Official UK procurement notice
Call Handling Services · UK public procurement notice
Authority: NORTHERN GAS NETWORKS LIMITED (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionA dedicated, 24/7 emergency call service that receives, classifies, and manages reports of suspected gas leaks, ensuring rapid response and public safety.
National Gas Emergency Service Cadent operates the National Gas Emergency Service, which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The call handling contract ensures that any reports of gas escapes are immediately received and processed.
Safety & Compliance Handling gas escape calls is a legal requirement under the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996 (GS(M)R). The contract ensures Cadent meets its obligations by collecting essential information (location, reporter details, control valve status, etc.) and passing it to engineers for immediate action.
Rapid Response Coordination
Once a call is classified as a gas escape, Cadent dispatches engineers to isolate the supply at the Emergency Control Valve (ECV) and make the property safe. The call handling contract ensures this process begins without delay.
5 year contract £5,870,080 ex VAT
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Awarded
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award (no call for competition)
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 16 Mar 2026, 16:02 GMT
- Last source update
- 16 Mar 2026, 16:17 GMT
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-023702- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-066b69Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Technical Reasons
- Published justification
Under Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023, the most appropriate justification for a direct award to Cadent for the gas escape call handling service is:
"Absence of competition for technical reasons" - Only Cadent can provide this service because it operates the National Gas Emergency Service and is legally mandated under the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996. There are no reasonable alternatives, and switching would create disproportionate technical and compliance risks.
Notice history
3 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 16 Mar 2026- Transparency notice published16 Mar 2026, 16:02 GMTUK5
- Contract award notice published16 Mar 2026, 16:17 GMTUK6
- Contract signature expected1 Apr 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadent Gas Limited1 May 2026 – 30 Apr 2031 | £7,050,096 inc. VAT | 16 Mar 2026 | Awarded |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- CADENT GAS LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender