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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Living with Cancer Employer Collaborative - Roundtable Events

Department of Health & Social Care · Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 16 Oct 2026, 10:35.

Opportunity overview

DHSC will be hosting two virtual roundtable events on the “Living with Cancer” agenda to discuss how employers and other organisations can better support people to remain in or return to work following a cancer diagnosis and treatment, with a particular focus on the challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and spreading best practice across sectors of the economy. The roundtables will take place on: • Tuesday, 27th October 2026, 15:30-16:30 GMT (hosted by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Innovation) • Tuesday, 3rd November 2026, 09:30-10:30 GMT (hosted by DHSC officials) To register your organisation’s interest in one of these events, please complete the following registration form by Tuesday, 20th October 2026 at 11:59 pm: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=MIwnYaiRMUyMH-9N6Jc6HHkA63U0d81Ht4WY0oa7NW1UNFZKVktHMU9ZWVhIT01GNDRKMU0zTE9aVS4u Attendance is restricted to one person per organisation. The National Cancer Plan for England recognises the impact that cancer can have on people’s working lives and sets out an ambition to work with employers and impact economy investors to raise awareness of effective interventions, scale good practice and make support more accessible. Too many people are forced to stop working due to cancer. Around 830,000 working age people are living with cancer in England. Cancer can have a significant impact on people’s finances and ability to remain in work: people hospitalised with cancer face nearly £5,000 in lost income, while patients lose an average of 75 days of work across their pathway. People living with cancer are not always able to access interventions that are known to be useful. Through engagement on the National Cancer Plan, we have heard charities, larger companies and practitioners already know which interventions can help people living with cancer to remain in and return to work. However, some sectors of the economy still find it difficult to proactively offer support due to a lack of awareness or easily accessible tools. These challenges are often faced by sectors of the economy which account for a large share of employment, including SMEs. DHSC is therefore seeking to work with purpose-driven businesses, charities and the impact economy to help raise awareness, scale effective interventions and make them more accessible. The Ministerial roundtables will provide an opportunity to hear from organisations about existing approaches, the challenges they face and where collaboration between different organisations could help scale effective support.

Classification

  • CPV79315000 — Social research services
  • CPV79340000 — Advertising and marketing services
  • CPV79341000 — Advertising services
  • CPV79342000 — Marketing services
  • CPV79414000 — Human resources management consultancy services
  • CPV79416000 — Public relations services
  • CPV79600000 — Recruitment services
  • CPV79610000 — Placement services of personnel
  • CPV79611000 — Job search services
  • CPV79612000 — Placement services of office-support personnel
  • CPV79620000 — Supply services of personnel including temporary staff
  • CPV80511000 — Staff training services
  • CPV80570000 — Personal development training services
  • CPV85100000 — Health services
  • CPV85140000 — Miscellaneous health services
  • CPV85147000 — Company health services
  • CPV85300000 — Social work and related services
  • CPV85310000 — Social work services
  • CPV85312300 — Guidance and counselling services
  • CPV85312310 — Guidance services
  • CPV85312320 — Counselling services
  • CPV85312500 — Rehabilitation services
  • CPV85312510 — Vocational rehabilitation services
  • CPV85320000 — Social services
  • CPV98000000 — Other community, social and personal services
  • CPV98133000 — Services furnished by social membership organisations
  • CPV98133100 — Civic betterment and community facility support 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
ocds-h6vhtk-077f5e
Main Procurement Category
services
Status
planning

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Amendments

Entry 1
Description
The roundtable on Tuesday 27th October 2026 will now be happening at 15:30-16:30, instead of at 09:30-10:30. This roundtable will be hosted by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Innovation. The roundtable on Tuesday 3rd November 2026 (still at 09:30-10:30) will now be hosted by DHSC officials.
Id
097724-2026

