LCRCA - Delivery Partner - Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) - Connect to Work

Liverpool City Region Combined AuthoritycontractFind a TenderRef ocds-h6vhtk-05e533Procurement Act 2023SME suitableVCSE suitablepending

Estimated value

Awarded value

£11.5m

Awarded 05 Jul 2026

Suppliers

1

Lots

1

1 awarded

Published

07 Jul 2026

Description

The Connect to Work Programme is expected to implement 2 delivery models for support employment support, one through IPS (Individual Placement Support) which will be delivered in house through CA and LA staff, but the LCRCA intends to commission the SEQF (Supported Employment Quality Framework) element of Connect to Work. At peak delivery this will be approximately 1,000 participants per annum across all 6 local authority areas of the city region. It is anticipated that one provider will be able to fulfil this need in terms of volumes and geographical coverage, but this will not be fully understood until the conclusion of the procurement process. Please note we don't have our cost centre set up yet with budget codes, it is in the process of being set up and we have a meeting with finance this week to discuss.

Scope

Reference
DN804197
Commercial tool
Standalone contract
Contract dates
19 Jul 2026 to 19 Jul 2029
Possible extension to 20 Jul 2032

The extension is subject to funding and suppliers delivery performance. The initial contract term is for 3 years. However there is a potential to extend the contract for a further three years if additional funding is secured. The estimated value of the contract is £6,196,900 for a period of three years. The contractor will have targets for registrations in year one and year two with the third year spent provide ongoing support to participants who joined the programme during the second year i.e. up to 12 months for unemployed people and up to 4 months for people in work. Subject to funding approval and the contractor's performance, the SEQF contract may be extended for a further three years of delivery. If an extension is approved the value will be £5,296,000, there will be targets for registrations in year three and year four with year five spent providing ongoing support to participants who joined the programme during the fourth year i.e. up to 12 months for unemployed people and up to 4 months for people in work

CPV classifications
85000000
Contract locations
North West England, United Kingdom
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)

Award criteria

Criteria the buyer will use to evaluate bids.

NameDescriptionTypeWeighting
Qualityquality100.00%

Participation

Conditions suppliers must meet to bid.

This information is detailed within the tender documents, via the Merseytravel account on www.the-chest.org

Submission & procedure

Procedure
Open procedure

Award details

Awarded supplier(s), contract period and value as published in the award notice.

Awarded value

£11.5m

Award date

05 Jul 2026

Contract start

19 Jul 2026

Contract end

19 Jul 2029

Awarded to