Find a TenderAwardedContract details notice

Published 9 Feb 2026, 14:48 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

NCC1755 NE Rural Growth Programme

Official notice

Authority: Northumberland County Council (Local council)·Consortium: 3 public authorities

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable

Sectors: Business Services & Consultancy (79)Education & Training (80) Delivery: North East (UKC)

Published estimate£675,000≈ £225k / year · £810,000 inc. VAT

Submissions closed 6 Mar 2026awarded 13 Apr 2026

Awarded to Northumberland Business Service Limited

Contract term 3 yrsends 1 Apr 2029 · up to 1 Apr 2030 with extensions · starts 1 Apr 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Northumberland County Council, the lead delivery partner on behalf of the North East Combined Authority (NECA), seeks to appoint a supplier that can supply a pool of Technical Specialists to support all  rural businesses in County Durham,  Gateshead and Northumberland.

The selected supplier will facilitate the provision of 1:Many, in the form of workshops, and 1-2-1 advice to eligible businesses identified by the project and accepted onto the North East Rural Growth Programme (NERGP).

CPV: Business and management consultancy services · Staff training services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published

Lot #1AwardedRenewal 3 yrsPublished value£675,000

Contract period: 1 Apr 2026 – 1 Apr 2029 (3 yrs) · up to 1 Apr 2030 with extensionsValue: £675,000 exc. VAT · £810,000 inc. VAT

Delivery: North East

Extensions: Subject to service requirements

79410000 Business and management consultancy services 80511000 Staff training services

What it takes to win
i
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 more

How bids were scored

Quality: 60%Price: 30%Social value: 10%

Published sub-criteria (6)

Understanding of the context: 15%
Technical Specialists and Staffing Arrangements: 20%
Capacity and Resource Management: 15%
Workshop Delivery Model: 10%
Value for Money: 30%
Social Value: 10%

Published award criteria (6)

Understanding of the context
Technical Specialists and Staffing Arrangements
Capacity and Resource Management
Workshop Delivery Model
Social Value
Value for Money

What this means for your bid

Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record

Procedure method: Open procedure
Legal basis: UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category: Services
Notice status: Awarded
Procurement threshold: Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime: Standard
Commercial structure: Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type: Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered: Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement: Unspecified in notice
First published: 9 Feb 2026, 14:48 GMT
Last source update: 1 Jun 2026, 15:39 BST
Award evaluation window: Submission end – 23 Mar 2026
Authority reference: NCC1755
FTS notice number: 2026/S 000-011450
Latest notice: Contract details notice (UK7)
Classification (CPV): Business and management consultancy servicesStaff training services
Delivery area: North East (UKC)
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-064b57 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice

Run through: OPEN-UK

Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN

Access & registration note: Free

Submission deadline: 6 Mar 2026, 12:00 GMT
Clarification deadline: 26 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
Submission channel: Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission: Allowed
Accepted languages: en

Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Please visit www.open-uk.org ↗ to view the opportunity and searching the project reference: OPEN2026165

Timeline

9 Feb 2026 → 1 Jun 2026 · 8 dates

Tender notice published254 days ago
9 Feb 2026, 14:48 GMT
Clarification questions by237 days ago
26 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
Submission deadline229 days ago
6 Mar 2026, 12:00 GMT
Award decision expected by211 days ago
23 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
Contract starts203 days ago
1 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
Assessment summaries sent191 days ago
13 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
Standstill ends181 days ago
22 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
Latest notice published142 days ago
1 Jun 2026, 15:39 BST

Notice history

5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 9 Feb 2026

Tender notice published
9 Feb 2026, 14:48 GMT
UK4
Contract award notice published
13 Apr 2026, 16:04 BST
UK6
Status changed to complete
13 Apr 2026, 16:04 BST
Contract signature expected
1 May 2026, 23:59 BST
scheduled
Contract details notice published
1 Jun 2026, 15:39 BST
UK7

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast

Awards 1

Awarded value £674,9811 award exc. VAT

Bids received 44 from SMEs

Contracts signed 1latest 1 Jun 2026

Awarded to	Value	Date	Status
Northumberland Business Service LimitedSME1 May 2026 – 1 May 2029 · up to 1 May 2030Extensions: Optional Extension of 12 months that can be utilised if required by the service.	£674,981	13 Apr 2026	Awarded

Contracts

NCC1755 NE Rural Growth Programme · Northumberland Business Service LimitedSME
Signed
1 Jun 2026
Value
£674,981
Period
1 Jun 2026 – 31 Mar 2029 · up to 31 Mar 2030 with extensions
Status
active
Extensions
Optional extension
3 agreed KPIs: Minimum of 100 Businesses supported through 1-2-1 Technical Support by end of year 1 · Minimum of 250 Businesses supported through 1-2-1 Technical Support and a minimum of 60 FTE Jobs Created by end of year 2 · Minimum of 350 Businesses supported through 1-2-1 Technical Support and a minimum of 200 FTE Jobs Created by contract end date
- Minimum of 100 Businesses supported through 1-2-1 Technical Support by end of year 1
- Minimum of 250 Businesses supported through 1-2-1 Technical Support and a minimum of 60 FTE Jobs Created by end of year 2
- Minimum of 350 Businesses supported through 1-2-1 Technical Support and a minimum of 200 FTE Jobs Created by contract end date

Bid statistics published by the authority

Bids	SME	VCSE	Valid bid range
4final-stage tenders	4	0	—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

3 public bodies on the notice

Northumberland County Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PJJX-1133-JRGV County Hall, Morpeth, North East, NE61 2EFContact email

Consortium members and other public bodies

Durham County CouncilContracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central governmentTender EvaluationGB-PPON: PMPB-8772-VYWM Durham, North EastContact email
Gateshead CouncilContracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central governmentTender EvaluationGB-PPON: PPPD-6566-XHMN Gateshead, North EastContact email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice

Northumberland Business Service LimitedAwarded supplierGB-COH: 04121893GB-UKPRN: 10001039 6 Esther Court, Rotary Parkway,, Ashington, North East, NE63 8APContact email

Official documents & specifications (4)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

Bidding documents and specifications tenderBidding documents and specificationsProject reference - OPEN2026165

Notices published for this procedure

Contract details notice contractContract details noticeUK7Contract details notice on Find a Tender1 Jun 2026, 15:39 BST
Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender13 Apr 2026, 16:04 BST
Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender9 Feb 2026, 14:48 GMT