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
planning

Suitability

Sme
Yes
Vcse
Yes

Contract period

Starts
27 Oct 2026, 00:00
Ends
3 Nov 2026, 23:59

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
85312510
Description
Vocational rehabilitation services
Entry 2
Scheme
CPV
Id
79342000
Description
Marketing services
Entry 3
Scheme
CPV
Id
85100000
Description
Health services
Entry 4
Scheme
CPV
Id
85140000
Description
Miscellaneous health services
Entry 5
Scheme
CPV
Id
85147000
Description
Company health services
Entry 6
Scheme
CPV
Id
85300000
Description
Social work and related services
Entry 7
Scheme
CPV
Id
85310000
Description
Social work services
Entry 8
Scheme
CPV
Id
85312300
Description
Guidance and counselling services
Entry 9
Scheme
CPV
Id
85312310
Description
Guidance services
Entry 10
Scheme
CPV
Id
85312320
Description
Counselling services
Entry 11
Scheme
CPV
Id
85312500
Description
Rehabilitation services
Entry 12
Scheme
CPV
Id
85320000
Description
Social services
Entry 13
Scheme
CPV
Id
79600000
Description
Recruitment services
Entry 14
Scheme
CPV
Id
79610000
Description
Placement services of personnel
Entry 15
Scheme
CPV
Id
79611000
Description
Job search services
Entry 16
Scheme
CPV
Id
79612000
Description
Placement services of office-support personnel
Entry 17
Scheme
CPV
Id
79620000
Description
Supply services of personnel including temporary staff
Entry 18
Scheme
CPV
Id
79414000
Description
Human resources management consultancy services
Entry 19
Scheme
CPV
Id
80511000
Description
Staff training services
Entry 20
Scheme
CPV
Id
80570000
Description
Personal development training services
Entry 21
Scheme
CPV
Id
79315000
Description
Social research services
Entry 22
Scheme
CPV
Id
79340000
Description
Advertising and marketing services
Entry 23
Scheme
CPV
Id
79341000
Description
Advertising services
Entry 24
Scheme
CPV
Id
79416000
Description
Public relations services
Entry 25
Scheme
CPV
Id
98000000
Description
Other community, social and personal services
Entry 26
Scheme
CPV
Id
98133100
Description
Civic betterment and community facility support services
Entry 27
Scheme
CPV
Id
98133000
Description
Services furnished by social membership organisations

Planning and budget

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Description
Background The National Cancer Plan for England (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-cancer-plan-for-england) sets out the government’s long-term goal to deliver world-class cancer care. Aiming to transform care and outcomes by 2035, the plan includes measures to improve experiences, contribute to growth and help people with the cost of living. As part of this, DHSC is looking to reduce the impact of cancer on people’s working lives, boost employer awareness of cancer as a long-term condition, and support participating employers to improve their retention and absence rates among employees with cancer. Action 8b, Chapter 4 of the National Cancer Plan commits to establish an employer collaborative with leading private and public sector employers, the Government’s Joint Work and Health Directorate, cancer charities and clinicians to help people stay in or return successfully to work after a cancer diagnosis. The Collaborative complements the Government’s wider ambitions on work and health including the Keep Britain Working Review, who we have consulted to design this initiative, and aims to facilitate employers to better retain and support employees affected by cancer. This collaborative will not only codify best practice – but will prove an incentive for employers doing better, more consistently. The desired outcomes are to: • reduce the impact of cancer on a person’s working life, • boost employer awareness of cancer as a long-term condition, • support participating employers to improve their retention and absence rates among employees with cancer, with a focus on SMEs. Roundtables The roundtables will take place on: • Tuesday, 27th October 2026, 15:30-16:30 GMT • Tuesday, 3rd November 2026, 09:30-10:30 GMT The first roundtable will be led by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Innovation; the second roundtable will be led by DHSC officials. Please complete the following registration form by Tuesday, 20th October 2026 at 11:59 pm if your organisation wishes to attend: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=MIwnYaiRMUyMH-9N6Jc6HHkA63U0d81Ht4WY0oa7NW1UNFZKVktHMU9ZWVhIT01GNDRKMU0zTE9aVS4u Both roundtables will cover the same agenda, so participants should only attend one. Each session will include an introduction, with an overview from DHSC of the National Cancer Plan commitment and the challenges we are seeking to address. There will then be a facilitated discussion. We’d particularly welcome views and evidence on: • the challenges employers, particularly SMEs, face in supporting people to remain in or return to work following a cancer diagnosis and treatment; • existing interventions, resources and examples of good practice that could be scaled or made more accessible; • how employers and other organisations could work together to improve awareness and access to effective support; and • how DHSC should approach future collaboration in this area. Eligibility and attendance Both sessions will be virtual, hosted on Microsoft Teams. DHSC will send out Teams invites to the events after the registration window has closed. Attendees must be from: • a public-sector organisation, • a private-sector organisation, • a charity, voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE), • a healthcare provider, • a researcher/practitioner, • or another organisation with an interest in supporting people affected by cancer to remain in or return to work. Participants should attend only one roundtable. If interest exceeds the capacity of around 30 attendees per event, DHSC may not be able to invite every eligible organisation. In that case, DHSC will select participants to achieve a balanced mix of organisation types at each roundtable. DHSC may adjust the number or timing of roundtables depending on demand. Accompanying questionnaire Alongside the two roundtables, DHSC also invites organisations to complete the following questionnaire: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=MIwnYaiRMUyMH-9N6Jc6HHkA63U0d81Ht4WY0oa7NW1UQ0RQNkZKWEwzM0RNU1FXRUtON1BGMU85My4u The questionnaire is an opportunity to present views and evidence on the challenges people affected by cancer and employers face in relation to employment during and after treatment, existing support and examples of good practice, and opportunities for future collaboration. This questionnaire is optional. You may complete this questionnaire whether or not you are attending a roundtable. You may complete it before or after attending a roundtable. Responses may help inform the roundtable discussion, broader stakeholder engagement activity, and DHSC’s understanding of the issues. All information provided will be kept confidential. Only aggregated and anonymised insights may be shared wider within government. The deadline for the questionnaire is Tuesday, 10th November 2026, at 11:59 pm. Additional information Should any opportunities for collaboration arise following this initial market consultation, DHSC will ensure these are advertised openly for all interested organisations. There is no planned procurement activity relating to the publication of this preliminary market engagement notice. For avoidance of doubt, this is not a call for competition or a procurement, and therefore it has been assigned a monetary payment value of £0. The sole purpose of this event is to initiate a discussion with organisations interested in addressing the issues experienced by people living with cancer. If you have any questions about this market engagement or experience any challenges in registering for the event, please contact livingwithcancer@dhsc.gov.uk
Due
10 Nov 2026, 23:59
Status
scheduled

Documents

Entry 1
Id
097724-2026
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Published
16 Oct 2026, 09:24
Format
text/html

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
Department of Health & Social Care
Id
GB-PPON-PMQG-9965-CHZR

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PMQG-9965-CHZR

Address

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

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

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

Recorded locations

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

Notice and amendment history

2 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

2 VERSIONS
  1. 093185-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·
  2. 097724-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·

PROCURAAXIS ANALYSIS

ProcuraAxis Analysis

Our approved analysis of the opportunity appears below the official tender information.

ANALYSIS PREVIEW

Opportunity intelligence at a glance

DHSC is holding two virtual roundtables in October and November 2026 to hear from organisations about supporting people affected by cancer to stay in or return to work. This is preliminary market engagement, not a contract opportunity or open tender. Organisations may register interest by 20 October 2026; attendance is limited to one person per organisation.

Who this may suit

Potentially relevant to purpose-driven businesses, charities, employers, practitioners and impact-economy organisations with existing approaches or insight on workplace cancer support. No supplier appointment, deliverables or bid requirements are stated.

Key points identified

  • Registration of interestComplete the stated registration form by 20 October 2026 at 11:59 pm.Evidence: “To register your organisation’s interest in one of these events, please complete the following registration form by Tuesday, 20th October 2026 at 11:59 pm.”
  • Attendance limitOne person per organisation.Evidence: “Attendance is restricted to one person per organisation.”
  • Contribution soughtOrganisations are invited to share existing approaches, challenges and collaboration opportunities relating to workplace support after cancer.Evidence: “The Ministerial roundtables will provide an opportunity to hear from organisations about existing approaches, the challenges they face and where collaboration between different organisations could help scale effective support.”
96% approved-analysis confidence4 supplier criteria identified3 risks or unknowns

SOURCE AND FRESHNESS

Traceable procurement data

Source
Find a Tender
Notice reference
097724-2026
OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077f5e
First published
2 Oct 2026
Last checked
16 Oct 2026, 10:35
Notice versions reviewed
2

HOW THIS WAS PREPARED

Approved, evidence-bound analysis

ProcuraAxis structures information found in published procurement records, checks the result for consistency and publishes only approved analysis. Confidence describes the completeness and consistency of the available source information; it is not a guarantee of eligibility or contract award.

Analysis status
Approved for publication
Analysed
16 Oct 2026
Read the analysis methodology →