T26-075CRO City of Derry to London Public Service Obligation (PSO) Air Services Preliminary Market Engagement

Derry City and Strabane District Council (DCSDC) intend to commence a robust, credible and transparent preliminary market engagement exercise to develop a deliverable and affordable option for City of Derry to London Public Service (PSO) Air Services in order to achieve a successful contract award by April 2027. The purpose of this preliminary market engagement (PME) is to gather insights and feedback from the market to inform the development of the procurement strategy and specification for City of Derry to London Public Service (PSO) Air Services as well as assisting Derry City and Strabane District Council to ensure that the most efficient and effective methods of procurement are considered. The first phase of the market engagement exercise will be participation from the supply base through the attached questionnaire. Responses to these questions will help Derry City and Strabane District Council gather comprehensive information about potential suppliers and the services they offer. This will allow us to make informed decisions regarding our specification and procurement strategy before entering the market with a full procurement competition. At this stage, any information gathered through this engagement exercise will solely inform internal business planning and any possible subsequent procurement process; and will NOT be appraised in any future tender evaluation exercise.