Official UK procurement notice
Framework Agreement for development and implementation of the SIGN programme (Social Investors)
Authority: Norfolk County Council (Local council)
What is being bought4 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionNorfolk County Council (NCC) has been procuring contracts for social investor provider partnerships over the last few years as part of a wider programme of social inclusion, and is now putting in place a framework agreement to better enable departments within the council to bring on board social investors for its social inclusion projects.
This strategic framework seeks to support long-term partnerships between funders, investors, outcome payers and Norfolk delivery partners in developing and implementing a wide range of investment projects aligned to UK government policy, NCC strategic objectives and the Norfolk Local Growth Plan. NCC are keen to see partnerships that deliver higher impact for beneficiaries, delivery partners and NCC commissioners.
In respect of Local Government Reorganisation (“LGR”), on 7 September 2026 the government withdrew an earlier decision that it was minded to establish three unitary councils for Norfolk and announced a ‘rapid review’ of its LGR programme in respect of Norfolk and some other areas.
On 4 December 2025, the then Secretary of State for Local Government made a written statement [UIN HCWS1128] stating that the government intended to establish a Mayoral Strategic Authority for Norfolk and Suffolk as soon as possible, and that it was minded to hold inaugural mayoral elections in May 2028.
On 7 September 2026, the current Secretary of State said: “The Prime Minister is really clear that the Government’s ambition is to ensure that every area in England has, or is in the process of establishing, a strategic authority by the end of 2027, with strategic authorities in place everywhere by the end of 2028”.
Should LGR and/or devolution processes lead to unitary local government in Norfolk and/or to the establishment of a strategic authority covering Norfolk (i) the Framework Agreement] may be transferred, assigned or novated to any successor authority(ies) to the county council, or to any joint body incorporating or formed by any such successor and/or to any strategic authority; and/or (ii) the council or a successor authority or joint body may order services on behalf of other local authorities serving any area within Norfolk's current geographical boundaries.
The Framework Agreement may be used by any contracting authority that succeeds wholly or in part to the functions of Norfolk County Council.
The value in this notice is an estimate as it will depend on the call-offs the Council decides to make. The estimate value of £75m is over all framework lots and can be shared between framework lots.
Contracts awarded under the framework may have a maximum total duration of 10 years.
No contract awarded from the framework will be permitted to extend beyond April 2040.
The values in this notice are estimates and depend on usage by the Council.
CPV: Banking and investment services · Community action programme · Other community, social and personal services · Provision of services to the community
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework
- Call-offs
- call-offs may be awarded directly or by further competition
- Places
- up to 20 suppliers · 3 bids on the busiest of 4 lots (0.1 per place) · 3 appointed
- Framework period
- 4 yrs from 30 Apr 2026
- Buyer regions
- UKH14, UKH15, UKH16, UKH17
Who may buy through it
- Any successor body to Norfolk County Council, including any company formed by the Council to carry out its Children's Services, Education, Adult Social Services, Community Health, Public Health, Economic Development or Skills Development functions
- The Combined Mayoral Authority for Norfolk and Suffolk once operational
- Any organisation Norfolk County Council outsources its Children's Services, Education, Adult Social Services, Community Health, Public Health, Economic Development or Skills Development requirements to
- Any public body with which the Council enters into pooling arrangements for the provision of its Children's Services Education, Adult Social Services, Community Health, Public Health, Economic Development or Skills Development services.
Published description of the framework
Each time the Council has a requirement it will either:
hold a competition involving all suppliers capable of performing the contract. This will involve inviting bids from Suppliers on the framework and will be scaled to the size and complexity of the requirement (“Further Competition”)
or
directly award a contract to one supplier from information supplied in this Invitation to Tender and from the prices submitted in the price schedule (“Direct Award”)
Lots and requirements (4)Procurement structure
4 lots · all with a published value · same conditions of participation on every lot · evaluation weights differ by lotEvery one of these 4 lots carries the same published figure, £75,000,000: it is the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each lot's own budget, and no share per lot is published. The cards below say ceiling above rather than repeat it.
Lot #1Children's Services and EducationAwardedceiling above
The source published no individual description for this lot.
- Economic & financial standing
The Invitation to Tender sets out the conditions of participation which include financial assessment, expertise and experience and insurance requirements. Please note insurance requirements do not have to be in place before contract award.
