirements, and potentially establish themselves as key suppliers in a market that could evolve significantly based on input gathered from this engagement. ## Notice Worcester City Council is undertaking a Preliminary Market Engagement Exercise (PME) to support its Bereavement Services in understanding the current market for Memorial Calligraphy Services, including physical Books of Remembrance and associated digital or online formats. The purpose of this engagement is to gather information from suitably experienced and qualified organisations regarding service capability, delivery models, digitisation options, pricing structures, quality assurance arrangements and turnaround times. The information obtained will help inform internal planning, budget setting and any potential future procurement approach. Interested organisations are invited to review the Specification set out in Appendix 1 of the PME documentation and to complete the Preliminary Market Engagement Questionnaire contained within Appendix 2. This exercise is being carried out solely as a market sounding and information gathering activity. It is not an invitation to tender, a call for competition, or a request for expressions of interest. Participation in the PME will not confer any advantage or disadvantage in relation to any future procurement process. The Council may use the outcomes of this PME to shape the scope, specification and procurement strategy of any subsequent procurement exercise. In accordance with sections 16 and 17 of the Procurement Act 2023, the Council reserves the right, subject to internal governance and where legally justified, to consider appropriate procurement routes should the market be extremely limited. All communication in relation to this PME must take place via the messaging facility on the Council's procurement portal. Please see separate document on the portal The Council is using the e-procurement portal known as the Proactis Pro-Contract portal https://procontract.due-north.com to conduct this procurement exercise. To gain access to the procurement documents, bidders will need to register their company details at the above website. Once registered, bidders will be emailed a log-in and password, allowing them to gain access to the procurement documents. Bidders will need to search for the invitation under Worcester City Council and then electronically submit an expression of interest and follow the online instructions to view the procurement documents. ### Planning Information Worcester City Council is undertaking a Preliminary Market Engagement Exercise (PME) to support its Bereavement Services in understanding the current market for Memorial Calligraphy Services, including physical Books of Remembrance and associated digital or online formats. The purpose of this engagement is to gather information from suitably experienced and qualified organisations regarding service capability, delivery models, digitisation options, pricing structures, quality assurance arrangements and turnaround times. The information obtained will help inform internal planning, budget setting and any potential future procurement approach. Interested organisations are invited to review the Specification set out in Appendix 1 of the PME documentation and to complete the Preliminary Market Engagement Questionnaire contained within Appendix 2. This exercise is being carried out solely as a market sounding and information gathering activity. It is not an invitation to tender, a call for competition, or a request for expressions of interest. Participation in the PME will not confer any advantage or disadvantage in relation to any future procurement process. The Council may use the outcomes of this PME to shape the scope, specification and procurement strategy of any subsequent procurement exercise. In accordance with sections 16 and 17 of the Procurement Act 2023, the Council reserves the right, subject to internal governance and where legally justified, to consider appropriate procurement routes should the market be extremely limited. All communication in relation to this PME must take place via the messaging facility on the Council’s procurement portal. Please see separate document on the portal The Council is using the e-procurement portal known as the Proactis Pro-Contract portal https://procontract.due-north.com to conduct this procurement exercise. To gain access to the procurement documents, bidders will need to register their company details at the above website. Once registered, bidders will be emailed a log-in and password, allowing them to gain access to the procurement documents. Bidders will need to search for the invitation under Worcester City Council and then electronically submit an expression of interest and follow the online instructions to view the procurement documents. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032303-2026 | | 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, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 9 Apr 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 24 Jun 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 30 Jul 2026 - 31 Jul 2029 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £10,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | WORCESTER CITY COUNCIL | | Locality | WORCESTER | | Post town | Worcester | | Postcode | WR1 2EY | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) | | ITL 2 | TLG1 Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | | ITL 3 | TLG12 Worcestershire CC | | Local authority | Worcester | | Electoral ward | Cathedral | | Westminster constituency | Worcester | | Delivery location | TLG12 Worcestershire CC | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 39 - Furniture (incl. office furniture), furnishings, domestic appliances (excl. lighting) and cleaning products - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security - 98 - Other community, social and personal services ### Codes - 39290000 - Miscellaneous furnishing - 79800000 - Printing and related services - 98300000 - Miscellaneous services - 98370000 - Funeral and related services ## Release History - 9 Apr 2026 at 10:56 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032303-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032303-2026 9th April 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - http://www.worcester.gov.uk/ - https://procontract.due-north.com - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ## 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-h6vhtk-067ed3. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067ed3.json.