--- title: "Market Engagement - NHS National Discovery Service Architecture (Knowledge and Library Services)" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06c9ff" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06c9ff" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c9ff.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c9ff.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "NHS ENGLAND" published: "2026-07-13" --- # Market Engagement - NHS National Discovery Service Architecture (Knowledge and Library Services) Buyer: NHS ENGLAND Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06c9ff [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06c9ff) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c9ff.json) ## Summary The pre-procurement exercise initiated by NHS England involves a market engagement for the "NHS National Discovery Service Architecture" under the planning stage. This initiative is focused on the health and care industry, specifically aimed at enhancing knowledge and library services. Based in London, this engagement seeks suppliers capable of delivering integrated systems that support NHS England’s objectives. A webinar will take place on 22nd July 2026 from 14:00 to 15:00 BST to discuss the programme requirements further. Key deadlines for engagement include submitting clarification questions by 17th July 2026 and completing the Request for Information by 14th August 2026. The contract is expected to commence on 1st April 2027 and may continue until 2032, based on organisational priorities. This tender represents significant growth potential for businesses specialising in IT services, particularly those offering library software packages and management systems. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are encouraged to participate, given the suitability criteria. The contract will require the provision of hosted services, with suppliers needing to demonstrate capabilities in integrating with existing NHS systems such as OpenAthens and providing a seamless user experience. The gross value of the contract is indicated to be £3,306,000 and offers opportunities for collaboration, especially for firms experienced in developing solutions that offer direct access to a wealth of medical and education resources. Businesses that thrive on delivering scalable and innovative IT solutions could greatly benefit from competing in this procurement process. ## Notice This pre-procurement exercise is being run to engage suppliers capable of delivering all or some elements of the National Discovery Service for the NHS in England. This must include: * A discovery layer to seamlessly connect health and care staff and learners to trusted, high-quality knowledge and evidence resources in one place, using a single search. * Holdings management that can manage collections of content bought both nationally and locally. * Link enhancement that provides end-users with direct access to the full text of digital holdings from multiple platforms and enables library-to-library sharing of resources under the terms of the NHS Copyright Licence Plus. Additional information: * The contract(s) will be for the supply of hosted services as described above * We estimate the contract(s) to start on 1 April 2027 and that it/they will run for 3 years with optional extensions. This may be subject to change based on organisational priorities * Suppliers will be required to collaborate to produce an effective, integrated user experience * Systems must integrate effectively with other services in the ecosystem such as NHS OpenAthens, regional Koha library management systems, research repositories and content from diverse suppliers * If a transition period is required between current and new suppliers then this will be accommodated within the agreed contract period * A description of the high-level requirements can be found in the associated RFI document * The value referenced below covers all three requirements for the initial contract period plus extensions ### Planning Information Suppliers interested in this opportunity are requested to complete the Request for Information (RFI) document related to the National Discovery Service Architecture for the NHS. Please remember that this is a preliminary market engagement and not a competitive tender. This process is being carried out in accordance with the principles outlined in the introduction to the RFI document, and its primary aim is to inform future decision-making. The RFI document and questionnaire can be found on Atamis by searching for "C439911". To register on the NHS England’s e-Tendering portal and to access this opportunity, please go to: https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome. You can then search for the opportunity and access any further information. Clarification questions and responses must be submitted via the NHS England’s e-Tendering portal, Atamis. A webinar will be held on Wednesday 22/07/2026 at 14:00 to 15:00 (BST) for 1 hour to further explain the requirements and aims of the programme. To book a slot for the webinar, please submit your details using the link below: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/1f97000b-80e0-46fb-b2ec-f6bea6229ff5@37c354b2-85b0-47f5-b222-07b48d774ee3 The deadline for submitting questions relating to this RFI prior to the Market Engagement Event is 17:00 17/07/2026. NHSE will aim to respond to questions submitted before this deadline, during the Market Engagement Event. The overall deadline for submitting questions relating to this RFI will be 17:00, 29/07/2026. This preliminary market engagement exercise is due for return by 17:00, 14/08/2026. If you experience any difficulties accessing the documents, please contact england.supplier@nhs.net ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/065815-2026 | | 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 | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 13 Jul 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 14 Aug 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 31 Mar 2027 - 31 Mar 2030 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £2,755,000 | | 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 | NHS ENGLAND | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | South East London | | Postcode | SE1 8UG | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI4 Inner London - East | | ITL 3 | TLI45 Lambeth | | Local authority | Lambeth | | Electoral ward | Waterloo & South Bank | | Westminster constituency | Vauxhall and Camberwell Green | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 48 - Software package and information systems - 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support ### Codes - 48000000 - Software package and information systems - 48160000 - Library software package - 48161000 - Library management system - 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support - 72212160 - Library software development services ## Release History - 13 Jul 2026 at 17:01 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/065815-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/065815-2026 13th July 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/1f97000b-80e0-46fb-b2ec-f6bea6229ff5@37c354b2-85b0-47f5-b222-07b48d774ee3 - https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome - https://www.england.nhs.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-06c9ff. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c9ff.json.