Lot #2Public HealthAwardedceiling above
The source published no individual description for this lot.
- Economic & financial standing
The Invitation to Tender sets out the conditions of participation which include financial assessment, expertise and experience and insurance requirements. Please note insurance requirements do not have to be in place before contract award.
Lot #3Adult Social Care/Community HealthAwardedceiling above
The source published no individual description for this lot.
- Economic & financial standing
The Invitation to Tender sets out the conditions of participation which include financial assessment, expertise and experience and insurance requirements. Please note insurance requirements do not have to be in place before contract award.
Lot #4Skills and ProductivityAwardedceiling above
The source published no individual description for this lot.
- Economic & financial standing
The Invitation to Tender sets out the conditions of participation which include financial assessment, expertise and experience and insurance requirements. Please note insurance requirements do not have to be in place before contract award.
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.
| Lot | Quality | Social value | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Children's Services and Education | 40% | 60% | |
| 2 · Public Health | 40% | 60% | |
| 3 · Adult Social Care/Community Health | 40% | 60% | |
| 4 · Skills and Productivity | 80% | 20% |
- Economic & financial standing
The Invitation to Tender sets out the conditions of participation which include financial assessment, expertise and experience and insurance requirements. Please note insurance requirements do not have to be in place before contract award.
- “Framework Agreement for development and implementation of the SIGN…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 20 suppliers, not a single contract: call-offs may be direct or by further competition.
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
- Light touch regime
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use the vehicle
- • Any successor body to Norfolk County Council, including any company formed by the Council to carry out its Children's Services, Education, Adult Social Services, Community Health, Public Health, Economic Development or Skills Development functions • The Combined Mayoral Authority for Norfolk and Suffolk once operational • Any organisation Norfolk County Council outsources its Children's Services, Education, Adult Social Services, Community Health, Public Health, Economic Development or Skills Development requirements to • Any public body with which the Council enters into pooling arrangements for the provision of its Children's Services Education, Adult Social Services, Community Health, Public Health, Economic Development or Skills Development services.
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 15 Jan 2026, 08:49 GMT
- Last source update
- 5 Oct 2026, 13:16 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 16 Apr 2026
- Authority reference
NCCT43288- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-010489- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-060635Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 12 Mar 2026, 11:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 27 Feb 2026, 11:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
This procurement will be managed electronically via the Council's eProcurement system. To participate in this procurement, applicants must first be registered on the system at in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc ↗.
Clarifications must be raised through the in-tend platform, and responses to clarification questions will be published on the in-tend platform. Clarifications will not be answered by email.
Full instructions for registration and use of the system can be found at in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc/aspx/Regis… ↗ and in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc/aspx/Help ↗. You will be able to see the procurement project under the 'Tenders' section and when registered and logged in will be able to 'Express an Interest' to view the associated documentation. In order to view clarifications, you must be logged in.
If you have any problems using the system you can find information under the 'Help' section of the website at in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc/aspx/Help ↗.
If you have any technical problems with accessing in-tend, you can contact the InTend support team by phoning +44 (0) 114 407 0065 or emailing [email protected].
Timeline
15 Jan 2026 → 5 Oct 2026 · 10 dates- Planning notice published274 days ago15 Jan 2026, 08:49 GMT
- Market engagement259 days ago29 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
Informal market engagement has already taken place with interested parties at the GOLab Social Outcomes Conference 2025, discussing the aims and objectives of the framework agreement and its scope.
Further opportunity to discuss the framework agreement and its aims is available through contacting the commissioner, Graham Phillips. Initial contact can be made by emailing [email protected].
