003843 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for Virtual Reality (VR) Headsets
Durham County CouncilEstimated Value
Up to £15,000
Deadline
Not specified
Published
17 September 2026
Type
Not specified
Full Description
The Council is inviting suppliers to participate in preliminary engagement to gain insight from the market with the purpose of making any potential future exercise, well framed, feasible, focused and of likely interest to the market.
Durham County Council (DCC) is looking to explore the market options for Virtual Reality (VR) headsets suitable for use in a range of care settings.
Scope
- Provision of standalone virtual reality headsets suitable for use in a range of care settings, including all required accessories and chargers
- The solution must provide immersive 360-degree experiences that can be delivered safely in seated, supervised one-to-one or small group sessions.
- Content should support reminiscence, relaxation, wellbeing, social interaction and meaningful activity primarily for older people, including people living with dementia and other adult service user groups as appropriate.
- The supplier should provide local content relevant to County Durham and the North East where available, with the option to develop or commission new experiences linked to local places, history, culture and service-user interests.
- Content should be refreshed regularly so the service has access to new experiences over time and can maintain interest for repeat users.
- The specification should support both individual personalised use and planned group activity sessions within a range of care settings.
- The solution must be suitable for social staff to operate following training, with clear guidance on when VR may or may not be appropriate for an individual.
Written response questionnaires ca
Requirements
- Provision of standalone virtual reality headsets suitable for use in a range of care settings, including all required accessories and chargers
- The solution must provide immersive 360-degree experiences that can be delivered safely in seated, supervised one-to-one or small group sessions.
- The specification should support both individual personalised use and planned group activity sessions within a range of care settings.
- The solution must be suitable for social staff to operate following training, with clear guidance on when VR may or may not be appropriate for an individual.
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Likely incumbents
Suppliers who won similar work from this buyer in the last 5 years.
- 1
Karbon Homes
4 contracts wonlatest 5 Aug 2026£794,855
total awarded
- 2
Michael Coghlan Football Coaching
4 contracts wonlatest 5 Aug 2026£967,950
total awarded
- 3
Terry Group Limited
£1m
total awarded
- 4
AKARI CARE LIMITED
£196,197
total awarded
- 5
DURHAM CHRISTIAN PARTNERSHIP
£903,748
total awarded
Karbon Homes is the most likely incumbent based on recency and category match. To win, bidders typically need a clearly differentiated proposition or a price advantage.
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two years of filed accountsyour financial standingturnover vs contract valueyour Companies House recordcash flow for 30-day termscredit scores and ratios
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Buyer Profile
Durham County CouncilKey Dates
Published
17 September 2026
Submission deadline
Not specified
Notice type
planning
Source
find a tender
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