--- title: "003271 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for an Online Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) application provider" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-069b6c" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-069b6c" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069b6c.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069b6c.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL" published: "2026-05-18" --- # 003271 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for an Online Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) application provider Buyer: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-069b6c [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-069b6c) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069b6c.json) ## Summary Durham County Council is currently in the planning stage for the procurement of an Online Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) application provider, with a focus on software package and information systems within the UKC14 region. This process is part of a preliminary market engagement designed to inform future tender submissions. Key dates include a deadline for responses to the preliminary engagement on 1st June 2026. The Council anticipates processing approximately 2,500 DBS applications annually, with the formal procurement to commence before the contract period starting on 1st December 2026. The project valuation is set at £1,200,000, with the possibility for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) to participate. This tender presents a significant opportunity for businesses specialising in electronic administration platforms and software systems to align with a large public sector organisation. The Council’s requirement for an e-Bulk System for handling DBS checks across various sectors, including foster care and education, offers substantial growth potential for businesses providing streamlined and efficient software solutions. Firms with experience in managing high-volume applications and those that can adapt to national policy changes related to disclosure and barring are particularly well-suited to this opportunity. Providers can gain further insight and contribute feedback through the Open Portal, laying the groundwork for potentially lucrative contracting during the upcoming formal procurement process. ## Notice Durham County Council (DCC) is a large public sector organisation, employing over 14,000 employees across services and maintained schools. In the 2025/26 financial year, we completed approximately 2,400 Enhanced and Standard DBS checks. DCC undertakes DBS checks on all employees in posts identified as requiring a DBS check in accordance with the DBS eligibility criteria; plus DBS checks for carers, fostering, adoption, taxi drivers, volunteers and maintained schools, amongst others. Checks ensure full compliance with recruitment processes, as well as statutory requirements. The Council also operates a rechecking process for employees, currently set at 5 years. We are seeking to formally procure the services of a DBS umbrella registered body, who will provide an electronic administration platform for the submission of DBS application forms and for the subsequent check results to be visible to users within DCC (E-Bulk System). We anticipate a requirement to process approximately 2,500 DBS applications per year for the Council. However, it should be noted that the number of applications processed may be subject to fluctuation due to organisational change, renewals required and policy decisions arising from national changes to disclosure and barring eligibility criteria. For avoidance of doubt, the spread of applications will not be uniform across any period. This notice forms part of our preliminary market engagement, offering you the opportunity to share feedback and comments before the opportunity is released for formal tender submissions. Interested providers can access the written response questions, free of charge, by registering on the Open Portal at www.open-uk.org The deadline for completed responses is Monday 1st June at 12 noon. ### Planning Information This notice forms part of our preliminary market engagement, offering you the opportunity to share feedback and comments before the opportunity is released for formal tender submissions. Interested providers can access the written response questions, free of charge, by registering on the Open Portal at www.open-uk.org ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045555-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Goods | | 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 | 18 May 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 1 Jun 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Dec 2026 - 30 Nov 2031 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £1,200,000 | | 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 | DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL | | Locality | DURHAM | | Post town | Durham | | Postcode | DH1 5WB | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear | | ITL 3 | TLC41 Durham | | Local authority | County Durham | | Electoral ward | Framwellgate and Newton Hall | | Westminster constituency | City of Durham | | Delivery location | TLC14 Durham | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 48 - Software package and information systems ### Codes - 48000000 - Software package and information systems ## Release History - 18 May 2026 at 17:46 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045555-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045555-2026 18th May 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - http://www.durham.gov.uk/ - 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-069b6c. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069b6c.json.