CO0418 Business Support Services Future Growth Programme 2

Essex County Council (ECC) are seeking to commence procurement in March 2024 to procure an integrated Business Support, Financial Support, Skills Consultancy & Brokerage service. The service, working closely with the Government funded Growth Hub, will help provide the front door for businesses seeking advice and support in the County, enabling them to have the knowledge necessary to achieve growth and prosperity as well as access to business finance. The area covered by the service will be the Ceremonial County of Essex, excluding Southend and Thurrock Unitary Authority areas. We are proposing tendering as a single lot with 3 main areas of focus: Focus Area 1 : Business Support Service The business support service will support the creation of high-quality jobs by providing best in class support to enable businesses to start, grow, diversify, transition to Net Zero carbon and stay resilient from economic shocks. The goal is to boost business performance, create jobs and help businesses seize opportunities, with a strong focus on supporting Essex’s growth sectors as identified in the ECC Sector Development Strategy. The primary purpose of the service is to deliver business support that will create and safeguard jobs and support business growth and productivity. The supplier is expected to provide 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 the development of new skills and enabling businesses to implement, adopt, deliver and develop green technologies. Focus Area 2: Financial Support Service The business support service will also support businesses to access business finance. This includes finance provided by Essex County Council. The finance support service will provide 1-2-1 financial and debt management support and advice to businesses, alongside navigation services which signpost businesses to other financial support programmes, to create and safeguard jobs and support business growth and survival across Essex. The supplier will be regulated and approved by the Financial Conduct Authority and will be expected to deliver free financial and debt management support, with the ability to provide business loans where applicable. The advice and support should allow businesses to help plan, manage and access finance that suits their needs in order to safeguard against any future disruption and enable businesses to maximise opportunities to not only survive but thrive. Focus Area 3: Skills Consultancy and Brokerage Service The skills consultancy and brokerage service will provide an independent business people and skill needs diagnosis and brokerage service to businesses across the contract area. Through this service businesses will develop an understanding of the skills and training needs of their organisation and its people with the provider delivering a People and Skills Needs Assessment and targeted Training Needs Assessment (TNA) as appropriate if they are faced with multiple challenges in the business. The service will assist businesses to understand the skills landscape in Essex, the provision available that responds to their deficits (accredited and non-accredited learning) and information on the funding for courses. The supplier will drive cultural change as well as provide introductions that connect employers, providers and learners as well as take the lead in developing placement and educational engagement opportunities locally with Businesses to facilitate access to courses. The supplier of this service will be expected to promote and introduce businesses to existing local and national services and initiatives with a specific focus on providing feed to the Essex County Council offer without duplicating any services. We are requesting that interested suppliers respond via emailing sam.hadi@essex.gov.uk to confirm their interest, as well as their indicative bidding model. Responses should be submitted by EOP Friday 23rd February 2024.