Find a TenderAwarded
Published 19 Nov 2025, 10:50 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

Provision of Employability Services in Inverclyde

Official notice

Authority: Inverclyde Council (Local council)

7 lotsServicesOpen procedureSME suitable
Awarded value£842,2135 contracts · exc. VAT
Submissions closed 19 Dec 2025awarded 30 Mar 2026
Awarded to Stepwell Consultancy Ltd. +4 more5 awards

What is being bought7 lots · detail below

Published requirement description

Inverclyde Council are inviting Tenders for the service provision of one Lot or more than one Lot for Employability Services

 Lot 1: Vocational Training & Personal Development

 Lot 2: Addressing Health Barriers to Employment

 Lot 3: Supported Employment & Employer Engagement

 Lot 4: Environmental Employment Programme

 Lot 5: Financial Advice and Support

 Lot 6: Employment Advice, Advocacy and Guidance

 Lot 7: School Leaver Training Programme

  • Recurrence: If the services are still required and budget is confirmed then a retender may be undertaken

CPV: Adult and other education services · Provision of services to the community

Lots and requirements (7)Procurement structure

7 lots · no lot values published · evaluation weights differ by lot
Lot #1Vocational Training & Personal DevelopmentRenewal

The aim is to provide targeted vocational training and personal development activities to enable eligible Inverclyde residents to attain the skills and competencies required in particular occupations or more broadly in the labour market.

The objectives of the service are to:

 Provide a client centred service delivering vocational training, industry specific skills and personal development training.

 Undertake proactive engagement and community level reach.

 Target those who are inactive/workless/unemployed and who have at least one barrier to employment.

 Focus on moving individuals into sustainable employment.

 Support clients to access specialist services to address other barriers to employment, eg mental health, addiction, benefits & financial advice.

 Achieve a high level of qualification outcomes and entry into sustainable employment. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015

Delivery: Scotland
Extensions: The contract for each service will be for 12 months, April 2026 until March 2027, with an option to extend for a further 1 year period from April 2027 until March 2028Variant bids: not allowed
Lot #2Addressing Health Barriers to EmploymentAwardedRenewal

The overarching aim of the service will be to support unemployed, inactive or workless residents of Inverclyde, aged 18 or over, who have a physical, mental, sensory or learning disability, or long term health condition, to move into sustainable employment, by providing condition management services and job placement/work expereince opportunities.

The objectives of the service are to:

 Provide a specialist, flexible, person centred, locally delivered service.

 Provide adequate resource to identify and engage with those furthest from the labour market.

 Provide appropriate employment and job placement opportunities.

 Work in partnership to complement and add value to other local provision for the benefit of each client Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015

Delivery: Scotland
Extensions: The contract for each service will be for 12 months, April 2026 until March 2027, with an option to extend for a further 1 year period from April 2027 until March 2028Variant bids: not allowed
Lot #3Supported Employment & Employer EngagementAwardedRenewal

The aim is to provide a locally delivered and targeted suppoted employment service to working age residents who have a mental health condition and/or physical disability to improve their skills, qualifications and work experience to progress into sustainable employment.

The objectives of the Lot 3 service are to:

 Provide a flexible, client centred supprted employment service for Inverclyde residents with a mental health condition/physical disability, to move into sustained employment.

 Support employers to provide more inclusive recruitment and staff retention practices to support local people with mental health conditions/physical disabilities to gain and sustain employment.

 Develop a partnership approach to service delivery to add value to, and complement, other local specialist employment provison. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.

Delivery: Scotland
Extensions: The contract for each service will be for 12 months, April 2026 until March 2027, with an option to extend for a further 1 year period from April 2027 until March 2028Variant bids: not allowed
Lot #4Environmental Employment ProgrammeAwardedRenewal

The aim is to provide skills and experience through fixed term paid employment, enabling clients to gain recent work experience of good quality that will strengthen their CV, enabling them to compete more effectively in the job market on Programme completion.

The objective is for the successful tenderer to provide paid employment for unemployed/unwaged/inactive Inverclyde residents who would benefit from 40 weeks work experience in a role that provides environmental/groundworks/site maintenance benefit to the local community. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015

Delivery: Scotland
Extensions: The contract for each service will be for 12 months, April 2026 until March 2027, with an option to extend for a further 1 year period from April 2027 until March 2028Variant bids: not allowed
Lot #5Financial Advice and SupportAwardedRenewal

The main aim is to provide financial advice and support to local residents regarding their financial position when entering into, or progressing within, employment.

The objectives are to:

 Provide a specialist, flexible, person centred, locally delivered service.

 Inform individuals of their financial options in relation to increasing their income and/or reducing their debt.

 Work in partnership to complement and add value to local provision for the benefit of each client. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015

Delivery: Scotland
Extensions: The contract for each service will be for 12 months, April 2026 until March 2027, with an option to extend for a further 1 year period from April 2027 until March 2028Variant bids: not allowed
Lot #6Employment Advice, Advocacy and GuidanceRenewal

To provide a specialist employment advice, advocacy and guidance service which complements and adds value to other employability services in Inverclyde. The service will be delivered flexibly to ensure clients can easily access the support available. The service will provide a range of activities to help residents remain in sustainable employment including:

 Specialist advice and guidance on employment law and the rights of individuals at work.

 Individual counselling sessions eg about a specific employment rights issue affecting a clients ability to remain in work; or to address a specific employment rights barrier preventing a client from fully benefiting from work.

 A front-line enquiry service about employment issues eg sick pay, accidents at work, etc. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015

Delivery: Scotland
Extensions: The contract for each service will be for 12 months, April 2026 until March 2027, with an option to extend for a further 1 year period from April 2027 until March 2028Variant bids: not allowed
Lot #7School Leaver Training ProgrammeAwardedRenewal

The main aim is to provide support to recent school leavers aged 16 to 19 and who are risk of becoming NEET by delivering a vocational employability programme. Skills for employment should be improved via short term, 12 week training programmes which will run across the year, that will provide accredited qualifications alongisde employability skills, CV support and interview skills as well as providing good quality work experince opportunities across a variety of sectors.

The objectives are to:

 Provide a specialist, flexible, person centred, service with Key worker support to engage with young people furthest away from the labour market.

 Work with clients referred by Inverclyde Council as well as local partner organisations such as Skills Development Scotland and West College Scotland and maintain strong partnership links to ensure clients are progressing towards positive destinations.

 Deliver a programme that removes barriers for yong people and helps to increase confidence, resilience and basic skills for progressing into employment. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015

Delivery: Scotland
Extensions: The contract for each service will be for 12 months, April 2026 until March 2027, with an option to extend for a further 1 year period from April 2027 until March 2028Variant bids: not allowed

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
Conditions of participation2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Inverclyde Council will check the financial status of applicants by means of a Dun and Bradstreet assessment. In order to be considered, applicants must achieve one of the following:

    (a) Where the tenderers Dun & Bradstreet risk indicator is 3, the annual contract value should also be less than 50% of the tenderers average turnover over the preceding 2 years (with audited accounts dated within 24 months of the date of the financial check).

    OR

    (b) Where the tenderers Dun & Bradstreet risk indicator is 2 or better, the annual contract value should also be less than 75% of the tenderers average turnover over the preceding 2 years (with audited accounts dated within 21 months of the date of the financial check).

    PLEASE NOTE THE IMPORTANT GUIDANCE TO BIDDERS BELOW:

    APPLICANTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT THEY MEET THESE CRITERIA AS FAILURE OF THE FINANCIAL CHECK WILL MEAN THAT THEIR APPLICATION WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FURTHER. APPLICANTS SHOULD ALSO SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT THEIR DUN AND BRADSTREET RATINGS ARE CORRECT AND IT IS THE APPLICANT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO RAISE ANY QUERIES WITH DUN AND BRADSTREET IF THEY FEEL A CORRECTION IS REQUIRED. THE COUNCIL WILL RELY ON THE RISK RATING IT OBTAINS AT THE TIME IT PERFORMS THE D&B FINANCIAL CHECK.

    You must provide your average yearly turnover for the last 2 years.

    Turnover must be provided from your audited accounts. Turnover from unaudited accounts or part year turnover will not be accepted.

    If you are unable to provide …

  • Technical & professional ability

    4C 1.2 Bidders should provide a minimum of two (2) examples of contractual arrangements they have held over the past three (3) years which best demonstrates their relevant experience to deliver requirements within the Contract which were similar in regards to scope, scale, value and duration.

    4C. 10 Bidders will be required to confirm whether they intend to subcontract and, if so, for what proportion of the contract.

    4D.1 QUALITY MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES

    The bidder must hold a UKAS (or equivalent) accredited independent third party certificate of compliance in accordance with BS EN ISO 9001 (or equivalent),

    OR

    The bidder must have the following:

    a. A documented policy regarding quality management. The policy must set out responsibilities for quality management demonstrating that the bidder has, and continues to implement, a quality management policy that is authorised by their Chief Executive, or equivalent, which is periodically reviewed at a senior management level. The policy must be relevant to the nature and scale of the work to be undertaken and set out responsibilities for quality management throughout the organisation.

    4D.1 HEALTH & SAFETY

    The bidder must hold a UKAS (or equivalent), accredited independent third party certificate of compliance in accordance with BS OHSAS 18001 (or equivalent) or have, within the last 12 months, successfully met the assessment requirements of a construction-related scheme in registered membership of the Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP…

What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 60 points on every lot: a 10% discount moves about 6 points.

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

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record · publisher note attached
Procedure method
Open procedure
Legal basis
CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Awarded
Procurement threshold
Unspecified in notice
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Yes (GPA)
Recurring procurement
Yes · If the services are still required and budget is confirmed then a retender may be undertaken
First published
19 Nov 2025, 10:50 GMT
Last source update
15 Apr 2026, 13:39 BST
Award evaluation window
19 Dec 2025 – …
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-034216
Classification (CPV)
Adult and other education servicesProvision of services to the community
Delivery area
Scotland (UKM83)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05e412 Find a Tender

Publisher note: Tenderers will be required to return with their submission a completed Data Protection Certificate, FOI Certificate, No Collusion Certification, S1 Equalities Questionnaire, S2 Equalities Declaration, Prompt Payment Certificate and Tender Declaration Certificate. It will also be a condition of contract that Tenderers comply with Inverclyde Council`s General Conditions of Contract, Special Conditions of Contract, Specification & Contract Information for Tenderers. (SC Ref:829431)

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: Public Contracts Scotland · Who buys & how to bid on PCS
Supplier login requiredLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free single registration for Scotland; PCS-Tender (Jaggaer) for full bidding
Submission deadline
19 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
Submission channel
{"electronicSubmission"}
Accepted languages
en
Participation fee
document
Bids opened
19 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Timeline

19 Dec 2025 → 15 Apr 2026 · 3 dates
  1. Submission deadline307 days ago
    19 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
  2. Bids opened307 days ago
    19 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
  3. Notice published190 days ago
    15 Apr 2026, 13:39 BST

Notice history

1 event · 2 releases on Find a Tender
  1. Status changed to complete
    15 Apr 2026, 13:39 BST

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 5
Awarded value £842,2135 contracts exc. VAT
Bids received 1515 from SMEs
Contracts signed 5latest 30 Mar 2026

Contracts

Bid statistics published by the authority

LotBidsSMEVCSEValid bid range
2 · Addressing Health Barriers to Employment4bids · 4 electronic · 4 from abroad4——
3 · Supported Employment & Employer Engagement4bids · 4 electronic · 4 from abroad4——
4 · Environmental Employment Programme2bids · 2 electronic · 2 from abroad2——
5 · Financial Advice and Support2bids · 2 electronic · 2 from abroad2——
7 · School Leaver Training Programme3bids · 3 electronic · 3 from abroad3——

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Inverclyde Council

Contracting authorityLocal CouncilRegional or local authorityGeneral public services Procurement, Municipal Buildings, Clyde Square, Greenock, UK, PA15 1LXContact name, email, phone Published organisation website ↗

Dispute resolution & review bodies

  • Greenock Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace CourtReview body Greenock

Bidders & participating suppliers

5 commercial parties on the notice
  • ENABLE Scotland (leading the Way)Awarded supplier INSPIRE House, 3 Renshaw Place, Eurocentral, Lanarkshire, Scotland, ML1 4UFContact phone
  • Financial FitnessAwarded supplier 29 West Stewart Street, Greenock, Greenock, Scotland, PA15 1SHContact phone
  • Inverclyde Community Development TrustAwarded supplier 175 Dalrymple Street, Greenock, Scotland, PA15 1JZ
  • Stepwell Consultancy Ltd.Awarded supplier Suite 3, Clarence House, 7 Hood Street, Greenock, Scotland, PA15 1YQContact phone
  • Street LeagueAwarded supplier 183 Crownpoint Road, Glasgow, Scotland, G40 2ALContact phone

Official documents & specifications

Official links; attachments are not copied

No document links were published on the notice.