Official UK procurement notice
Connect To Work Programme · Cambridgeshire County Council for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (Dec 2025)
Authority: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Authority, acting as the Lead Authority and Accountable Body, seeks to award a single contract to an experienced Supplier to manage a specialist supply chain and deliver 3,738 Connect to Work Programme starts, along with associated job starts and outcomes, between contract commencement and 31 March 2030.
The successful Supplier will be responsible for:
Building and managing a specialist, local supply chain of delivery partners.
Ensuring access to, and engagement with, the targeted Connect to Work participants.
Overall delivery of both IPS (Individual Placement and Support model) and SEQF (Support Employment Quality Framework) support to the IPS and SEQF fidelity scales2 at the required volumes and profiles as detailed in this Specification
The contract will cover delivery to 3,738 participants in the CPCA area over five years, with volumes expected to peak in Years 3 and 4. The maximum contract value is £12,291,042.00 (excluding VAT).
Funding is planned in two stages, reflecting a DWP review at the end of Year 3:
Contract commencement - 31 March 2028
£6,818,466 for 2,360 participants
£5,472,576 for 1,378 participants (planned)
Appointment will be based on the Supplier's expertise, resources, and approach. Quality Question responses in Document D will form contractual obligations. The contract will be signed under hand.
- How the procedure runs: The Authority is conducting this procurement using the Competitive Flexible Procedure, in accordance with Section 20(2)(b) of the Procurement Act 2023. The process has been designed to ensure fairness, transparency, and proportionality, while maintaining flexibility to meet the requirements of this Light Touch Contract. Stage 1 – Shortlisting Suppliers Stage 1 identifies Suppliers capable of meeting the Authority’s requirements. It includes: • 4 pass/fail questions – Suppliers failing any pass/fail question will be excluded. • 3 weighted backward-looking questions – These assess relevant experience and are scored against the published marking scheme. Suppliers passing the pass/fail questions will be scored on their weighted quality responses. The Authority intends to invite up to five (5) of the highest-scoring Suppliers to Stage 2. If fewer than five meet the requirements, fewer may be shortlisted. In the event of a tie for fifth place, all Suppliers with the same score may progress. The shortlisting methodology will be applied consistently to all Suppliers and will not be altered once the evaluation process has commenced. Stage 2 – Invitation to Tender (ITT) Only Suppliers shortlisted from Stage 1 will be invited to Stage 2, which includes: 1. Conditions of Participation (Exclusion Checks) o Each Supplier must complete the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) and meet the Authority’s conditions of participation before tender evaluation. o The PSQ will determine whether mandatory or discretionary exclusion grounds apply and confirm ongoing compliance. o Suppliers failing the PSQ or conditions of participation will be excluded, and their tender will not be evaluated. 2. Tender Submission and Evaluation o Suppliers passing the PSQ will have their Stage 2 submissions evaluated on quality and price, according to the ITT evaluation criteria and weightings. o The contract will be awarded to the Supplier achieving the highest overall evaluation score. o Tie-breaks: If scores are tied, the contract will be awarded based on combined scores for Quality Questions 1 and 3. If still tied, preference will be given to delivery planned in Fenland and Peterborough, reflecting strategic priorities. . The Authority reserves the right to make amendments to the procurement process or timetable where necessary. Any such amendment will be communicated to all Suppliers simultaneously through the Portal, accompanied by the rationale for the change, and the Authority will ensure that no Supplier is placed at a disadvantage as a result of any amendment. Contract award is subject to CPCA funding approval or receipt from Government.
CPV: Career guidance services · Education and training services · Job search services · Personal development training services · Recruitment services · Training programme services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedWhat it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
- Quality: Stage 2 - Tender Stage Evaluation At Tender Stage, the Authority is applying a principle of seeking the Most Advantageous Tender by evaluating the tender submissions as follows respectively: • Quality – 100% • Pricing – Pricing Evaluation Methodology - Price per Quality Point (PCP)
- Price: PCP (Price per Quality Point) The quality question answers, which account for 100% are scored and weighted. Each supplier ends up with a total quality score (for example, 70 out of 100). Each supplier also submits their price on the Grant Cost Register (Appendix 9). This will be scored on the value entered into cell M20, which is “Total Indirect Costs (Maximum of 10% of Total Costs)” on the “Profit & Loss Summary Sheet”. This will be calculated by dividing each supplier’s price (cell M20) by their quality score. PCP = Price / Quality Score The supplier with the lowest PCP wins — they offer the best combination of price and quality.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Light touch regime
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 1 Dec 2025, 15:43 GMT
- Last source update
- 18 May 2026, 12:54 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 27 Feb 2026
- Authority reference
DN799123- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-078590- Accelerated
- Light touch contract
- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05ec2fFind a Tender
- How it runs
The Authority is conducting this procurement using the Competitive Flexible Procedure, in accordance with Section 20(2)(b) of the Procurement Act 2023. The process has been designed to ensure fairness, transparency, and proportionality, while maintaining flexibility to meet the requirements of this Light Touch Contract.
Stage 1 – Shortlisting Suppliers
Stage 1 identifies Suppliers capable of meeting the Authority’s requirements. It includes:
- 4 pass/fail questions – Suppliers failing any pass/fail question will be excluded.
- 3 weighted backward-looking questions – These assess relevant experience and are scored against the published marking scheme.
Suppliers passing the pass/fail questions will be scored on their weighted quality responses. The Authority intends to invite up to five (5) of the highest-scoring Suppliers to Stage 2. If fewer than five meet the requirements, fewer may be shortlisted. In the event of a tie for fifth place, all Suppliers with the same score may progress.
The shortlisting methodology will be applied consistently to all Suppliers and will not be altered once the evaluation process has commenced.
Stage 2 – Invitation to Tender (ITT)
Only Suppliers shortlisted from Stage 1 will be invited to Stage 2, which includes:
- Conditions of Participation (Exclusion Checks)
o Each Supplier must complete the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) and meet the Authority’s conditions of participation before tender evaluation.
o The PSQ will determine whether mandatory or discretionary exclusion grounds apply and confirm ongoing compliance.
o Suppliers failing the PSQ or conditions of participation will be excluded, and their tender will not be evaluated.
- Tender Submission and Evaluation
o Suppliers passing the PSQ will have their Stage 2 submissions evaluated on quality and price, according to the ITT evaluation criteria and weightings.
o The contract will be awarded to the Supplier achieving the highest overall evaluation score.
o Tie-breaks: If scores are tied, the contract will be awarded based on combined scores for
Quality Questions 1 and 3. If still tied, preference will be given to delivery planned in Fenland and Peterborough, reflecting strategic priorities.
.
The Authority reserves the right to make amendments to the procurement process or timetable where necessary. Any such amendment will be communicated to all Suppliers simultaneously through the Portal, accompanied by the rationale for the change, and the Authority will ensure that no Supplier is placed at a disadvantage as a result of any amendment. Contract award is subject to CPCA funding approval or receipt from Government.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 15 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Interested parties are invited to download and engage with the opportunity by;
(a) Going to: procontract.due-north.com/Opportunities ↗
(b) Select Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority from the organization list
(c) Searching for opportunity: Connect to Work Programme; Ref: DN799123
(d) Express an interest
(e) Access and download the Tender documents from the website and respond in accordance with the contained instructions.
Alternatively, you can access the direct link to the opportunity here:
Timeline
1 Dec 2025 → 18 May 2026 · 6 dates- Tender notice published327 days ago1 Dec 2025, 15:43 GMT
- Submission deadline313 days ago15 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Assessment summaries sent247 days ago19 Feb 2026
- Award decision expected by238 days ago27 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts225 days ago13 Mar 2026
- Latest notice published159 days ago18 May 2026, 12:54 BST
Notice history
6 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 1 Dec 2025- Tender notice published1 Dec 2025, 15:43 GMTUK4
- Contract award notice published20 Feb 2026, 12:21 GMTUK6
- Status changed to complete20 Feb 2026, 12:21 GMT
- Procurement method changed20 Feb 2026, 12:21 GMT
- Contract signature expected3 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
- Contract details notice published18 May 2026, 12:54 BSTUK7
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridgeshire County Council31 Mar 2026 – 30 Mar 2028 · up to 30 Mar 2030Extensions: From 31st March 2026 for 24 months + 12 months + 12 months. | £12,291,042 | 19 Feb 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 1 · Cambridgeshire County Council
- Signed
- 15 Apr 2026
- Value
- £12,291,042
- Period
- 15 Apr 2026 – 31 Mar 2028 · up to 31 Mar 2030 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- Optional extensions of 12 months, plus 12 months are included in the terms of the contract.
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1final-stage tenders · 5 at stage one | 0 | 0 | — |
Who bid
- wonCambridgeshire County Council · East of England
Bidders as named on the Procurement Act 2023 award notice. “Won” means the bidder holds an award on this notice.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Cambridgeshire County CouncilAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender