Scope
Reference
T2695
Description
Belfast City Council invites expressions of interest from suitably qualified providers for the management of medical and first aid services at the Fleadh Cheoil event in Belfast, August 2026.
This includes, but is not limited to: Establishment and operation of a dedicated medical centre, Provision and maintenance of appropriate medical equipment, Deployment of trained medical and first aid personnel, Supply of suitable vehicles for medical response, Delivery of relevant training and certification, Provision of radios or other communication equipment to support medical coordination. EOIs should be emailed to cps@belfastcity.gov.uk by Friday 28 November 2025. On receipt, Bidders will be issued a Project Brief and asked to re‑confirm interest. Those who re‑confirm will be invited to further stages, likely including:
Stage 1 - Engagement to assess capability and scope requirements. Stage 2 - Competitive tendering.
Any value stated is indicative only, with the final value determined through market engagement.
Total value (estimated)
- £1,000,000 excluding VAT
- £1,200,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 February 2026 to 31 January 2027
- Possible extension to 31 January 2028
- 2 years
Description of possible extension:
Option to extend for a further 12 month period.
Options
The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.
Sufficient flexiblilty will be included in the contract documents to cover all associated services and contigencies.
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 85143000 - Ambulance services
- 85141000 - Services provided by medical personnel
Contract locations
- UKN - Northern Ireland
Participation
Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation
Will be included in the tender documents when ready.
Technical ability conditions of participation
Will be included in the tender documents when ready.
Particular suitability
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
- Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)
Submission
Submission type
Requests to participate
Deadline for requests to participate
28 November 2025, 12:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Please email expression of interest to cps@belfastcity.gov.uk
Once finalised the tender process will be managed using https://e-sourcingni.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
30 January 2026
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | This will be determined later in line with competitive flexible process set out. |
Quality |
| Social value | This will be determined later in line with competitive flexible process set out. |
Quality |
| Cost | This will be determined later in line with competitive flexible process set out. |
Cost |
Weighting description
Quality
Cost
Social Value
Other information
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Competitive flexible procedure
Special regime
Light touch
Competitive flexible procedure description
Belfast City Council invites expressions of interest from suitably qualified providers for the management of medical and first aid services at the Fleadh Cheoil event in Belfast, August 2026.
This includes, but is not limited to: Establishment and operation of a dedicated medical centre, Provision and maintenance of appropriate medical equipment, Deployment of trained medical and first aid personnel, Supply of suitable vehicles for medical response, Delivery of relevant training and certification, Provision of radios or other communication equipment to support medical coordination. EOIs should be emailed to cps@belfastcity.gov.uk by Friday 28 November 2025. On receipt, Bidders will be issued a Project Brief and asked to re‑confirm interest. Those who re‑confirm will be invited to further stages, likely including:
Stage 1 - Engagement to assess capability and scope requirements. Stage 2 - Competitive tendering.
Any value stated is indicative only, with the final value determined through market engagement.
Reduced tendering period
Yes
Light touch contract - no minimum
Justification for not publishing a preliminary market engagement notice
The Council has opted not to publish a separate preliminary market engagement notice as this Expression of Interest exercise serves the same purpose. By inviting EOIs directly, the Council is able to gauge market capacity, capability and appetite, while keeping the process proportionate and straightforward. Further stages are yet to be determined and may be dictated by the level of interest from the market but at this stage will likely include:
Stage 1 - Engagement with interested Bidders to better under capability and capacity to help scope the requirement
Stage 2 - A competitive tendering stage
Documents
Documents to be provided after the tender notice
Via eSourcingNI or email as appropiate.
Contracting authority
Belfast City Council
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PQXY-5321-CGZM
9-21 Adelaide Street
Belfast
BT2 8DJ
United Kingdom
Email: cps@belfastcity.gov.uk
Region: UKN06 - Belfast
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government
Devolved regulations that apply: Northern Ireland