003843 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for Virtual Reality (VR) Headsets

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