--- title: "Soft Market Testing for Managed XDR Service" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078589" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078589" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078589.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078589.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "Bristol City Council" published: "2026-10-12" --- # Soft Market Testing for Managed XDR Service Buyer: Bristol City Council Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078589 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078589) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078589.json) ## Summary Bristol City Council is exploring a managed Extended Detection and Response (XDR) service, including Security Operations Centre (SOC) capabilities. The service is intended to cover the Council’s infrastructure, cloud services, networks and end-user devices, providing security monitoring and detection and response across its technology estate. This is an IT security service procurement, within the broader IT services category. The buying organisation is Bristol City Council, and the service is for its operations in Bristol, United Kingdom. The procurement is at the planning stage: the Council is conducting a soft market test to assess the marketplace and identify a suitable supplier. This is supplier engagement, not an invitation to tender, and no procurement procedure or award basis has yet been set out. The buyer expects a single lot, with a planned contract period from 1 August 2027 to 31 July 2030. The soft market test is scheduled to conclude on 28 October 2026; this is an engagement milestone, not a bid deadline. The procurement is marked below the relevant threshold, but no contract value or budget is stated. The Council directs interested suppliers to register on ProContract to access the market-testing materials. This engagement is relevant to managed security providers able to deliver extended detection and response alongside Security Operations Centre capabilities. Suppliers should be prepared to explain how their service would operate across a council’s infrastructure, cloud services, networks and end-user devices, and how it would support security monitoring, threat detection and response across that environment. The Council is using the exercise to understand the supplier market and identify a provider capable of delivering the required service, so businesses with demonstrable breadth across these technical environments are well placed to contribute. Small and medium-sized enterprises are identified as suitable for the procurement. The market test offers an opportunity to help shape the Council’s understanding of supplier capability before a future competition; the Council has not yet set out specific accreditations, technical thresholds or evaluation criteria. ## Notice Bristol City Council is conducting a soft market test exercise to assess the marketplace and identify a suitable supplier capable of delivering a Managed Extended Detection and Response (XDR) service, including Security Operations Centre (SOC) capabilities, across the Council's infrastructure, cloud services, networks, and end-user devices. In order to access the Soft market testing documents,, please register your interest on ProContract. https://procontract.due-north.com/Login ### Planning Information Bristol City Council is conducting a soft market test exercise to assess the marketplace and identify a suitable supplier capable of delivering a Managed Extended Detection and Response (XDR) service, including Security Operations Centre (SOC) capabilities, across the Council's infrastructure, cloud services, networks, and end-user devices. In order to access the Soft market testing documents,, please register your interest on ProContract. https://procontract.due-north.com/Login ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/096036-2026 | | 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 | 12 Oct 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Aug 2027 - 1 Aug 2030 | | 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 | Bristol City Council | | Locality | BRISTOL | | Postcode area | Bristol | | Postcode | BS1 5TR | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) | | ITL 2 | TLK5 West of England | | ITL 3 | TLK51 Bristol, City of | | Local authority | Bristol, City of | | Electoral ward | Hotwells and Harbourside | | Westminster constituency | Bristol Central | | Delivery location | TLK11 Bristol, City of | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support ### Codes - 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support ## Release History - 12 Oct 2026 at 12:29 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/096036-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/096036-2026 12th October 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ - https://procontract.due-north.com/Login - 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-078589. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078589.json.