- Next notice expected258 days ago30 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Tender notice published253 days ago5 Feb 2026, 13:46 GMT
- Clarification questions by231 days ago27 Feb 2026, 11:00 GMT
- Admission / appointment period ends218 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown12 Mar 2026, 11:00 GMT
- Award decision expected by182 days ago16 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts169 days ago30 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent121 days ago17 Jun 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published11 days ago5 Oct 2026, 13:16 BST
Notice history
13 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender · since 15 Jan 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published15 Jan 2026, 08:49 GMTUK2
- Planned procurement notice published26 Jan 2026, 10:48 GMTUK3
- Status changed to planned26 Jan 2026, 10:48 GMT
- Procurement method changed26 Jan 2026, 10:48 GMT
- Deadline published: 6 Mar 2026, 11:00 GMT26 Jan 2026, 10:48 GMT
- Tender notice published5 Feb 2026, 13:46 GMTUK4
- Published value updated5 Feb 2026, 13:46 GMT
- Status changed to active5 Feb 2026, 13:46 GMT
- Deadline moved to 12 Mar 2026, 11:00 GMT5 Feb 2026, 13:46 GMT+6 days · was 6 Mar 2026, 11:00 GMT
- Contract award notice published17 Jun 2026, 12:30 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete17 Jun 2026, 12:30 BST
- Contract signature expected15 Jul 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published5 Oct 2026, 13:16 BSTUK7
Routine re-releases (5)
- 2026-01: 2 releases · 15 Jan 2026, 26 Jan 2026
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast£75,000,000 is the framework's published maximum, restated by the publisher on 4 award rows. It is one ceiling, not 4 separate sums, and no share per lot is published; those rows read “ceiling above”.
| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 1 · Children's Services and Education1 award | |||
| SIGN Outcomes Partnerships LimitedSME, SOCIAL INVESTMENT BUSINESS FOUNDATIONSME, Social Finance LtdSME1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2030 | ceiling above | 17 Jun 2026 | Awarded |
| Lot 2 · Public Health1 award | |||
| SIGN Outcomes Partnerships LimitedSME, SOCIAL INVESTMENT BUSINESS FOUNDATIONSME1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2030 | ceiling above | 17 Jun 2026 | Awarded |
| Lot 3 · Adult Social Care/Community Health1 award | |||
| SIGN Outcomes Partnerships LimitedSME, Social Finance LtdSME1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2029 | ceiling above | 17 Jun 2026 | Awarded |
| Lot 4 · Skills and Productivity1 award | |||
| SIGN Outcomes Partnerships LimitedSME, SOCIAL INVESTMENT BUSINESS FOUNDATIONSME, Social Finance LtdSME1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2030 | ceiling above | 17 Jun 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
All 4 of these contracts carry the same published figure, £75,000,000, the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each contract's own value. They are not eleven separate sums.
Lot 1 - Children’s Services and Education · SIGN Outcomes Partnerships LimitedSME, SOCIAL INVESTMENT BUSINESS FOUNDATIONSME, Social Finance LtdSME
- Signed
- 1 Aug 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Period
- 1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2030
- Status
- active
Lot 2 - Public Health · SIGN Outcomes Partnerships LimitedSME, SOCIAL INVESTMENT BUSINESS FOUNDATIONSME
- Signed
- 1 Aug 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Period
- 1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2030
- Status
- active
Lot 3 - Adult Social Care/Community Health · SIGN Outcomes Partnerships LimitedSME, Social Finance LtdSME
- Signed
- 1 Aug 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Period
- 1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2029
- Status
- active
Lot 4 - Skills and Productivity · SIGN Outcomes Partnerships LimitedSME, SOCIAL INVESTMENT BUSINESS FOUNDATIONSME, Social Finance LtdSME
- Signed
- 1 Aug 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Period
- 1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2030
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Children's Services and Education | 3final-stage tenders | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2 · Public Health | 2final-stage tenders | 2 | 0 | — |
| 3 · Adult Social Care/Community Health | 2final-stage tenders | 2 | 0 | — |
| 4 · Skills and Productivity | 3final-stage tenders | 3 | 0 | — |
Who bid
- wonSIGN Outcomes Partnerships LimitedSME · Greater London · all lots
- wonSocial Finance LimitedSME · Greater London · 1, 3, 4
- wonSOCIAL INVESTMENT BUSINESS FOUNDATIONSME · Greater London · 1, 2, 4
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
Framework contractors & participating bidders
3 commercial parties on the notice- SIGN Outcomes Partnerships LimitedFramework contractor
- SOCIAL INVESTMENT BUSINESS FOUNDATIONFramework contractor
- Social Finance LimitedFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications (18)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Signed contract
- Signed contract
- Bidding documents and specifications Invitation to Tender
- Signed contract
- Signed contract
- Bidding documents and specifications Terms and conditions
- Bidding documents and specifications Framework guidance
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
Show 3 more notices
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Planned procurement notice Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender