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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

DHSC: ASC RFI Foundation Specification

DHSC, London · Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 29 Sept 2026, 23:13.

Opportunity overview

The purpose of this Pre Market Engagement (PME) is to invite current, previous and prospective suppliers of Case Management Systems (CMSs) for Adult Social Care (ASC) and Children Social Care (CSC) to Local Authorities (LAs) in the UK to provide feedback on the Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC) procurement guidance - the Foundational Specification. DHSC at the request of LAs are developing procurement guidance which sets out 'what good looks like' for priority areas of CMSs. We are planning to publish this specification in the summer of 2025 and in advance of this publication we would like to engage with current, previous and prospective CMS suppliers as we develop this guidance to ensure it is fit for purpose. In speaking to stakeholders across the care sector we have consistently heard that there is a lack of clarity on what a 'good' CMS looks like. This in turn makes it difficult for suppliers to develop and implement CMSs and for LAs to procure cost-effective systems. In response to this, we are developing procurement guidance that will set out a clear, comprehensive and concise specification. Part 1 of this project was completed in March 2024 and we are aiming to publish the final specification guidance in the summer of 2025. We are not planning for this procurement guidance to be mandatory for LAs or suppliers but it will act as a best practice resource to rely on; allowing the market to focus its time and attention on developing more innovative and interoperable CMSs. As part of this work we are continuously engaging with LAs, regulatory bodies and other relevant department to ensure cross-government alignment. We are excited by this opportunity to better support and empower the CMS market and we want to develop this procurement guidance collaboratively with the sector. As such we would appreciate feedback from all current, previous and prospective ASC CMS suppliers. We will be organising a set of interviews with relevant suppliers over the coming weeks. If you believe you meet the criteria please contact us via Atamis. We will exercise our best judgement when deciding if a supplier effectively meets the criteria.

Classification

  • CPV72000000 — IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
  • CPV72212781 — System management software development services
  • CPV72222000 — Information systems or technology strategic review and planning services
  • CPV72222300 — Information technology services
  • CPV85100000 — Health services
  • CPV85321000 — Administrative social services

Lots

  • Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
C349760
Status
planning
Main Procurement Category
services

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
planning

Suitability

Sme
Yes
Vcse
Yes

Contract period

Ends
29 Aug 2025, 23:59
Starts
1 Apr 2025, 00:00

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Id
72212781
Scheme
CPV
Description
System management software development services
Entry 2
Id
85100000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Health services
Entry 3
Id
72222300
Scheme
CPV
Description
Information technology services
Entry 4
Id
72222000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Information systems or technology strategic review and planning services
Entry 5
Id
72000000
Scheme
CPV
Description
IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
Entry 6
Id
85321000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Administrative social services

Planning and budget

Documents

Entry 1
Id
011383-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Published
26 Mar 2025, 15:56

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Status
scheduled
Due
2 May 2025, 23:59
Description
The purpose of this Pre Market Engagement (PME) is to invite current, previous and prospective suppliers of Case Management Systems (CMSs) for Adult Social Care (ASC) and Children Social Care (CSC) to Local Authorities (LAs) in the UK to provide feedback on the Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC) procurement guidance - the Foundational Specification. DHSC at the request of LAs are developing procurement guidance which sets out 'what good looks like' for priority areas of CMSs. We are planning to publish this specification in the summer of 2025 and in advance of this publication we would like to engage with current, previous and prospective CMS suppliers as we develop this guidance to ensure it is fit for purpose. In speaking to stakeholders across the care sector we have consistently heard that there is a lack of clarity on what a 'good' CMS looks like. This in turn makes it difficult for suppliers to develop and implement CMSs and for LAs to procure cost-effective systems. In response to this, we are developing procurement guidance that will set out a clear, comprehensive and concise specification. Part 1 of this project was completed in March 2024 and we are aiming to publish the final specification guidance in the summer of 2025. We are not planning for this procurement guidance to be mandatory for LAs or suppliers but it will act as a best practice resource to rely on; allowing the market to focus its time and attention on developing more innovative and interoperable CMSs. As part of this work we are continuously engaging with LAs, regulatory bodies and other relevant department to ensure cross-government alignment. We are excited by this opportunity to better support and empower the CMS market and we want to develop this procurement guidance collaboratively with the sector. As such we would appreciate feedback from all current, previous and prospective ASC CMS suppliers. We will be organising a set of interviews with relevant suppliers over the coming weeks. If you believe you meet the criteria please contact us via Atamis. We will exercise our best judgement when deciding if a supplier effectively meets the criteria.

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Id
GB-PPON-PMQG-9965-CHZR
Name
DHSC, London

Roles

buyer

Address

Region
UKI32
Country
GB
Locality
London
Postal Code
SW1H 0EU
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
39 Victoria Street

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Id
publicAuthorityCentralGovernment
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Description
Public authority - central government

Identifier

Id
PMQG-9965-CHZR
Scheme
GB-PPON

Contact

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · London · UKI32 · SW1H 0EU · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. ocds-h6vhtk-04f915-2025-03-26T15:56:08ZPreliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·