Official UK procurement notice
Provision of Employability Services in Inverclyde
Authority: Inverclyde Council (Local council)
What is being bought7 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionInverclyde 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 lotLot #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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
What 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).
Lots publish different evaluation splits; there is no single procedure weighting.
- 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…
- 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)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05e412Find 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- 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
Timeline
19 Dec 2025 → 15 Apr 2026 · 3 dates- Submission deadline307 days ago19 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Bids opened307 days ago19 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Notice published190 days ago15 Apr 2026, 13:39 BST
Notice history
1 event · 2 releases on Find a Tender- Status changed to complete15 Apr 2026, 13:39 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 2 · Addressing Health Barriers to Employment1 award | |||
| Stepwell Consultancy Ltd.SME | £124,950 † | — | Awarded |
| Lot 3 · Supported Employment & Employer Engagement1 award | |||
| ENABLE Scotland (leading the Way) | £200,196 † | — | Awarded |
| Lot 4 · Environmental Employment Programme1 award | |||
| Inverclyde Community Development TrustSME | £388,015 † | — | Awarded |
| Lot 5 · Financial Advice and Support1 award | |||
| Financial FitnessSME | £58,552 † | — | Awarded |
| Lot 7 · School Leaver Training Programme1 award | |||
| Street LeagueSME | £70,500 † | — | Awarded |
Contracts
Addressing Health Barriers to Employment · Stepwell Consultancy Ltd.SME
- Signed
- 30 Mar 2026
- Value
- £124,950
- Status
- active
Supported Employment & Employer Engagement · ENABLE Scotland (leading the Way)
- Signed
- 30 Mar 2026
- Value
- £200,196
- Status
- active
Environmental Employment Programme · Inverclyde Community Development TrustSME
- Signed
- 30 Mar 2026
- Value
- £388,015
- Status
- active
Financial Advice and Support · Financial FitnessSME
- Signed
- 30 Mar 2026
- Value
- £58,552
- Status
- active
School Leaver Training Programme · Street LeagueSME
- Signed
- 30 Mar 2026
- Value
- £70,500
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 · Addressing Health Barriers to Employment | 4bids · 4 electronic · 4 from abroad | 4 | — | — |
| 3 · Supported Employment & Employer Engagement | 4bids · 4 electronic · 4 from abroad | 4 | — | — |
| 4 · Environmental Employment Programme | 2bids · 2 electronic · 2 from abroad | 2 | — | — |
| 5 · Financial Advice and Support | 2bids · 2 electronic · 2 from abroad | 2 | — | — |
| 7 · School Leaver Training Programme | 3bids · 3 electronic · 3 from abroad | 3 | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Greenock Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace CourtReview body
Bidders & participating suppliers
5 commercial parties on the notice- ENABLE Scotland (leading the Way)Awarded supplier
- Financial FitnessAwarded supplier
- Inverclyde Community Development TrustAwarded supplier
- Stepwell Consultancy Ltd.Awarded supplier
- Street LeagueAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.