---
title: "HCC - 04/26 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) regarding a Framework for the Provision of Recruitment Agencies"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-068efd"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-068efd"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-068efd.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-068efd.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL"
published: "2026-04-30"
---

# HCC - 04/26 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) regarding a Framework for the Provision of Recruitment Agencies

Buyer: HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-068efd

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## Summary

Hertfordshire County Council is in the planning stage of a procurement process titled "HCC - 04/26 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) regarding a Framework for the Provision of Recruitment Agencies." The procurement focuses on business services, particularly recruitment services, and is set within the United Kingdom, specifically in the UKH23 region. The current contractor is the Guidant Group, providing temporary staff services under a neutral/hybrid managed service model, with an agreement in place until March 2027. Upcoming deadlines include a return date for the Supplier Questionnaire by 12:00 Noon on 29th May 2026, with further communication about the procurement expected on 13th July 2026. The Council is conducting a market engagement exercise to inform future procurement activities.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in recruitment and personnel services, including SMEs and VCSEs, as the Council seeks to establish a new framework to address skill shortages not covered by existing contracts. Companies capable of providing diverse staffing solutions, including temporary office personnel and nursing staff, are well-suited to compete. Through this project, businesses can expand their footprint within public sector contracts and enhance supplier management. Participation in the Preliminary Market Engagement is a strategic step towards understanding the Council's needs and positioning to contribute to the improved supplier framework anticipated to commence in April 2027.

## Notice

The Council currently holds a contract with the Guidant Group for the supply of temporary staff across all directorates. The current agreement remains in effect until March 2027. The current provider has been in place since 2013 and operates under a neutral/hybrid managed service model. Historically, the Council has maintained a level of agency spend outside of the corporate contract, to address skills shortages in specific areas. Moving forward, the Council aims to look at two approaches to improve supplier management across the Council: - Continuation of the corporate contract as the initial point of contact for the Council's agency work requirements. - Development of a new Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) framework to cover key skill areas (lots) that cannot be fulfilled through the corporate contract. Please refer to the PME Document for full details.

### Planning Information

The Council is carrying out PME in relation to this project. The Council will consider the feedback received to help inform the Council’s options, requirements and further decision making. For the avoidance of doubt, this stage of the project is not part of a formal procurement process and the Council is not committing, at this stage, to carrying out such a process. 
Participation or non-participation in the PME shall not prevent any supplier participating in a potential future procurement, nor is it intended that any information supplied as part of the PME shall place any supplier at an advantage in a potential procurement process. 
Participation in the PME will be at each organisation’s own cost. No expense in responding to this PME will be reimbursed by the Council.
To access the PME documentation please visit the Council’s e-tendering system Supply Hertfordshire, run by Intend at https://in-tendhost.co.uk/supplyhertfordshire and follow the on-screen guidance.
To participate in this PME, organisations must return their completed Supplier Questionnaire (Appendix A of the PME Document), together with any supporting documents, through the Correspondence area of this project by the return deadline of 12.00 Noon on 29th May 2026, as per the PME documentation and e-tendering system. Supplier Questionnaires received after the deadline may not be reviewed at the Council’s sole discretion. 
Please make sure that you have submitted your Supplier Questionnaire following the instructions within the PME documentation and e-tendering system. The Council will not be held accountable for any errors made by an organisation in submitting their Supplier Questionnaire. 
If you are experiencing problems with the Supply Hertfordshire website, In-Tend offer a help section which includes a dedicated UK support desk which can be contacted via email: support@in-tend.co.uk or Telephone: +44 1144070065 for any website/technical questions, Monday to Friday, 8:30-17:00.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039730-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| 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 | 30 Apr 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 13 Jul 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 31 Mar 2027 - 31 Mar 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| 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 | HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
| Locality | STEVENAGE |
| Post town | Stevenage |
| Postcode | SG1 2FQ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLH East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLH26 North and East Hertfordshire |
| Local authority | Stevenage |
| Electoral ward | Symonds Green |
| Westminster constituency | Stevenage |
| Delivery location | TLH23 Hertfordshire CC |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79000000 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 79600000 - Recruitment services
- 79610000 - Placement services of personnel
- 79620000 - Supply services of personnel including temporary staff
- 79621000 - Supply services of office personnel
- 79623000 - Supply services of commercial or industrial workers
- 79624000 - Supply services of nursing personnel
- 79630000 - Personnel services except placement and supply services

## Release History

- 30 Apr 2026 at 10:06 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039730-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039730-2026
  30th April 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
- https://in-tendhost.co.uk/supplyhertfordshire
- 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-068efd. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-068efd.json.