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Open29 days left · closes 10am, Thursday 29 October 2026

003271 - Online Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) application provider

Durham County Council · Local authority

In brief

Durham County Council is looking for suppliers for IT and software work (North East).

The estimated value is £1,250,000 excluding VAT.

The contract runs for 3 years, up to 5 years with extensions, starting 1 April 2027.

The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.

Bids close at 10am, Thursday 29 October 2026.

Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.

Can I win this?

Key dates

Questions by
10am, Friday 23 October 2026
Bids by
10am, Thursday 29 October 2026

How bids are scored

Service delivery model and end-to-end DBS processing 10% · Advice, guidance and helpdesk support 5% · Contract Mobilisation 5% · System Demonstration 10% · Desirable System Functionality 5% · Price - Administration charge per application 65%

Price matters most. Expect to compete hard on cost.

Competition

Usually high: a median of 13 bids per contract for this buyer (from 85 awards in the last 12 months).

What the notice says

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 5,000 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.

Should I bid?

Tick what applies to you. Nothing is saved.

How to bid

  1. Read the full notice on Find a Tender, including any tender documents it links to.
  2. Register your organisation on the Central Digital Platform (through Find a Tender) if you have not already. Suppliers need to be registered to take part in procurements under the Procurement Act 2023.
  3. Follow the submission instructions in the notice; it does not name an e-tendering portal.
  4. Send clarification questions before 10am, Friday 23 October 2026.
  5. Make sure your bid arrives before 10am, Thursday 29 October 2026. Late bids are usually rejected.

Timeline

  1. Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 045555-2026
  2. Tender notice · UK4, notice 090804-2026

About the buyer

Durham County CouncilLast 12 months

Procurements

267

Awards

159

Suppliers it has used most for IT and software

All tenders and awards from Durham County Council

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From notice 045555-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 18 May 2026, last updated 25 September 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.