Business Support Services · UK public procurement notice

The primary purpose of the procurement opportunity is to deliver business support that will create and safeguard jobs and support business growth and survival.

This should be achieved through a range of interventions to be agreed with ECC during the implementation phase. These interventions may include providing 1-2-1 advice, partnering and collaboration opportunities between SME's and major industries and educational institutions, assisting businesses to pivot and innovate, supporting product development, supporting business people to develop new skills and enabling businesses to implement, adopt, deliver and develop green technologies.

6.3 Recent economic challenges have shown that being too prescriptive in this specification will reduce the ability for the new service to be agile and flexible to the changing needs of businesses and to the changing economic priorities of ECC. The supplier will therefore be expected to proactively design, develop and tailor the support interventions delivered to businesses throughout the contract by following the approach outlined below.

• Utilise evidence to identify business issue/needs
• Identify solutions and design interventions
• Review with senior ECC officers and Members to consider approach and expected outcomes against ECC and South East LEP Federated Board objectives
• Test solutions with end users
• Deploy intervention
• Monitor, continue, tweak or abort intervention

Suppliers will need to show that they understand the challenges that businesses face, particularly in the current climate, and what support they need. This should include details of the proposed delivery model and how it will address these needs and challenges. The supplier should look to apply learning from similar programmes, such as target audience, key sectors, delivery models and up-take demographics.

The service must be delivered across the whole of the Essex County Council geography, excluding the Unitary Authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock.