Find a TenderPlanned procurementPreliminary market engagement notice
Published 2 Apr 2026, 16:35 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Dorset Council Reactive & Planned Repairs and Maintenance – Property and Housing

Authority: Dorset Council (Local council)

WorksAbove thresholdSME suitable
Planned pipeline value£37,000,000pipeline notice, not a live tender
Tender notice expected 18 May 2026from the planned procurement notice
Contract term 4 yrsends 10 Jan 2031 · up to 10 Jan 2033 with extensions · starts 11 Jan 2027

What is being bought

Published requirement description

This Preliminary Market Engagement Notice is not a call for competition. It is being published to give notice to the market of an upcoming procurement.

Dorset Council is undertaking early market engagement, with the aim of providing information to and requesting feedback from the market, about aspects of the Council's procurement strategy for reactive and planned Repairs and Maintenance for building fabric, M&E and associated works and services and to help inform the decision-making process on the procurement of these works and services.

Any procurement will be carried out in accordance with relevant Procurement Regulations.

Dorset Council may commence one or more procurements in respect of this notice subject to final scope and structure, but also reserves the right not to commence any procurement in respect of this notice.

Dorset Council shall not be liable for any losses incurred by any party as a result of reliance on the information contained/linked herein.

Dorset Council are intending to procure repairs and maintenance services and shall appoint contractors for each Lot to deliver reactive and planned maintenance for M&E, Lifts, Asbestos, Mechanical Barriers, Voids, Fire (active & passive) and Building Fabric and associated services within the Dorset Council Region. All Lots will have one supplier per Lot save for M&E and Building Fabric who have two suppliers each, one supplier for West and one supplier for East This work will cover the following Dorset Council property portfolio types:

  • Housing, including a mix of self-contained units and hostels, mostly used for temporary accommodation.
  • Council Operational/Commercial Assets including operational buildings from which the council delivers a service (for example, libraries, family hubs, depots, residential children's and adults homes, day centres, offices etc) and commercial / community buildings which the council leases out and has some repairing obligations (for example farms, hotels and guesthouses, industrial units, community buildings etc).

It is the Council’s intention to structure the Lots in the following manner

Lot 1 is M&E

Lot 2 is Lifts

Lot 3 is Fire Protection, Management & Maintenance

Lot 4 is Asbestos Works & Services

Lot 5 is Mechanical Barriers

Lot 6 is Fabric Maintenance

Lot 7 is Housing Voids

Dorset Council are also considering appointing a number of contractors to deliver capital works and associated services within the Dorset Council Region.

Examples of the type of works are:

  • Repairs and Maintenance of the capital assets
  • Mechanical and Electrical
  • Building Fabric Maintenance
  • Specialist works (e.g. Fire Alarms)
  • Refurbishment works
  • New builds
  • Extensions
  • Demolitions

Dorset Council are looking to achieve the following key objectives:

o A repeatable and effective process

o An effective service with a timely emergency response.

o Value for money and appropriate costs.

o Appropriate coverage across the council areas

o Coverage over all asset types

o Improved performance and quality management through KPIs

o A Life Cycle approach

The contractors will be procured and subsequently able to appoint sub-contractors. Dorset Council would like to see direct investment into the local supply chain but are also open to looking elsewhere for appropriate contractors. The main focus is that the works are completed by a contractor who is best suited and meets the key objectives.

The proposed go live date (contract commencement) is planned for 11th January, 2027; and will last for a proposed initial period of 4 years.

We envisage that the market engagement will feed into the requirements and as such, we reserve the right to alter the above information for the benefit of both Dorset Council and the market.

The information contained in this Preliminary Market Engagement Notice is preliminary in nature and may be subject to further amendment and revision. Accordingly, no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, will be made and no liability is, or will be, accepted by the Council as to the adequacy, accuracy or completeness of this document. Any liability however arising is expressly disclaimed.

No expense in responding to this market engagement will be reimbursed by the Council.

The expected total value of the contract for the initial 4 year term is £24,000,000. There are two further options for a further 1 year extension.

In order to ensure a good level of competition for this procurement, Dorset Council will be holding two market engagement days (both covering the same information) which will be held on 31st March 2026 and a further date to be held on the 14th April, 2026.

CPV: Building fittings · Building materials · Cable, wire and related products · Construction work · Construction-related services · Electrical machinery, apparatus, equipment and consumables; lighting · Engineering services · Installation services of computers and office equipment · Installation services of electrical and mechanical equipment · Installation services of fire protection equipment · Installation services of medical and surgical equipment · Miscellaneous building structures · +12 more

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published

Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published

How Dorset Council buys Repair and maintenance services of building installations (CPV 5070), and who usually turns up

Dorset Council’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Repair and maintenance services of building installations (CPV 5070) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bid
This buyerDorset Council · all categories
What to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
i

How often small and medium firms win.

Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.

The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 16 of 26 known-size awards · market: CPV 5070 · South West England, n=25
62%84%

Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.

How often do local suppliers win?
i

How often local firms win similar work.

Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.

Here, local means registered in South West England.

A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 31 of 37 known-location awards · market: CPV 5070 · South West England, n=36
84%44%

Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in South West England.

How long to a decision?
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 3 decided notices · market: CPV 5070 · South West England, n=8
86 days55 days

Half of these awards were announced within 86 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
i

How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.

Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.

Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.

Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: at least 12 of 33 procurements with awards had no recorded rival · market: CPV 5070 · South West England, n=49
36%57%

Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.

How many bids did past lots attract?

i

How many bids past lots received.

Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.

Past bids do not predict this tender.

Last 36 months.

This buyer22 lots with bid counts · all categories
27% had one bid
The market12 lots with bid counts · CPV 5070 · South West England
25% had one bid
Buyer / market · select a colour for counts
1 bid27% / 25%
Buyer: 6 of 22 lots with published bid counts. Market: 3 of 12 lots with published bid counts.
2–341% / 25%
Buyer: 9 of 22 lots with published bid counts. Market: 3 of 12 lots with published bid counts.
4–65% / 25%
Buyer: 1 of 22 lots with published bid counts. Market: 3 of 12 lots with published bid counts.
7+27% / 25%
Buyer: 6 of 22 lots with published bid counts. Market: 3 of 12 lots with published bid counts.

How did awards compare with estimates?

i

Where winning prices landed against estimates.

Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.

Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.

Last 36 months.

This buyer12 lots with estimate and award · all categories
25% below estimate
The market9 lots with estimate and award · CPV 5070 · South West England
22% below estimate
Buyer / market · select a colour for counts
Below estimate25% / 22%
Buyer: 3 of 12 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 2 of 9 lots with an estimate and award.
Within ±2%75% / 44%
Buyer: 9 of 12 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 4 of 9 lots with an estimate and award.
Above estimate0% / 33%
Buyer: 0 of 12 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 3 of 9 lots with an estimate and award.
2

Assess each lot
i

What past awards tell you about each lot.

See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.

No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.

Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list

Lot #1CPV 507048 monthsSME suitablePublished estimate£37m
Expected competition
i

How many bids this lot may attract.

The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.

Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 12 past lots.

A forecast, not a list of bidders.

—No model forecast yet25% chance of a single bid
Past bids on 12 similar lots
1 bid25%
3 of 12 similar past lots received 1 bid (25%).
2–325%
3 of 12 similar past lots received 2–3 (25%).
4–625%
3 of 12 similar past lots received 4–6 (25%).
7+25%
3 of 12 similar past lots received 7+ (25%).
Comparable past lots usually drew 4 bids.
Commercial price forecast
i

Where the award price may land.

The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.

No comparable awards for this lot yet.

A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.

—No model forecast yet
No comparable awards on record for this lot’s category yet. The published estimate is £37m, and the forecast stays empty until the market has a record to read.

Who has supplied this buyer on similar work?
i

Who has done similar work for this buyer.

Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.

A past supplier may not bid again.

No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.

Who could compete for this lot?
i

Who could compete for this lot?

Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.

None is confirmed as a bidder.

Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.

About this data
  • Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
  • Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
  • Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
  • Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Works
Notice status
Planned procurement
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
2 Apr 2026, 16:35 BST
Last source update
22 Apr 2026, 14:37 BST
Authority reference
DN811611
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-036661
Latest notice
Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
Classification (CPV)
Building fittingsBuilding materialsCable, wire and related productsConstruction workConstruction-related servicesElectrical machinery, apparatus, equipment and consumables; lightingEngineering servicesInstallation services of computers and office equipmentInstallation services of electrical and mechanical equipmentInstallation services of fire protection equipment
+14 moreInstallation services of medical and surgical equipmentMiscellaneous building structures
Delivery area
South West (UKK25)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-067c4b Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Submission deadline
—

Timeline

2 Apr 2026 → 11 Jan 2027 · 5 dates
  1. Planning notice published203 days ago
    2 Apr 2026, 16:35 BST
  2. Latest notice published183 days ago
    22 Apr 2026, 14:37 BST
  3. Market engagement177 days ago
    28 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST

    NOTE interested bidders may have to register on the portal before being able to participate in the tender.

    If you are having issues with the Pro Contract system, please go to the ProContract Help Center (supplierhelp.due-north.com ↗)  for advice and further assistance with regard to registering with the portal, in order that you may participate in this tender, if you are not registered already.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Dorset Council (the Council) is undertaking early market engagement, with the aim of providing information to and requesting feedback from the market, about aspects of the Council's procurement strategy for building fabric, M&E, lifts and hoists, fire (active & passive), asbestos, mechanical barriers and voids, to help inform the decision-making process on the procurement of these works and services.

    The engagement event for this tender opportunity will take place online on Teams on (a) 31st March 2026 between 14:00 and 15:00 and (b) 14th April 2026 11:00 to 12:00. If you would like further information please contact Place Procurement at [email protected].

    Prior to attendance at the engagement event, registration should be made via email to Place Procurement at [email protected]. Please provide details of all attendees including email addresses and job titles. Each person will receive a personal Eventbrite invite and will be required to register separately in order that Dorset Council are able to keep a register of all attendees.

    Following the Engagement event session, there will be an opportunity for suppliers to inform us if they intend to participate in the tender process.

    There will also be an opportunity for Dorset Council to respond to any further questions regarding the planned tender these must be submitted via email to Place Procurement at [email protected] by

    (1) 15:00 hours on 14th April 2026 in relation to the first market engagement; or

    (2) 15:00 hours on 28 April 2026 in relation to the second market engagement.

    Please note that any questions sent to Dorset Council other than via the email address above will not be responded to.

    Please note that any information shared in these individual sessions will be shared with all other bidders, to ensure all information is equally available for all participants in any procurement process that may follow. Additionally, the council will only sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) using its standard terms and conditions if subsequently requested.

  4. Tender notice expected157 days ago
    18 May 2026, 23:59 BST
  5. Today
    22 Oct 2026
  6. Contract startsin 80 days
    11 Jan 2027

Notice history

2 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 2 Apr 2026
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    2 Apr 2026, 16:35 BST
    UK2
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    22 Apr 2026, 14:37 BST
    UK2
Published amendments (1)

The title of the procurement has been changed from Hard FM - Reactive and Planned Maintenance Services for Dorset Council to Dorset Council Reactive & Planned Repairs and Maintenance – Property and Housing.

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Pipeline notice
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Dorset Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PHCY-8926-WVVM Dorset Council, Dorchester, South West, DT1 1XJContact name, email, phone

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure