Official UK procurement notice
002150 - Library Management System (LMS)
Authority: Durham County Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe purpose of this project is to replace the existing Library Management System (LMS) used by Durham County Council Library Services, including 39 public libraries, prisons, and a Schools Library Service. The current LMS, developed in house, is outdated and no longer meets the operational and strategic needs of the service. This project will deliver a modern, scalable LMS that enhances operational efficiency, improves user experience, supports digital transformation goals, and complies with current compliance standards.
CPV: Library software package
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£450,000
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (8)
- System Architecture Diagram: 5%
- Statement of Works: 10%
- Product Roadmap and Development: 5%
- Training and Knowledge Transfer: 10%
- Hypercare and Post Hypercare Support: 10%
- System Demonstration: 15%
- Desirable System Functionality: 10%
- Pricing Schedule: 35%
Published award criteria (8)
- System Architecture Diagram
- Statement of Works
- Product Roadmap and Development
- Training and Knowledge Transfer
- Hypercare and Post Hypercare Support
- System Demonstration: As part of this tender assessment, suppliers are required to provide a structured demonstration of their library management system. The purpose of the demonstration is to evidence how your system supports the core business functions that are critical to our operations across public libraries, schools library services and prison library environments. The demonstration scenarios are provided in Document 4 PSQ Response, and the date of the system demonstration will be provided via the Open portal.
- Desirable System Functionality: In addition to meeting all mandatory requirements outlined in this tender, bidders are invited to propose solutions that incorporate desirable system functionality. Desirable functionality refers to system capabilities, specifically for the Schools Library Service, which goes beyond the minimum requirements of a standard Library Management System. These features are not compulsory but will be considered during evaluation and may enhance the overall value of your proposal. The evaluation of desirable requirements will consist of the assessment of availability (10%) and cost (5%).
- Pricing Schedule: The individual elements will be scored as follows: • Element 1 - Fixed Price Implementation services - Weighting 12% • Element 2 - Ongoing annual subscription (e.g., subscription, support, hosting, maintenance)- Weighting 12% • Element 3 - Rate Card for additional professional services - Weighting 6% • Element 4 - Desirable System Functionality - Price Weighting 5%
- Price carries 35 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3.5 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Awarded
- 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
- 29 Oct 2025, 16:31 GMT
- Last source update
- 4 Jun 2026, 09:24 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 14 Apr 2026
- Authority reference
OPEN20251375- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-015499- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05d69eFind a Tender- Contract terms summary
Payment milestones are outlined in Document 3a - Contract Specification and Document 3b - Contract Terms and Conditions.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 30 Mar 2026, 10:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 19 Mar 2026, 10:00 GMT
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Tender documents can be accessed free of charge by registering on the Open Portal at www.open-uk.org ↗
All clarification questions and tender submissions must be made via the Open Portal by the deadlines outlined.
Timeline
29 Oct 2025 → 4 Jun 2026 · 9 dates- Planning notice published352 days ago29 Oct 2025, 16:31 GMT
- Market engagement342 days ago7 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
Durham County Council is continuing its engagement with the market following the initial soft market testing questionnaire issued in August 2024 under reference DN735615 via the NEPO portal, concerning the provision of a new Library Management System. System demonstrations held in November and December 2024 have supported the Council's specification development and strategic planning. While there have been some delays, the project is now progressing at pace. The Council is seeking further preliminary engagement from suppliers to explore potential additional services that could be incorporated into any future tendering opportunity.
While the Council's previous engagements have confirmed that the majority of requirements for School Library Services can be met by standard off-the-shelf Library Management Systems without the need for bespoke development, there remain a number of specific requirements that have not yet been fully explored. The Council is therefore undertaking a deeper review focused on these areas to determine whether they can be fulfilled through existing system capabilities, general configuration, or integration with third-party solutions. This further engagement will help inform the most appropriate route forward for any future procurement activity.
The written response questionnaire can be accessed free of charge by registering on the Open Portal at open-uk.org.
Responses must be submitted through the Open Portal by Friday 7th November at 10am.
- Tender notice published238 days ago20 Feb 2026, 09:24 GMT
- Clarification questions by211 days ago19 Mar 2026, 10:00 GMT
- Submission deadline200 days ago30 Mar 2026, 10:00 BST
- Award decision expected by184 days ago14 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts168 days ago1 May 2026, 00:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent158 days ago11 May 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published134 days ago4 Jun 2026, 09:24 BST
Notice history
12 events · 6 releases on Find a Tender · since 29 Oct 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published29 Oct 2025, 16:31 GMTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published4 Nov 2025, 11:11 GMTUK2
- Tender notice published20 Feb 2026, 09:24 GMTUK4
- Status changed to active20 Feb 2026, 09:24 GMT
- Procurement method changed20 Feb 2026, 09:24 GMT
- Deadline published: 26 Mar 2026, 10:00 GMT20 Feb 2026, 09:24 GMT
- Tender notice published25 Mar 2026, 15:19 GMTUK4
- Deadline moved to 30 Mar 2026, 10:00 BST25 Mar 2026, 15:19 GMT+4 days · was 26 Mar 2026, 10:00 GMT
- Contract award notice published11 May 2026, 12:44 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete11 May 2026, 12:44 BST
- Contract signature expected26 May 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published4 Jun 2026, 09:24 BSTUK7
Published amendments (2)
Deadline for PME responses changed to Friday 7th November at 10am.
Extended the submission deadline by 2 working days from 26th March to the new revised date of 30th March
Routine re-releases (6)
- 2026-02: 1 release · 20 Feb 2026
- 2025-11: 1 release · 4 Nov 2025
- 2025-10: 1 release · 29 Oct 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIVICA UK LIMITED1 Jun 2026 – 29 Feb 2032 · up to 28 Feb 2037Extensions: The Contract period is for an initial 5-year period, with the option to extend for a further 5 years subject to satisfactory performance, service continuity, and the Council's future requirements. The anticipated go-live date for the new system is 1st February 2027, following a 8-month period of mobilisation and implementation, which will commence on 1st June 2026. | £450,000 | 11 May 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Library Management System (LMS) · CIVICA UK LIMITED
- Signed
- 4 Jun 2026
- Value
- £450,000
- Period
- 5 Jun 2026 – 31 May 2031 · up to 31 May 2036 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- 5-year period, with the option to extend for a further 5 years subject to satisfactory performance, service continuity, and the Council's future requirements. Anticipated system go live date is 1st February 2027.
1 agreed KPI: SLA Response Time
- SLA Response Time
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2final-stage tenders · 3 at stage one | 1 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- CIVICA UK LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (7)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specificationsTender documents can be accessed free of charge by registering on the Open Portal at open-uk.org
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender