Find a TenderAwarded without competitionContract award notice
Published 19 Sept 2025, 08:56 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Provision of High Volume Call Handling (HVCH)

Official notice

Authority: Northern Ireland Electricity Networks Limited (Public body)

Direct awardUtilities
Awarded value£363,000published award · exc. VAT
Awarded 19 Sept 2025no call for competition
Awarded to Eckoh UK Limited

What is being bought

Published requirement description

HVCH is an integral part of NIE Networks’ fault and emergency response processes and systems. It plays a fundamental role in call handling operations, both during normal call volumes and periods of high demand. The HVCH hosted system provides 100% speech recognition, enabling customers to be identified by postcode and house number when their telephone number is not matched within the NIE Networks’ database. Using HVCH ensures callers reporting a fault never receive an engaged tone, as the call is either handled by a Customer Service Agent (CSA), or the automated HVCH system. Additionally, HVCH provides customers with the option to report a fault online.

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published

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
19 Sept 2025, 08:56 BST
Last source update
22 Sept 2025, 15:41 BST
Authority reference
B872
FTS notice number
2025/S 000-058608
Latest notice
Contract award notice (UK6)
Delivery area
Northern Ireland (UKN)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-059dc2 Find a Tender
Why no open competition
Urgency
Published justification

The justification for this STA is reliance upon Clause 41 “Direct Award in Special Cases” of the Procurement Act 2023, Schedule 5. Where the goods to be supplied are strictly necessary for reasons of extreme and unavoidable urgency, and as a result the contract cannot be awarded on the basis of a competitive tendering procedure. The urgency is unavoidable as it is not attributable to any act or omission of NIE Networks and could not have been foreseen by NIE Networks.

Notice history

4 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 19 Sept 2025
  1. Transparency notice published
    19 Sept 2025, 08:56 BST
    UK5
  2. Transparency notice published
    19 Sept 2025, 09:22 BST
    UK5
  3. Contract award notice published
    22 Sept 2025, 15:41 BST
    UK6
  4. Contract signature expected
    1 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMT
    scheduled

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 1
Awarded value £363,0001 award exc. VAT
Awarded toValueDateStatus
Eckoh UK Limited1 Dec 2025 – 30 Nov 2027£363,00019 Sept 2025Awarded

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Northern Ireland Electricity Networks Limited

Contracting authorityPrivate utilityNorthern Irish devolved regulations apply GB-COH: NI026041 120 Malone Road, Belfast, UK, BT9 5HTContact email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice
  • Eckoh UK LimitedAwarded supplierGB-COH: 03435822 Telford House,Corner Hall, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, East of England, HP39HNContact email

Official documents & specifications (3)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender
  • Transparency notice awardTransparency noticeUK5Transparency notice on Find a Tender
  • Transparency notice awardTransparency noticeUK5Transparency notice on Find a Tender