Council looks to buy commercially available technology

Credit: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/Press Association Images

Leicestershire County Council is to spend £150,000 on an app to help residents of the county to better manage their weight.

The authority has published a contract outlining its intent to procure an app to join the suite of tools it is assembling to offer “weight-management” services for citizens. Leicestershire has decided not to develop its own program, preferring to buy “an existing, fully developed app with strong technical support and flexible and responsive monitoring capability”.

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“We are seeking to add a high-quality cloud-based weight management app to our portfolio of weight management support available to the Leicestershire population,” it said. “The digital package will expand the reach and flexibility of our service offer, increasing the availability and quality of free, evidence based, self-help support resources accessible to the Leicestershire population.”

The plan is to launch the app on 1 October. Potential suppliers have until 2 September to submit their bids. The successful bidder is set to be awarded a one-year contract worth about £150,000.

The weight-management service will comprise a range of guidance, triage, and support tools. It is being launched by the local authority following its integration of the previously independent NHS Leicestershire Nutrition and Dietetic Service.