--- title: "Soft Market Engagement - Commercial Opportunity Development (not a formal procurement exercise)" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06946a" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06946a" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06946a.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06946a.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "LANCASHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL" published: "2026-05-08" --- # Soft Market Engagement - Commercial Opportunity Development (not a formal procurement exercise) Buyer: LANCASHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06946a [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06946a) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06946a.json) ## Summary Lancashire County Council is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process, aiming to explore commercial opportunity development through a soft market engagement initiative. This process, titled "Soft Market Engagement - Commercial Opportunity Development," focuses on the service industry category, specifically targeting business and management consultancy services. Taking place in Preston, UK region, interested suppliers are encouraged to respond to a survey outlining their expertise by noon on 18th May 2026. A follow-up in-person discussion session with selected suppliers is scheduled for 28th May 2026 to explore ideas and potential collaborations. This tender offers a significant opportunity for businesses specialising in business and management consultancy, idea generation, and delivery support to engage with Lancashire County Council. Companies capable of showcasing their experience in developing local authority commercial opportunities and collaborating with internal commercial teams to deliver rapid results will find this engagement particularly beneficial. Even though this is not a formal procurement exercise, participating businesses can gain insights into the council's approach, potentially positioning themselves advantageously for future, more formal procurement opportunities. ## Notice Lancashire County Council is seeking to engage the market to better understand the support available to help accelerate and strengthen its programme of commercial activity. The Council is exploring how it can generate additional value and income through new commercial models, making best use of its assets, services and capabilities. The Council is interested in understanding: * Best practice in developing and delivering local authority commercial opportunities; * The types of expertise and support that suppliers can offer, including idea generation, business case development and delivery support; * How suppliers can work alongside an internal commercial team to build capacity and deliver at pace. This engagement is not a procurement exercise. The purpose is to undertake structured soft market testing to inform the Council's future approach and shape any subsequent requirements. Suppliers are invited to respond to a short survey setting out their relevant experience, approach and capacity. Please note, there will not be any formal evaluation of responses. Following review of responses, the Council anticipates inviting a small number of suppliers to attend an in-person discussion session on 28th May 2026, to explore approaches, share ideas and discuss potential future collaboration. Participation in this engagement does not commit the Council to any future procurement or contractual arrangement. To be considered, please respond by noon on 18th May 2026. ### Planning Information Suppliers are invited to respond to a short survey setting out their relevant experience, approach and capacity. Please note, there will not be any formal evaluation of responses. Following review of responses, the Council anticipates inviting a small number of suppliers to attend an in‑person discussion session on 28th May 2026, to explore approaches, share ideas and discuss potential future collaboration. Participation in this engagement does not commit the Council to any future procurement or contractual arrangement. To be considered, please respond by noon on 18th May 2026. Link to Survey: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/4cyAzAE1jV Link to Lancashire County Council website advert: https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/business/tenders-and-procurement/tenders/lps-soft-market-engagement-commercial-opportunity-development/   ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042390-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 8 May 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 18 May 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 21 Jun 2026 - 21 Aug 2026 | | 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 | LANCASHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL | | Locality | PRESTON | | Post town | Preston | | Postcode | PR1 0LD | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) | | ITL 2 | TLD4 Lancashire | | ITL 3 | TLD45 Mid Lancashire | | Local authority | Preston | | Electoral ward | City Centre | | Westminster constituency | Preston | | Delivery location | TLD4 Lancashire | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services ## Release History - 8 May 2026 at 10:22 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042390-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042390-2026 8th May 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/4cyAzAE1jV - https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/ - https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/business/tenders-and-procurement/tenders/lps-soft-market-engagement-commercial-opportunity-development/ - 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-06946a. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06946a.json.